Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1907-01-29
Former Local Brewer Explains
Cause Of His Arrest
In PllsbuTg.
SAYS Il. VI. COHEN CAUSED IT ALI
Alleged Irregular Actions of the Pro.
moter Made it Necessary for Kim
mich to Resort to Extreme Meas.
ures TO Protect Railway Company
of Which He is An Officer.

Considerable interest has been man
ifested here in the dispatches sent
out from Pittsburg concerning the ar
rest OF Mr.. II. G. Kimmich, the for
mer manager of the Old Dominion
brewing and Ice Company, on the
charge of stealing a million dollars in
cash, bonds and securities. Follow
ing is a statement sent by Mr.. Kim
mich to the Daily Press in which he
explains the history of the trouble
for the benefit OF mis- many friends
here:
The papers of Pittsburg of jan
nary 2ist 1907, contained state
ments to the effect that on January
goth I had been arrested for EN-
beZZlement OF certain bonds and
stocks, under a warrant sworn out
by Henry Cohen. of Henry Cohen
& Company. "a Broadway, New
York, and had g.Ten bail for a
hearing. 1t IS true that was ar
rested upon said charge. and did
give bail for a hearing. The charge
has since been withdrawn. 'Une
matter has been given such wide
circulation and notoriety and III
many instances has been so mac
curately stated, that feel it is proper
that the exact facts should be
Known.
Sometime in the early summer
of 1906, | went to New York to
transact some business with Henry
Cohen & Company, formerly of
Nassau Street; by mistake was
directed to Henry Cohen & Com
pany, "A Broadway. entered into
n business arrangement with them
and afterwards introduced Henry
Cohen to the officials of The Mey-
ersdale & Salisbury Street Railway
+ Company with whom lie male a
contract for financing the road and
afterwards formed an underwriting
syndicate for that purpo1e. After
this had occurred | discovered that
he was not the real Henry Cohen
| supposed | was dealing with Hay
ing become satisfied that he could
not carry out his contract to finance
the road, and feeling that | was
responsible in the matter TO the
officials of the company for its re-
lations with him, as well as from
his conduct hereafter mentioned and
being also an officer and director
in the company, believed 1t to be
my duty to do what could to pro-
tect the company, and avoid as far
as | could the effects of my mis-
take. and to this end / did the
following things upon which this
prosection for embezzlemcnt was
based.
list. Cohen had gotten from the
stock book OF the company, as,
! was informed, without proper au-
thority. certificate of stock of the
railroad company for 1880 shares
which was made originally payable
10 him as Syndicate Manager"
and had left this certificate with
ME to be pledged for loan. When
| discovered my mistake in the man
and his action as treasurer hereaf-
ter explained and the manner in
which this certificate of stock was
secured. felt 1t my duty under the
circumstances to, and I did, return
the certificate Of stock to the secre-
tary of the company, who replaced
1t in the stock book, where 1t has
remained from that time TO this
,"2nd Cohen mad been elected
treasurer OF The railway company
When call WAS made on the under
writer's of the bonds for pay
ment of certain portion of their
subscriptions, the checks of the
underwriters were delivered TO
Cohen as treasurer. and deposited
by him to his credit in bank as
treasurer. Cohen handed me 10 he
deposited to his credit as treasurer
check for $1,000 Of one of the
underwriters in payment of call.
which check was payable to the
Meyersdale G Salisbury Street. Rail-
way Company. and had been endors-
ed by Cohen as treasurer. When I
discovered the facts above describ-
ed and that he was using money
to his credit as treasurer apparently
for his personal purposes, was
instructed by the board of directors
OF the company and board of under.
writer's not to deposit this check
TO his account as treasurer. but to