The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1908-03-26
$4,000 Stolen
FROM FRATERNITY
SUPREME SECRETARY WILSON
OF MICHIGAN CONCERN is
ARRESTED.
He Admits His Guilt-Port Huron
Man Peculates Funds Of United
Home Protectors, Using Them in
Speculation.

Port Huron, Mich, Mar. 2O.-An in.
vestigation into the affairs of the
United Home Protectors fraternity of
this city, ordered by the state banking
commissioner, ended Thursday with
the announcement that Supreme Sec
retary w. l.. Wilson of this city is
short a sum In excess of $4,000, and
his arrest in the afternoon on the
charge of embezzlement.
State Banking Commissioner Zim
norman, who took charge of the af-
fairs of the fraternity Thursday, states
that Secretary Wilson had been in
vesting heavily in electric railroad
promotion and in oil and mining
stocks He says the fraternity is hope
lessly insolvent and that he will apply
for a receiver.
Discovery OF the Shortage.
The shortage came to light through
the discovery, Mr.. Zimmerman says.
by bank examiner that the funds of
the local lodge, of which Mr.. Wilson
was also secretary, and those Of the
supreme lodge, deposited In the same
bank, had been juggled- Following
this discovery the commissioner OF
dered the trustees to make an fuvesu-
CATION OF the fraternity's books, which
begin several days ago. II came to a
climax Wednesday night when the
trustees summoned Mr.. Wilson before
them and he made, they state, a com
plete eonfessiop.
The United Home Protectors fra
ternity was organized IA years ago
under a special act OF the legislature.
and conducted a building and loan
business in the form Of ~ fraternity
doing business only among its own
members. There are about 100 subor-
dinate lodges scattered throughout
both the upper and lower peninsulas
of Michigan, with a total membership
of about $500. The officers Of the In
stitution, all residents of Port Huron
are as follows:
President, Maj. n 8. Boynton; vice
president. c. r. Meisel; secretary, w
l.. Wilson,; treasurer, A. A. Graves: ::
supreme trustees. ID. p. Marley, Al
btlN DlAOu anu ~ NtihiDbElA. WI
Wilson, who is about 45 years of age
is married and has four children. He
was made secretary of the fraternity
when It was organized and his salary
was $1,000 per year.
How Wilson Worked q.
Banking Commissioner Zimmerman
says that the books of the fraternity
were regular and that there was moth
ing to indicate any wrongdoing until
the peculiar manipulation of the bank
accounts was discovered, which
aroused suspicion. He said:
AN examination Of the securities
uuany of which are long past due, dis
closed that Secretary Wilson by a sys-
tematic plan continued on the books
mortgages which had in fact been
paid, the money which he received in
payment having been used to pay
the installments and the interest on
the mortgages to keep them live
asset on the books. A like practice
was pursued with reference to the GER
tificates Of the association, which he
carried on the books as uncanceled
This practice had evidently been pur-
sued for several years, in fact Secre-
tary Wilson so admits. During all of
this time the books and records of the
association on their face have always
shown the association to be in fairly
good condition and solvent.
Secretary Wilson, when confronted
with the facts discovered, admitted ap-
propriating the funds OF the associa-
ton to his private use for many years
The amount Of his shortage is uncer-
tain, but as far as the investigation
has proceeded It looks as though the
shortage will net larger amount than
S75,000."