New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-07-13
F|SCHER-HANSEN SHOPS
IN BANKRUPTCY COURT
Creditors Say Concern Owes
$4,000, with Assets OF
$4,000.
ACCUSE FORMER LAWYER
Assert That He Took All the
Money Earned by Enter
prise, but He De-
MES It.
ACCUSE FORMER LAWYER

The French-American stores Company.
which is owned and controlled by Cai'
Fischer-Hansen. the disbarred lawyer
whose wife. a daughter OF Isaac v bro
kaw. the merchant. divorced him after he
had served a term OF one year on BLACK
wells Island for attempting to bride a
witness. got into the bankruptcy court yes
terday. The petition was filed against the
company by the Franklin Company ana
two other creditors. and alleges that the
Fischer Hansen firm, which conducts sew
eral French bakeries and lunchrooms m
this city, has $1,000 liabilities and only
81, 100 assets.
The petitioners allege that the company
transferred a large part OF its income TO
Carl Fischer Hansen while insolvent, ana
was in such dire straits that the electric
lights were shut off for non-payment OF
the bills. They also allege that the COM
pany recklessly and fraudulently, and for
the personal purposes OF Carl Fischer
Hansen involved Itself I'm further debt and
depleted it's assets by opening a new store
and mortgaging Its property.
The company is not paying current ex-
penses and the bakers and employees have
threatened to quit work, the petitioners
allege. Furthermore certain creditors have
been permitted To obtain preferences on
July s. the inability 10 meet its debts was
acknowledged by the alleged bankrupt. the
petitioners assert
Mr.. Fischer Hansen denied all these allie
cations last night. He said that the idea OF
his company being bankrupt was absurd.
The trouble had all been trumped up, he
said, by "A disgruntled contractor, whom
he had sued for alleged failure to COM
plete contract for fitting up one Of his
new stores. He said his counsel would APP
pear in court to-day and ask for expert
accountants to go over his books to show
that the company was solvent.
Fischer Hansen lives in small. but lux
uriously furnished, apartment at No. $50
St Nicholas avenue. His former law part
ner Alexander Michaelson, ard another
lawyer were with him at the apartment
last night. They were busy going over
the company's books and figuring out its
assets. Fischer-Hansen said the company
showed assets Of $4,000 above al outstand-
ing claims
II want II clearly understood that I am
the whole company and own the four
stores we are operating" he said. NO one
else has a nickel i'm the company. The
whole trouble has come from the activities
of a contractor who had the contract to fit
up one Of the stores and failed to carry IL
out. sued him recently for 5000 dam
ages. Another of the petitioners is a milk
man who formerly furnished the milk and
cream for the stores. | stopped doing busl-
ness with him a month ago, because I was
IL lal dali nd
The rents for the various stores mad
been mostly paid in advance, some or them
as far ahead as up to next December, the
former lawyer said. Soda fountains valued
at $4,000 had been installed In the stores,
he said. and about 5000 of this indebted
ness had been paid
The claims Of the three creditors appear
ing in the petition are: The Franklin Com
pany, $3l2 for goods sold; Lambert Dairy
Company, Sl9j for goods sold, and Gordon
Brothers, $iSj for work done.
Fischer-Hansen has had Il spectacular
career as a criminal lawyer. lie was in
dicted on April !. 1908. on the charge OF
exforting $4,000 from Joseph II. O'Brien, Of
Philadelphia. He was acquitted on that
charge. In January. 1909. he was indicted.
with his partner Michaeison. on the charge
OF attempting to bride a witness, growing
out Of the extorton trial. Isaac Y. Bro
kaw, his father-in-law. furnished the bail
al that time. $1,000 for him and $4,000
FOR Michaelson. Tho indictment against
Michaelson was dismissed
Fischer Hansen Unexpectedly pleaded
guilty during his trial on the bribery
charge. and began to serve mis- sentence
of one year on Blackwell's Island in March.
1909 He brought a libel suit FOR $4,000
against his father-in-law. which was dis
continued The Brokaws announced last
month that their daughter had obtained
divorce from her husband in Nevada. 1t
was reported at the time that Under the
divorce arrangement Fischer-Itanson would
continue to receive an allowance of $3.50
n year. which the Brokaws mad formerly
allowed him Fischer-Hansen ie,,ied the
report at the time.