The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1912-08-27
FORMER HEAD OF
UNITED WIRELESS
DIES IN PRISON
Col. c. {. Wilson, 81, Succuntbs
Suddenly in Federal Peahen-
tiary in Atlanta

Atlanta, ia, Aug. 26.--Coi, thls-
TOPPER Columbus Wilson, CT years
FOLD, former president of the United
Wire ess Co. died late last night at
the United States Penitentiary here,
where he was serving a three-year
sentence for using the mails in an
attempt to defraud Uremic poison
Ing was given as the cause of death.
Col Wilson was stricken while
reading in the prison library last
night. Immediately he was re-
moved to the prison hospital, where
he died Prison officials said he had
been in good health up to yesterday.
The Colone,s young wife, to
whom he was married just before
his conviction little more than a
year ago, has been notified
Great Freedom Allowed
Col. Wilson began serving his
sentence Aug. %, 1911. He was
taken to New York last May by ONE
OF the prison guards to testify in
bankruptcy proceedings instituted
against the United Wireless Co.
Several postponements of the case
caused him to be held in New York
for more than a month, and it be-
came known that the guard was al-
loving him a great deal of personal
liberty in that period Instead of
being kept in the Tombs, he was
permitted to stay in a private house.
On one occasion, 1t is said, he was
seen near his former haunts In Wall
street,
The Department Of Justice took
notice of these reports and the
guard was dismissed Early last
month Wilson was returned to the
Atlantic prison
Pos,ohice inspectors who raided
the handsome Broadway offices of
the United Wireless Co, in June,
1910, caused the arrest OF Wilson,
Samuel, S. Bogart vice-prestdent,
ana William W. Tompkina, presi-
dent Of the New York selling agency.
Chief InspentorsMaycr subsequent
Iy gave out d statement, in which
he charged that, although the COM
pany had been running at a loss, the
price Ct its shares had been advanced
by manipulation to fictitious values,
and that individual officers of the
company had sold out their stock to
the general public a. a profit e8ti-
mated in one instance at between
i've and ten millions with other in
stances in proportion.
There are $4,000 shareholders Of
the company throughout the coun-
try" said Inspector Mayer, many
Of whom have placed their savings
in the stock of the company through
false representations made by it's Of
ficers.
THE real assets of the company,
consisting Of land stations, patents,
manufacturing plants and real es-
tate of all kinds, appear to be worth
at a conservative estimate $400, 900,
or an actual worth of 2 cents share
at par value
100000 Shares Were Issued.
TWO million shares had been is
sued at a par value OF $40 share,
but the stock had been put up to $50
share.
The inspector says the company
was originally Incorporated as the
Amalgamated Wireless Securities
Co, in 1904. In 1906 it took over
the assets and business of the de-
funct American de Forest Wireless
Telegraph Co, exchanging therefor
its own securities on a ten-for-one
basis.
The officers Of the company were
said to have sold to the public thous-
ands of shares claiming all the while
that they We're holding their own
shares and putting the money re-
ceived from the public into the
plants of the company One of the
officers is believed to have cleaned
up $5,000000 at SO share and
possibly $10,000,O0O at the ranging
prices of $40 and $50.