The San Francisco call., 1908-03-25
PITTMAN'S SCHEMES
FACE COURT PROBE
incorporation of High Titled
Companies Will Be Prose-
cuted for EmbezzIement
Start of Operations Said to
Have Been Guaranty Conf
pany With S. Capital

Allegations of sensational nature in
volving men well known in San Fran
cisco social and business circles Will
be brought to light this morning in
Judge Weller's department of the GRIM
inal court when the case of Barton
Pittman, promoter, banker and incor-
porator OF many companies of huge
capitalization, charged with embezzle-
ment is called for trial.
Through a skillful manipulation of
alleged bogus mining stocks and by
use of high sounding titles for various
corporations of which he was the dt-
recting body and stock holders COM
bined, coupled with which he en-
ployed keen knowledge Of the vul-
nerable points of human nature, 1t Is
claimed. Pittman and his associates,
among whom was the woman now his
wife. were epabled to promote schemes
which netted them thousands of dol
lars gathered from investors from the
Atlantic to the Pacific oceans.
The charges against Pittman are
brought by John NJ Obert. a railroad
man Of Carson City, New, and by
George A Waterbury. a prominent
young society man of Berkeley. The
latter alleges that at various times
within the past three years Pittman
has f1eeced him of sums aggregating
$4,000, supposedly paid for third
interest in valuable mining property
at Goldfeld. which he since has learned
did not exist
SEEKS LOAN SECURITIES
Obert claims that he was swindled
out of securities and bonds worth
s4,127, which he had left with Pittman
as security for a loan made on his
banking establishment" known as
Barton, Pittman g. Co., bankers, Inc,
with offices in the Kohl building.
Others deeply interested in the out
come Of the embezzlement charges are
E. Perley, trustee of the Mercantile
library q; this city; H H winship, a
leading merchant of Napa; Henry
Russ. son of the former proprietor of
the Russ house, and a Mr.. Eaton of
Etna Springs, all of whom assert they
were attracted by dreams of huge
dividends into giving Pittman their
money Attorney George f. Curtis is
prosecuting the Obert and Waterbury
cases.
Among Pittman's alleged associates,
according to the complainants, are z. r.
Marriott, represented as mining editor
on the San Francisco News Letter. but
in reality said to have been an adver-
tising solicitor; W. T. Hume, an attor-
ney, who disclaims knowledge of Illegal
transactions by any of Pittman's yari-
Gus corporations; E. p. Beringer, an
editorial writer on the San Francisco
News Letter, who is said to have be-
come involved merely through accident,
being innocent Of wrong intent; Wesley
Clawson and E. B. Nagle, now Pittman's S
wife.
MARRIOTT NEAR MEXICO
When arrest became imminent through
exposure Of the nature of Pittman' S
transactions, and the barring from the
mails of prospectuses and literature of
various of his companies, Marriott is
said to have left the city hurriedly for
a vacation near the Mexican border,
where he now is.
On a paid in capital of just So Pitt
man organized a company with a cap
ital stock. OF 100000, called it the
Western loan and guaranty company,
and with it he is alleged to have un-
derwritten the reliability of the other
companies he formed. Among these
were Barton, Pittman & Co.. bankers;
the Columbia Mohawk leasing and min
ing company, capitalized at s1,000,o00.
all on paper: the Goldfield Night Hawk
mining and leasing company, S1.000,000.
and the Bullfrog Syndicate, $1,000, 900.
One concern would recommend another
TO customers. The only place in which
his name appeared was that of Barton,
Pittman & CO. When his customers in
any OF the companies became alarmed
for their money and rushed to him for
il they said that Pittman would calmly
declare that the concern in which their
money was invested had gone out OF
business, and it's affairs had been taken
over by another one of the companies
in which he was secretly interested.
Only yesterday, according to Obsrt
the principal complainant, Pittman ap-
preached him on the street and offered
him $500 and a note for S4,127 due Pitt
man If charges against him would be
dropped They were not dropped.
INDoRSES NOTE FOR AUTO
a peculiar feature of the charges
made by Waterbury against Pittman is
brought out in one item for $4,000. This
Waterbury said represented a note
which he indorsed to enable Pittman
to buy an automobile which was
promptly sold. Waterbury was COM
PEELED to make good the note The
mining property in which he invested
he said, proved to be a mere hole in
the ground with a single derrick To-
Gated on It.
Not only are United States postofice
inspectors after Pittman, but State
Mineralogist Lewis Aubury is also said
to have gathered evidence against him
and may bring a charge of having vio-
lated a state law which forbids exag-
geration in mining company pros
pectuses.