Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1914-10-19
FORGERY CHARGE
IS MADE IN THE
CROKER PROBE
Trust Company Counsel Makes
Allegation at Examination
of Lawyers Affairs.


missing lawyer and promoter. The
examination was started before Ed
win G. Adams as special master in
bankruptcy.
: Howard S. Kinney, counsel for the
Liberty Trust Company, made the
forgery charge. He declared that he
made several real estate transactions
for clients through Major Crocker.
One of these deals involved property
at % East Park street, on which, the
witness said, his client had a mort
gage of $4,000. On October 80, 1918,
this mortgage was postponed, but Mr..
Kinney declared the postponement
was forged. Mr.. Kinney testified that
his name was also forged to the post
ponement.
Another mortgage on property at
60-62 Second street, South Orange,
was recorded as discharged on April
1. 1913 This discharge was also a
forgery, said Mr.. Kinney.
He testified that he held
office in the Independent In
yestment Company and the
Warren Investment Company, both
of which were controlled largely by
Croker. Mr. Kinney said that the
Independent Investment Company
was used to finance the Bradley Tan
ming and Finishing Company, and
that it's funds were distributed under
the direction of Crocker.
The witness said he estimated that
the Independent Company realized
between $4,000 and $4,000 by dis
counting notes for the Bradley con-
Germ. He declared that the Inde-
pendent Investment Company has a
balance of S90.31 in the Newark Trust
Company at present
The examination of witnesses was
conducted by Nathan Bilder, of coun-
sci for the receiver. The purpose of
the inquiry was to uncover the assets
of the missing lawyer and to
straighten out the numerous mort
cages and real estate transfers in
which Croker was involved.
The first witness was DR.. John Dem
mis-, who said he resides in Florida.
He told that his dealings with Crocker
consisted of purchase of mortgages
from Croker early in the year. The
deal was made with Croker through
H. H. POOLE, legal representative of
DIR. Dennis. The doctor received an
assignment of the mortgages, for
which he paid by check for the full
amount of S24, 400.
The witness asserted that Crocker
had been collecting interest on the
mortgages ever since. In March, the
physician said, he sent Croker a
mortgage for settlement and received
in return a blank assignment. Not
liking this manner of doing business,
he testified, he returned the assign
ment to Crocker unsigned. Other law
yers started to question the witness,
but Receiver MacMahon objected,
that this proceeding would tend to
make the investigation unnecessarily
lengthy.
IN al Iak yo
Investment Company was merely q
holding company for some stock in
the Liberty Trust Company. Mr.. Kin
ney declared that the officers of both
companies were ready to turn over
any papers involving the companies to
Receiver MacMahon.
Held Property for Crocker.
Albert b. Aschenbach, wholesale
flour dealer at 800 Broad street, testi-
fed that he knew Crocker for twelve
years. He admitted that he held title
to a number of properties which are
really owned by Croker and insisted
that he did not know how many par
cells of real estate were registered in
his name. He was shown mortgage
on property located on South Twelfth
street, supposed to have been made
by him.
THAT does not look like my sigma
ture on the mortgage" said the wit
ness. at may be my wife's sigma
ture. Anyhow, I'm positive now that
it isn't my signature. There may be
other mortgages in my name, but 1
have not the papers. i signed mort
cages frequently at Crocker's request.
I suppose, after deciding the property
to me, he decided it right back to him
self" t
The Commercial Realty and Invest
ment Company and the Climax In
vestment Company were organized by
Crocker as holding companies for real
estate which he owned, testified Solo
mon Jeydel real estate broker. The
properties which were decided to either
Jeydel or one of these companies in
cluded 1T to 121h Commerce street,
IS Green street, % Park street. 329-331
Park avenue, East Orange; 264 Gar
side street, 3S5-3S9 Washington ave-
nue., Belleville; 242 Plane street, 294
Plane street, 154 Pacific street, Sol
Central avenue and large tract at
Spring street and Millburn avenue,
Millburn.
Mr.. Jeydel declared that whether
the property was in his name, or one
of the companies, or Arthur Christie,
a clerk in Crocker's office, the rents
were collected and turned over to
Croker. He also asserted his willing
ness to deed to the receiver any of
Crocker's property held in his name
Harry w. Morehouse, jr., was
another witness who admitted that
he had been used as dummy by
Croker in a number of the missing
lawyers real estate deals He said
that he had known Crocker for twelve
years when the H. w. Morehouse, Jr..
Company was doing business This
concern was closed out eight years
ago, and since that time Crocker had
used the name of the company at any
time 1t suited him, said the witness.
"Mr. Croker said I was the presi-
dent of the company" continued the
witness, land l signed deeds and
mortgages as president. Crocker was
counsel for our company and was my
own personal counsel for many years,
and did these things merely to ac-
comodate him. / have no interest
whatever in any of these properties
listed in my name, and am willing
that they should be turned over to
the receiver"
Accommodated Missing Lawyer.
A list of nineteen pieces of property
handled by Croker in recent years
in the name of John D. Dewitt was
produced by the latter when he was
called as witness. Mr.. Dewitt said
that he was connected with the Pru-
Dental Insurance Company and had
known Crocker for twelve years. At
present there are only three proper
ties listed in his name, said the wit
ness. He admitted that he had no
personal interest in any of this prop
erty, and had affixed his signature to
deeds and mortgages merely as an
accommodation for Crocker.
The witness said that he was in
total ignorance of a transfer he is
supposed to have made on September
IA last to George F. Hall.