The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-07-09
SIRENS SONG LURES 4
MORMOMS TO. LOSE
Strenuous Capitalists" Schemes
Ensnare Joseph Smith and
Other Prominent Men.
Journal Special Service.

Salt Lake City, July 9.-The things
that the leading business men Of the
Mormon church are saying about Beres-
ford Hope, who claims to be an Eng
fish nobleman, would not be pleasant
if that suave promoter could hear them.
Hope introduced many prominent Nor
mons to the game of frenzied finance,
is now in Boston, but they say that he
will have to come back to make an &C.
counting. -...s
Hope was dealer in big financial
schemes. He did things on a large
scale. His introduction to this city
was thru the medium of letter from
the British American Securities COM
fictitious organization. 80 .ss .-E
The letterhead of this company set
forth that the company was working
on capital of $50,0O0,O0O.' Among the
directors of the company named on
the letterhead were Lord Rothschild,
who was down as treasurer; Lord Deer
hurst, the chairman; Lord Vaux, Lord
Talbot, Sir Alexander Mckenzie and
several others suff Efficiently prominent in
| directorate. =.
Organized Big Company.
| 1t was an all-star cast, and down in
the body of the letter was presented
the information that Hopes credit with
the corporation was good up to 100000.
| With this letter as his working ba-
sis, Hope began operations: He organ
lied the Great Western Coal 8 Iron
purpose Of this organization was to &C
quire coal lands twelve miles in area
in Chihuahua, Mexico, and to build a
railroad into that district. In order to
interest Salt Lake business men in the
project, he stated that John Hill, a
Colorado Springs millionaire, was his
warm personal friend and would come
In on the ground floor.'
He told Of trip he had made to see
Hill, and showed as it's result a check
for $4,000 with the name Of Hill at
the bottom of the check. Hill declares
it forgery, alleging that he does not
know Hope. Meanwhile, however, the
Britisher had made Hill president OF
his company and disposed of stock bear
ing the name Of Hill in the place where
the presidents signature should have
been. Hill also declares this to be &
forgery.
Schemes Represent $1o0,000,000.
Hope is in Boston, ostensibly to OBJ
tain money from the British American
Securities company for the financing o.
schemes which represent over 100000
A couple of days ago his two stenog
raphers and his clerk closed his Sal
Lake City office for the reason that
altho he was playing with million-dolla
schemes, he had not sent them thei
salaries, as he promised to do.
One of the stenographers then cam
forward with the statement that Hop
used to dictate letters to himself O.
the letterheads of the British America
Securities, dated at BostEE, signed os
tensibly by an official of the company
These letters all told him to 90 ahea
with certain enterprises, for he ha
their full confidence and backing. Thes
letters, written by himself and to him
self, doubtless influenced more than on
investment. x
Among those who listened to the 81
ren's song as presented by Hope wer
Joseph r. Smith, president Of the MOI
mon church and ex-officio president O
some twenty large Mormon corpora
tions, and David Eccles, millionair
. Mormon Of Ogden. Eccles stood spo1
sol, for Hope on many of his scheme
and gave him money.