The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1910-09-15
Got Money From Two Banks
by False Statements of
Hop Firm Assets.
ASKS FULL TERM m JAIL
Ruined In 1907 Panic, Ne Decelves
the Mercantile and uberty
National Park Escapes.

Adolph Rothbarth. representative in
America ~ one II the largest hop dealing
firms in the world. Rothbarth a 20. Of
FRANKFORT nn the Main. London. st.
Petersburg and New York. IL in the Tonbs.
a confessed hank swindler His victims
were the Mercantile National Bank.
which. according To the District Attor-
ney's ONCE. IL out SIS .OOO. and the Liberty
National. which holds SIS. go Of his fraudu-
lent notes.
After twenty years 81 honorable dealing
as the New York agent 81 a firm whose
credit IL Internationally good Rothbarth
in 1906 made up h- mind that he wanted
Ia he a millionaire and get his million
quick. He Rdvsniured into Wall Street.
playing the bull end Of the market and
putting up for margins cash that he had
obtained from the banks on,the strength
81 impeccable business statements He
Ind been ruined in the ps mic Of 1901.
Thereafter Rothbarth played a conf
dence game with three hanks the Mer-
camille. the Liberty and the National
Park. keeping each Institution ignorant
IT his borrowings from the others and
floating his hop business with the pro-
ceeds Of false statements Of credit and
cash.
Now. with the written evidence % his
frauds in the hands Of District Attorney
Whitman. his saOOOOO business reduced
20 the value of a desk and two or three
ofiice chairs. and the fear that he may
have ruined the prospects Of his German
brothers. who were innocent of hia trans
actions. Rothbarth says he wants To 10
60 prison for the longest term the law
oaR provide. This happens in his case
20 he ten years. He said yesterday that
he had lived through he'll Of sleepless
nights and that he was glad the hanks
had got him
Rothbarth's game was n Hwindle Of
the simplest variety He used the known
reputation Of the foreign house 81 Roth
harth 4 Co. as his hest trump. and for
u second his own previous credit with the
hanks that deal largely in commercial
paper The banks never suspected that
he was a swindleT until three days ago,
80 closely did he play his cards. Upon
this basis Of reputation and credit he
built fraudulent statements % the CON
dition Of Martin Rothbarth a Co.. the
American branch Of the Rothharth
hop business. providing the hanks with
utterly imaginary figures concerning
bills receivable and cash.
For years the Mercantile had no sus-
picion that he was heavy borrower from
the Liberty. the Liberty was unaware that
the Mercantile held his notes. and the
National Park accepted his statement
that he was borrowing from IL alone. OF
the three hanks the National Park alone
gets out without loss.
Like the bills OF ladinR forger several
years ago who was caught because he
inserted in his counterfeit papers freight
car numbers higher than the road which
owned the cars had ever gone in number
ing them. Rothbarth was tripod up
through carelesaness in a trivial detail.
He forgot To make copies Of the falss
statements he made 10 the Mercantile md
the National Park. The statements dit
fsred amazingly. The credit men Of thesa
banks happened TO make comparisons.
They saw instantly that one Of the state
ments must be lie. A little later they
learned that both were false. 60 thsy
went for Rothbarth IN q hurry and aftera
brief period Of excuses. m which he in
sisted that careless bookkeeping was
for the discrepancies. his
defence collapsed He admitted his guilt
and sought to explain the cause.
The name OF Rothbarth A Co. has been
IA miliar in the world Of commerce. for
many years. Its large agencies draw in
- ~.
dispose Of IL To brewers mainly. The
Of the Arm 10 At Frankfort
IN the Main. The important branches
are at New YORK. London and ~
with the New York agency a
powerful factor In the business With
hop producers and money lenders tbs
have enjoyed Al standing.
With never a suspicion 81 shady conduct
on the part Of any one Of the brothers
There are four Rothbarths. Three of
fhem constitute the firms Of Rothharth a
70. and Martin Rothbarth a 60. Those
IN the firms are Leopold. Martin and
Justus. Adolph was the New York agent
hut he was supplied with powered
attorney Of such sweeping mature that the
lawyers for the injured banks feel certain
hat the foreign brothers are liable Tor
he loss Leopold and Martin manage the
house AZ Frankfort on the Main, JIstus
mas charge At London. Adolph has bought
and sold hops IN New Nork for twenty-five
years He - 81 years old. unmarried.
and has been living IN handsome apart
nents at the sherman square Hotel. HIS
offices werc two rooms az - whitehall
street
IN ISOs. the year Adolph began PLAYING
ihe market. the Rothharth business here
was worth. good will cash and accounts.
in the neiEhborhOod 81 S'oo.Oo,. I's
American profits were perhaps S5o.OoO
= year Adoiph Rothharth himself wAs
we'll 20 do. with means outside ~ the
business He Eambled IN margins for
about two years with varying stIccsss,