Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1914-07-22
3 GUILTY OF FRAUD
BARR 4 WIDEN COMPANY CON-
vlcTED OF VIOLATING
Fl - POSTAL LAWS. .
LOOT ToTALED 100000
.AGet- Rich-ouIck" Concern Collected
Heavy Fees From Patrons for OBJ
tanning Credits From Bankrupt
Firms-operated Over Country.

Chicago, July 17.-Frauds rivaling
in size the fictitious booty Of 9 y.
Rufus Wallingford$ were laid at the
door Of the Barr-Widen Mercantile
agency, by the verdict Of a jury sit
ing in Federal Judge Kenesaw Noun
tain Landis' court On Wednesday,
Nine members of the Barr-Widen
firm were found guilty of using the
United States mails to defraud. All
are liable to heavy, fines and imprts-
onment for five years on each Of 80
counts IN the indictments returned
against them, a total Of ITS years Inn
prisonment for each one. :,
The scheme by which the Barr-Widen
firm mulcted the unsuspecting out OF
more than two million dollars within
q few years wa daring and wide In
its scope. y
They operated In practically every
state OF the Union. collecting heavy
fees from patrons for obtaining cred
Its from bankrupt firms and indivtd-
uAls. sS%
The convicted men are: =
Abram H. Freeman, superintendent
OF agents OF the company. with Of
fees formerly in the Heisen building.
He is described as the brains" Of the
agency. Z E
Frederick l.. Wendler. general man
ager of the agency at its main office
in St. Louis. 54 a
Charles F. Day. Of Chicago. q con.
tract man. KUN
James T. Minehart OF Chicago. 9
former Methodist minister and a con-
tract MAN.. y 4g b. y n
Robert B. Pender OF Pittsburgh. Pa.
q contract man.
Joseph c.. Stevens OF Kansas City,
Mo-, son OF Barney Stevens;;a retired
real estate capitalist, He was also Q
contract man. S3S@
William w. Fellers Of Kansas City.
Mo.
]. H. Norman Of st. Louis. II
Joseph B. Fnkleman Of Kansas
City, Mo. IF
Wendler and Freeman were the
chief defendants in the case. and the
scheme used by the agency 10 said to
have been one Of the most productive
'get.richQuick"" enterprises that the
post ONCE inspectors have ever In
vestigated.
This was the get the money
scheme, according to Assistant Dis
trict Attorney. Robert w. Childs, the
governments prosecutor. thai In
yolved the concern in the tolls: Il
1.-THE Barr & Widen agency would
investigate the schedules Of persons
who had gone through bankruptcy and
learn the names Of the principal cred
titors.
THE contract man would visit one
Of the merchants or business houses
named as creditor in the b%ankrupt's
petition.
"'John Doe owes you people $4,000.
he would say. S'5E
THE Representative OF the agency
would say, the Barr & Widen agency
has learned that there was fraud In
that bankruptcy petition. Assets we're
concealed. We a collect that &C
count If you pay the cost.
when the fee was forthcoming to
cover the cost Of collection it would
be kept and no attempt would be
made to collect the account. Over two
million was obtained in this way"
""As business enterprise, this
agency represents q tragedy" be con-
tinued. And in explanation he gave
this outline: 4$% @3$s,
The agency was first formed in 1901
BY James Barr and Joseph B. Widen.
1t stood for q legitimate agency busi-
ness and was such until ,NVendler and
Freeman were taken in. Everything
about it-and eyerybody---seemed to
prosper. s
Then In 1912 the post ONCE inspec-,
tors began to investigate. Widen took
poison on his mothers grave IN : St.
Louis cemetery. II