Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1911-02-14
Local Secret Process Factory,
in Hands of Receiver,
Wrecks Promoters.
POSTAL AUTHORITIES
TO PROBE OPERATIONS
Investors Only Recently In
formed of Death, Years
Ago, of Roach.

The American Tanning Company, the
$1,000, 900 concern located at the foot
of Lockwood street, this city, which
was the chief cause of the death OF tho
Henry N. Roach Company, Financial
Agents" of 373 Fifth avenue. New
York, is today In the hands of re-
ceiver, and the plant. which occupies
about five acres, is closed.
The only persons on the premises are
the watchmen, and they were instruct
ed by the managers to tell all callers
that the company is in the hands of a
receiver and that the secretary and
treasurer, Charles M. Adair, may be
seen in the offices of Walker &, Garen,
in Jersey City.
The Henry N. Roach Company. which
closed Its doors last Wednesday, and
whose operations the postotfice authorl-
ties will inves tigate, received from their
investors In the last two years about
two million dollars through their stock
operations In the American Tanning
Company, the Consolidated Canadian
Coal Company of Maine, five million
dollar concern; the w. c. Reeves Com
pany, real estate operators of New
York. capital 100000, and the Stand
ard Salt Company.
Peanuts Was Head.
The head of the concern was Herbert
F. Robinson, known as peanuts" al
though 1t was generally believed by the
investors that Henry N. Roach had
charge of it. Roach, however, had been
dead since September, 1908, but the in
vestors had not been informed of this
until last week. The information came
In the nature of letter from the con-
cern, which stated that the company
was forced to get out of business on
account of the fact that It was losing
money.
1t is believed that the local concern
Is the chief cause of the failure and
that the investors in this firm will suf-
fer most. The plant was started
eighteen months ago for the purpose of
tanning leather by a secret process
The secret process, 1t is said, would
produce more work in shorter time
than any process known, and in this
way the firm could "buck the trusts"
One Of the workmen, when seen near
the plant this morning, said:
I'VE used to turn out more work with
our twenty-five men than any other
firm could with fifty. The work was
good, too. The only thing that caused
this firm to fail was the lack of capital.
Despite the fact that the company had
over $1,000.0 900 worth OF stock sold, that
was not enough. I know that with
more money they could have done more
work and would not have had to close
down"
Other workmen say that the process
was not practicable, and that the firm
was never success. They said that
instead of employing 500 men, as did
Albert A. Guigues of whom the plant
was bought, the American Company
never employed more than forty men.
In the Litter sent to its investors, the
Roach Company said that the future
address of the tanning company will
be Newark. This morning the watch
man at the local plant had with him
a stack of letters that would number
at least fifty
While a reporter for the EVENING
STAR was there. Mr.. Adair called up
and was told about the letters He in
structed the watchman TO keep them,
but said that he would not be over
today and did not know when he would
come to Newark He was not anxious
to see the letters.
The watchman explained that the
letters were from persons to whom the
company had sent literature" before
closing It's doors. Adam Hoch, of 812
South Twelfth street, the vice-president
of the concern could not be seen at his
home today Mr.. Hoch, II is said, has
been blamed for the condition of the
company, but just what way he Is
responsible for the loss of money to
the investors could not be explained.
"Peanuts" in Canada.
1t is understood that the manipula-
tions of the Roach concern have been
shady and that the head. Peanuts"
Robinson, has police record. He IS
now living in Montreal, having jumped
his ball bond for $4,000 given when he
appealed from a two-year sentence in
Minneapolis for swindling.
r. S. Robinson, brother of
peanuts" and a former Chicago po-
liceman. was the secretary of the firm
and went under the name of H. r.
Raymond. The president was known
as H. w. Parker, but the police say
that he is Herbert Knapp.
Raymond made a very good impress
sion on the local men who were con-
gregated in the watchman's shanty
outside the plant. One of them called
Raymond the "whitest" man in the
concern, and said that he was the fall
guy" that Mr.. Raymond had put his
own money in the company just to
make It pay.
The Roach Company catered to about
5000 clients. and used as their medium
of advertising a publication of their
own, called Financial Facts. The
editorials in this publication were
signed with the name of Roach al
though he died two weeks before Rob-
inson took hold of the concern 1t was
incorporated in Albany in 1908 with a
capital of $1,000. Roach. 1t is said. was
never connected with the concern.
According to their letter, Raymond
and Parker are still in New York, and
will communicate with their investors
and do all they can for them" No
offer to pay back any money was
made. Both men own automobiles and
live in luxury.