Norwich bulletin., 1911-12-23
Made Millions
By SWindIing
FOUR PROMOTERS RECEIVE a
SENTENCE OF YEAR.
BLACKWELL'S ISLAND
Members of Firm of Burr Brothers
Choose New York Penal Institution
Instead of Federal Prison at Atlanta

New York, Dec. 22-As punishment
for having carried on a swindle in
stocks by mail, which the government
alleges lasted Two years ana is reputed
to have netted millions in profit. four
promoters of the firm of Burr Brothers,
lEc.s were each sentenced today to a
years Imprisonment They began oc-
cupyins cells on Blackwems Island to-
night.
All Pleaded Guilty.
The prisoners are Shelton Burr, pres
Ident OF the corporation, his brother,
Eugene H., who was secretary treas
urer. Charles III. Tobey. vice president.
and Edwin W. Preston, who acted as
field manager of the business The
quartette unexpectedly offered pleas OF
guilty before Judge Holt in the frim-
mai branch of the United States cir
cult court late today The indictment
upon which the men had been called to
trial specifically charged fraud in
volving s6S. 600 in the sale Of the stock
of the Peoples Association Oil COM
pany, but the government alleged this
swlndle was but one of a series of
similar offenses estimated to have
involved nearly SOC, ,0oO, 900 and SIS, ,000, =
coo in profits for the promoters
Counsel Pleads For CIemency.
Counsel for the defendants said that
rather than incur the expense of sum-
n on1ng witnesses from distant points
to appear in the various trials. it had
eeen decided to enter plea of guilty
to the specific indictment from which
the government opened its case. The
maximum sentence possible this in
dlctment Was eighteen months and
counsel argued for clemency. He urg-
ed that the promoters had reason TO
believe that the stocks which they were
booming would prove profitable to
investors, but they now realized that
the representations which they had
made concerning the enterprises were
too strong
Choose to Go to BIackweIPs Island.
United States District Attorney Wise
said that if the case were an isolated
one the plea for clemency might be
widespread and were kept up for two
years there was no reason for clemen-
cy. Judge Holt announced sentence as
year each. By a slip of the tongue
which made even the prisoners laugh,
he gave them a choice of terms in the
Atlanta cemetery" For in the New
Yodk penitentiary on Blackwelrs Is
land. The men preferred the Island
and were taken there tonight.
Raided Over Year Ago.
A little over a year ago the four men
occupying expensive offices in Broad
November 20, 1910, they were descend
ed upon by federal agents during a
general roundup OF mail stock swindl-
ers, ordered by Postmaster General
Hitchcock.
Stocks They Promoted.
Their business had mainly been the
sale of stocks and bonds and oil and
gold mining enterprises. Among their
promotions were the Nevada Goldfeld
Mining Milling and Smelling company
ca pitalized at 5,000,0 900; British Amer
lean Copper Mines and Smelling com
pany capitalized at S5,00o.eoo; Hol-
colin Automatic Engine company, cap
itahzed at $4,000, 900: Toledo. Wabash
and St Louis 'ra flroad capitalized at
SO, ,0OO, 0O0. 900; Arizona Copper and
Gold Mines company, capitalized at
81 500, 900; Long Beach, Mexico and
Arizona Mining company. capitalized
at $1,000. 900. and about twenty other
with stock issues rang
ing from $500 900 to 81 100000.