The Washington herald., 1907-04-09
MARTINS BOX EMPTY
Receivers Fail to Find Miss
ing Securities,
CHURCH PROPERTY INVOLVED
Mount Lebanon Baptist Church
Enters suit TO Protect Its Interests
in Real Estate-Deed Never DeIiv-
cred by Firm and Is Now in the
Reeeivers' Possession.

Two blank checks and a sheet Of blank
paper We're all that greeted the eyes of
The receivers for the Martin Brothers. the
insolvent local real estate firm. when.
after securing an order from Chief Jas
uce Claybaugh yesterday afternoon, they
broke open the safe deposit box rented in
the name OF Thomas r. Martin, at the
Washington Loan and Trust Company.
They had hoped to find some of the
missing securities and assets of the firm.
The result was a shock to Mrs Thomas
r. Martin. who conducted the search for
and found the box last Saturday and ap-
peered confident that upon its being
opened her husbands name would be
cleared OF all stigma by the discovery of
securities sufficient 10 cover the hrm's
Indebtedness.
Mrs. Martin still believes the necessary
securities will be found, and with the
firms attorney, 4. Z. L. Leckie, she viii
undertake to-day to locate another safe
deposit box or boxes. Her husband, who
is in Baltimore sanatorium, is still said
10 be unable 70 assist in the search,
owing TO his mental and nervous condl-
Uoa.
The order 70 open the box was issued
yesterday upon a petition OF the receiv-
ers OF the Martin Brothers, Guy H. John
son and Joseph D. Sulliven. who through
thair attorneys. Barnard & Johnson, al
legged to she court that they had been IN
formed and believed that the real estate
and brokerage firm had been insolvent
for some time
IrreguIarity of Accounts
In their petition the receivers averred
that from an examination of the books
they have ascertained that the accounts
of the Martin Brothers have not been
kept in Il regular manner and are much
confused.
They set forth in the petition that
Thomas r. Martin has mingled and con-
fused his personal property with that OF
the partnership. and that he has for
some time past personally taken the more
active control OF the business. durine
which time he has received large sums OF
money belonging TO the firm that cannot
Us yet be traced.
In this connection the petitioners al
legged that Thomas X. Martin has appro-
priated mseh Of the money and assets Il
his own use, and has secreted SECURITIES
and other assets belonging TO the partner
ship. II was thought that some of these
securities might be in the discovered safe
deposit box, and therefore the court
was requested 10 grant an order directing
that the hex be opened in the presence
OF the receivers
Church Property Tied Up.
One OF the first individual moves OF the
creditors of the insolvent firm to protect
their interests was made yesterday when
the pastor and trustees of the Mount Leb
anon Baptist Church flied suit to entoir
Martin Brothers. Harriet Colne o. f
Smith. and Thomas r. Martin, as trustees
from transferring, conveying. or incum
bering the property located at a4St
Twenty-hfth street northwest. Attorneys
J. B. Archer, jr., and J. Louis Smith rep
resent the petitioners.
II is alleged in the petition that in 1s0-
Miss Colne, a clerk in Martin Brothers
employ. contracted to sell the property IL
question for SZ.l5O. subject 10 a trust OF
$3.50, TO the account Of which the com
plainants claim 10 have made various nav.
ments. They also claim that Martin
Brothers, acting for the seller, agreed Il
deliver a deed 70 the church authorities
bat failed 10 do So This deed is said Il
have been prepared. but never delivered
and is now in the hands of the receivers