The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1911-06-10
Hidden Facts in Celebrated "Big
Four" Embezzlement Case
May Come out. Loss
Nearly Million.
TRIAL STARTS MONDAY
Man Frequently Mentioned at Trials
Of Warriner and Mrs. Ford is
Principal in Present Case
Others Witnesses.

Cincinnati. O., June 1O.-After many
months OF patient waiting the public
| Is likely to learn the hidden facts in
the celebrated Warmer case. which
cost the Big -Four Railroad nearly 81
100000 and sent one man to the peni-
tentiary and one woman 10 the mad
house
The man who was sent 10 prison. Is
Charles l.. Warmer, convicted of en-
bezzling the huge sums while acting
as local treasurer of the Big -Four
road. The woman In the case is Mrs.
Jeanette $. Ford, who was alleged to
have blackmailed Warmer out OF
hundreds of thousands of dollars and
who is now confined in santarium.
her mind almost gone. II is said. as
result OF the strain of her trial
$643000 Embezzlod.
The third principal i'm the celebrated
case is Edgar Street Cooke of Chica-
go. who Is 90 be placed on trial here
Monday on a charge OF embezzlement
from the Big -Four. His trial. il is be
lieved, viii bring to light all of the
hidden details in the sordid story of
love. lust. intrigue and blackmaH.
From the first 1t has been hinted
that the least fact of all i'm the huge
scandal was WARMERS trial and i'm
the trial of Mrs. Ford the name of
Edgar Street Cooke was frequently
mentioned. Warmer declared that
Cooke was the instigator and real
principal i'm the thefts of the railroad
company's funds. Yet months passed
before any effort was made 20 bring
about the arrest and trial OF the Chi
casoan, who affected TO feel no fear
that he would ever be prosecuted on
the charges made against him.
Woman In The Caco.
Charles L, Warmer confessed that
his thefts from the railroad began !
years ago when he was employed i'm
the Cleveland Office. What prompted
him TO begin his stealing has never
been learned. While he lived well. |
his mode of living did not lead one TO |
believe that he was spending more !
than his salary. lie was constant !
attendant at church and so far as has !
been learned had no expensive habits. |
The career of Mrs. Jeanette S. |
Ford. the second principal I'm the case. |
Is less mysterious but more romantic. |
She had Just finished her course i'm |
a fashionable boarding school when |
her father died. leaving her, an or |
phan. with some $4,000. She was
then in her teens. In Cincinnati she !
met a man named Ford and married !
him Ford later secured divorce.
BlaokmsiI Is Charged.
Soon after this the woman met Ed |
gar Street Cooke. young. good looking
and prosperous. Cooke was a subord-
mate of Warriner i'm the Big -Four
office. There were rumors that Cooke |
was short i'm his accounts. Later
Warmer made a report that Cooke |
was not short and discharged him |
Cooke quit work. but continued to
draw his salary In fact, his salary |
was doubled Following this discov-
cry came the allegations of a black
mail plot in which q man and a wo-
man forced Warmer 20 pay heavily /
or have his own shortage made pub
lie
Cooke is alleged to have told Mrs
Ford of WARMERS shortage. Then
he went to Chicago 20 escape her.
having evidently decided TO devote his
attention In future 10 his beautiful
wife and his two sons. Mrs. Ford was
quick TO meet the crisis. She is al
legged TO have used tho knowledge OF
the embezzlement to extort money and |
get more money from Warmer, and |
to have employed this money In her
mad pursudof Cooke. She demanded
money from one and love from anoth-
er. according 10 the stories told
Cooke Now On Trial.
When the Cincinnati officers turned 4
to Cooke in Chicago for light on the !
trial of Mrs Ford. II was Mrs Cooke |
who showed her husband the way 20 !
the woman's exposure. She declared |
that for ten years she had been hght- |
ing for her husbands love. Then n |
was that Cooke barred his breast and |
showed the scar Of a bullet. which he
declared had been fred at him by Mrs. |
Ford In New York hotel
Warmer has been tried and Mrs |
Ford has been tried and now Cooke. |
the third person I'm the mysterious case
is to stand trial II is possible that |
the trial of Cooke may solve the mys-
terry Of why man of high standlngsin !
the community and trusted by his en-
ployers should steal nearly three quar-
ters of million dollars and turn the
bulk Of II over 10 persons In whom he
apparently had no interest. Warmer
win be brought down from the peni-
tentiary In Columbus TO tell his story
in court Mrs. Ford also will he