The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1914-07-25
8 GUILTY OF FRAUD
BARR 9 WIDEN COMPANY CON.
vicTED or VIOLATING
POSTAL Laws.
LOOT ToTALED 100000

= y
sost Rich oulck~ Concern Collected
Heavy Fees From Patrons for OBJ
[ taInlno Credits From Bankrupt
Operated Over Country.
Chicago. July 17.--Frsuds rivaling
IN size the fictitious booty Of J.
Rufus Wallingford were laid at tho
door Of tho Barr-Widen Mercantile
agency by the verdict Of jury sit
ing in Federal Judge Kenesaw Noun
tain Lands court on Wednesday.
Nine members Of the Barr-Widen
mrm were found guilty Of using the
United States malls to defraud. All
are liable to heavy fines and impris
onment for Ave years on each OF 30
counts in the indictments returned
against them. total Of 176 years Inn
prisonment for each one.
The scheme by which the Barr-Widen
frm mulcted the unsuspecting out OF
more than two million dollars within
Q few years was daring and wide in
its scope
They operated in practically every
state of the Union. collecting heavy
fees from patrons for obtaining cred
its from bankrupt firms and individ-
uals.
The convicted men are:
Abram H. Freeman, superintendent
OF agents Of the company. with Of
fices formerly in the Heisen building.
He is described as the brains" Of the
agency.
Frederick L. Wendler, general man.
ager Of the agency at It's main once
in st. Louis.
Charles +. Day Of Chicago. q con-
tract man.
James T. Minehart Of Chicago. q
former Methodist minister and con-
tract man.
Robert B. Pender of Pittsburgh. Pa.
. contract man.
Joseph G. Stevens Of Kansas City.
Mo-. son of Barney Stevens, q retired
real estate capitalist He was also .
contract man.
William w. Fellers OF Kansas City.
Mo.
J. H. Norman OF st. Louis.
Joseph B. Finkleman Of Kansas
City. Mo.
Wendler and Freeman were the
chief defendants In the case. and the
scheme used by the agency IL said to
have been one of the most productive
"getrich-quick" enterprises that the
post Office inspectors have ever in
vestigated.
This was the get the money
scheme, according to Assistant DIS
trict Attorney Robert w. Childs. the
governments prosecutor. that In
volved the concern in the tolls:
THE Barr & Widen agency would
investigate the schedules of persons
who had gone through bankruptcy and
learn the. names Of the principal cred
itors.
THE contract man would visit ono
Of the merchants or business houses
named as creditor In the bankrupt's
petition.
John Doe owes you people $780,
he would say.
THE representative or the agency
would say. the Barr & Widen agency
has learned that there was fraud In
that bankruptcy petition. Assets were
concealed. We can collect that 90
count II 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 q business enterprise. this
agency represents a tragedy" he con-
tinued. And in explanation he gave
this outline:
The agency was first formed in 1901
by James Barr and Joseph B. Widen.
t stood for legitimate agency busi-
ness and was such until Wendler and
Freeman were taken In. Everything
about it-and everybody--seemed to
prosper.
Then in 1912 Che post once inspec-
tors began to investigate. Widen took
poison on his mothers grave in st.
Louis cemetery.