The San Francisco call., 1909-01-14
ROFTH AND ADAMS
CLASH OVER BANK
Financiers Disagree Over the
Amount of Deposits at Meet
ing of Union National

OAKLAND. Jan. 13.-War ragged al
tional bank yesterday with the present
manag cement, headed by George Roeth
and James l.. de Fremery. flanked by
the banks attorney. r. NJ. Fitzgerald
on one side, and Edison F. Adams, a
stenographer and his counsel, Milton S
Hamilton, opposing
Adams and his associates, each hold
ing stock, were accused by Roeth of at
tending the session in an effort to get
evidence that might be used in an at
tempt 10 close the institution. Adams
forces denied this. but stood firmly or
their rights as stock holders.
Roeth was subjected to questions
which drew from him hot denunciation
of Adams. Meanwhile busy stenogra-
pher was making a record of every
word that was uttered.
The controversy resulted from charges
which two stock holders of the bank
made against Thomas Prather, the
former president of the bank. Edison F.
Adams and John Charles Adams in a
suit which was filed in the United States
courts. 1t was alleged that under the
PratherA Adams regime large amounts
OF money We're diverted from the bank
funds to the private profits of the
cred numerous reeitals of alleged mis-
management of the banks affairs. All
of this was set forth as having occurred
before the bank passed from the
Prather Adams interests to j. Dalzell
Browns control. The failure of the
California safe deposit and trust COM
pany in San. Francisco was reflected in
the temporary closing Of the Union ma
tional
Among the allegations of the suit
was one which bore upon an alleged
Jockeying of title to the property at
Twelfth street and Broadway, occupied
by the bank This. resulted in another
law suit brought by the Adamses to
oust he bank.
This was the situation when the stock
holders. assembled. George Roeth, who
was elected president, accused Adams
Of plotting to close the bank James l..
de Fremery. retiring president of the
institution, was making his annual re-
port to the stock holders before yield
ing the position to Roeth. Adams broke
in with this query:
How much money was there in the
Union national bank on January L. and
did YOU receive deposits on January 2?''
Do not answer the question coun-
seled r. NJ Fitzgerald, attorney for the
Union national. He announced that any
information Adams desired could be OBJ
tanned from the bank books. He clinched
the point by asking Adams If his expert
accountant had not been given free ae-
cess to the books and examined them
carefully in the interest of Edison f.
Adams
Adams said that it was so.
According to Roeth, Adams was seek
ing to show that the reserve January 1
in the bank was less than the required
legal amount, and that deposits taken
january under such conditions would
form basis Of action to close the in
stitution
That further action will come was
augured by the busy atmosphere of
Milton s. Hamilton,s office. where John
Charles Adams. brother of Edison, Edison
Adams and Harry A Mosller, former
private secretary to Edison F. Adams,
now cashier of the Central bank, were
in long conference today with. Adams
attorney.
The Union national officials announced
that they had arranged for new quar-
ters IN the Jurgens building, southeast
corner of Thirteenth street and Broad
way.