The Washington herald., 1908-01-29


Of Roscoe Conkling in the United States
Senate. and Republican candidate Cor
governor, made a general assignment for
the benefit of creditors to-day.
The assignment followed the failure
few days ago of the Sierra Consolidated
Gold Mining Company, of which Mir.
Miller was president The bulk of his
fortune. rapidly depleted in recent years
by mining ventures and other unsuccess-
fuI enterprises, was invested in this con
cern.
The former Senator executed the as
sigument this morning in the offices OF
the mining company at 100 Broadway
eramped quarters which contrasted
strangely with the commodIous and hand
some Offices occupied by him in the long
time Of his afhuence. At the time the pa
pers were signed he was in as poor condi,
tion physically as he was financially.
He seemed a victim of nervous break
down and told the assignee. Ernest L.
Conant of "a Nassau street that it was
absolutely necessary for him to take a
rest before he could acQuaint him with
the state of his business affairs. He left
the Office immediately after the assign
ment was made, telling Mr.. COnant that
he would return in three days. He said
nothing of his destination.
Victim OF Breakdown.
Mr.. Miller has not been himself for
IL
business associate. He was the victim
Of a nervous breakdown, the second
attack of this kind he has had in the
past six months. and was in no condition
10 transact business. He informed me
Of his business troubles when the mining
company went into the hands of a re-
ceiver last week.
Il asked him if he had a lawyer He
said he had not and urged him by all
means TO retain attorneys who would
protect his interests. II struck me at
the time as strange that a man of the
Senator's experience should be so care
less over an important matter"
Mr.. Conaut, the assignee declared him
self unable TO give as much as a guess
of the Senator's resources and liabilities.
that day, he said and had never before
been consulted by Mr.. Miller, and was
accordingly in entire ignorance Of Mr..
MilIers affairs For many years Mr..
MIller's counsel has been Smith NJ
Weed, the we'll known Democratic pol
iueian and lawyer.
Mr. Weed was not in the city to-day.
Mine Never Produced,
The Sierra Consolidated Gold Mining
Company is a West Virginia corporation.
with capital stock of 100000 and a
bonded Indebtedness Of S500000. The com
pany was incorporated twelve years ago.
but has not yet become a producing mine.
When Afr Miller FIRST became connected
with it. one of its most important pro-
mUteTs was William Wayne Belvin. The
relationship turned out to be unsatisfac-
tory. for Mr.. Bevin developed an erratic
disposition In 1893 he was arrested on
the charge Of neglecting bill at the
Waldorf In 1901 the United States secret
service men took him in charge at Buff
falo for sending a telegram to President
Mckinley advising him that his special
train was TO be wrecked in Texas.
In 1865 Belvin was again arrested this
time in Boston, for sending a scurrilous
letter TO a -ew York man. lie was ac-
quilted on all these charges, but the noto-
riety attained by him was offensive to the
former Senator
soon after Belvin got out of the COM
pany there came into a prominent position
in 1t the firm OF Hopper & Bigelow. which
established itself in Offices at 100 Broad
way, in the same building with Mr. Mil
Ter. The firm is composed of Col. Robert
N. Hopper and J. H. Bigelow.
The latter who is said to he a woman,
took the position Of secretary and treas
urer, and still retains it. She is said to
nave pIospected tor the company. and to
have discovered many of the claims
which it was proposed TO deveIope. Both
Col Hopper and his partner were inter-
ested IN the mining boom of 1906 and 1897
I'm floating the Victoria Chief Copper Min
Ing and Smelling Company, OF which Col
Hopper is president and his partner sec
retary and treasurer Both of them came
from New Mexico, where Col Hopper
was a ranchman before he became a min
ing promoter and financier.
Last Of His Fortune.
a friend of Senator Miller said TODAY
that he owned Sl,Oo00O0 par value in the
stock Of the Sierra company aud a block
of the bonds The bulk of the bonds. il
was said were held by Col. Hunter and
his friends. and this friend of the Sen
ator's feared that the receivership pro-
ceedlnss would wipe out all of the Sen
Rtors interest in the company. since
this was principally a stock interest The
receivership Proceedings wefe instituted
m West Virginia. and neither OF the re-
ceivers was nominated by Mr.. Miller.
Mr. Miller was accounted a wealthy
man on his retirement from the Senate,
His first important business reverse was
in connection with the Nicaragua Canal
project He was one Of the organizers
of both the Nicaragua Canal Construc-
tion Company and the Maritime Canal
Company. and for several years devoted
a large part of his time and much of his
fortune 10 advancing the project
As is well known the scheme collapsed
on account Of the Martinique disaster.
which gave rise 10 fears of volcanic
eruptions in Nicaragua. and the activity
Of the Panama promoters. Or as a
friend Of Mr.. Miller expressed il today,