The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-10-19
SWISH of skirts
IN DISAPPEARANCE
Departure of Young Woman
CoinCident With That
of Williams.
MINING SCANDAL GROWS
MISSING MAN MAY CARRY SUB
sTANTIAL FORTUNE.

Those who were in positions to know
something of the affairs of Ernest Will
I liams, the missing manufacturers agent
and mining man, express the belief that
he will never again be seen in Salt Lake
The impression is that he is now back
i'm his old home i'm England Mr.. Will
liams. who had reputation for gallantry.
is said to have gone to England to join
a young English woman who left Salt
Lake a short time before his departure
She announced on going away that she
would visit relatives in Europe. but VIII
liams' intimates state that there is no
doubt that he sent her on ahead, with the
intention of quickly joining her
There are a number of circumstances
which indicate that Williams planned to
leave Salt Lake forever when he took the
train for the east on Sept. 8. One of the
strongest of these is a letter written on
the day of his departure to George W.
Meyer. attorney for George W. Reed, one
of the stockholders in the Success Min
ing company, who for month before
Williams disappearance made vigorous
efforts to compel the agent TO make
settlement with Reed
Williams had repeatedly deferred TAX
ing up the matter of the settlement and
in his letters to Attorney Meyer had taken
pains TO avoid acknowledging the justice
of the Reed claim.
Promised to Come Back.
But on Sept. g. before vanishing. he
l'wrote the lawyer a letter stating that he
was going to Idaho. and for that reason
could not keep an engagement he had
made to take up the Reed matter. He
added that he would be back in Salt Lake
in d few days and that he would then see
that Mr.. Reed received the shares III the
Colorado Mining company to which ne
was entitled in exchange for his Success
stock. Lawyer Meyer supposed that he
had at last forced a settlement for his
client. but as week after week passed
~ - saa
to think that something was wrong He
therefore brought suit against Williams
and obtained a judgment of $500 by de-
fault.
Another thing which indicates that Will
liams' disappearance was carefully
planned is that his sample cases were
actually shipped to Pocatello. Ida, on the
day he took the train for the east. AS ne
reached Chicago on Sept 10 two days at
ter leaving Salt Lake, he could not nave
gone to Idaho.
The Colorado Success mining deal is sc-
cepted as the real cause of Mr.. Williams
unexplained departure from Salt Lake.
1t is one of the most remarkable stories
of Salt Lake mining history.
Colorado Success Deal.
The Success Mining company was or
ganized by Williams and owned one claim
in the Tintic mining district. near the
holdings of the Colorado Mining company
and other of the big Tintic corporations
The stock was sold at 10 cents share.
Under Williams management. there were
numerous assessments. and some OF the
stockholders allowed their shares to re-
turn TO the treasury through non-pay-
ment of these demands. Others lost in
terest in the operations of the company
and Williams was left in complete con-
troll When things looked darkest. VIII
Iiams made the deal with the Colorado
Mining company by which the Success
property passed into the control of the
Colorado people At that time, the great
L Il -. - FlF0 n n
mine. The company's shares were selling
at % cents, ard the 5000 shares of Colo
RADIO stock given for the Success mine
represented about cents share for Sue
/ cess stock at the then prevailing price.
After the strike was made in the Colo
/ RADIO mine, the Colorado stock went up to
| sS a share Had the stock been disposed
| of at that time for the benefit of the
Success stockholders. it would have meant
that they would have received 81 for each
| share of Success stock for which 10 cents
had been paid
! TuIucIxiIv for most of the Success stock
| holders, considerable time passed before
| il became known that the deal had been
/ made with the Colorado company. sue
| cess holders saw the boom in Colorado
shares without knowing that they were
/ financially interested i'm the upward move
ment.
Some Secured Settlement.
Some of the Success holders, however.
did learn of the deal and managed to get
| their portions of the 5000 shares, but
most of them received no settlement
! If the $1,000 shares had been sold when
| the market was at its best. they would
have brought cash total OF S696'c9
/ 1t is not known when Williams disposed
of the stock, but it is known that ne SOLD
most of il.
This fact is shown by the statement or
! the officers of the Colorado company AT
/ Provo. to representatives Of Success mold
| ers who failed to get an accounting, that
1 the block Of shares set aside TO be USED
! in payment for the Success property had
been delivered TO Williams.
/ Williams. when later asked Tor these
| shares. denied that they were in his pos
! session.
This statement of Williams is accept
ed as indicating that he disposed Of the
| stock after it had been placed in his
hands But nobody seems to know
/ whether he sold the stock before the
boom in prices or afterward. The time
/ OF his selling is looked upon as an i'm
| Dortant matter. If he sold before the
/ advance in Colorado shares. he could
not have realized d large sum of money
| Lake with a substantial fortune.
Lived Beyond His Means.
Men who knew Williams say that he
! lived far beyond his means, spending
large sums among cOnvivial companions.
] One substantial business man. who lived
near Williams for years said yesterday
that he would. while dissipating, stay
away from his home for days at a time.
This neighbor of Williams added that
Continued on Page 2.