Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1914-09-18

he was subpoenaed to appear at his bank
| ruptcy hearing. The physicians in charg,
kenw then that he was insane, but the
secret was well guarded and not I'll,
| slightest inkling of ii was permitted to
| become known to the public. Since that
time Segal has been under the care OF
| Doctor Bum and two trained nurses il
a private room at the hospital.
| sEGAIis HALLUCINATIoNs
| "Adolph segal Is hopelessly insane" said
| Doctor Bergeron today. He will never
be any better. lie may live a year and il
may be but two months. His mind is
practically gone. The other day he said
to Doctor Bum, who has been his at
tending physician:
"'G lent you $50 yesterday and you
promised to return it to me today VIII
you give 1t to me now?'
"Tnere had been no exchange oil
money. 1t was hallucination on SegaPs
part. I believe his financial ewnta
vas due to his mental condition. ! pc
iieve he has been Of unbalanced min'
for the last six years.
THE Indications or signs of insanity
may have been so slight as not to DC
noticed by his friends or family, but
have no doubt that for the last six o.
seven years he has been insane
Even Yesterday the decision to move
Mr. Segal to NorTistown was Kept secret
Berl Segal, in answer to point hlanF
questions, admitted that his father Wouic
be taken to n sanatortum.
My fathers mind may be clouded a,
times" he said, but no one ca II tel
when he will recover He was said to b.
Mt deaths door six weeks ago. ana he J.
still alive today. lie will be moved |"
a sanatorium as soon as he Is strohg
enough"
CALLED HUMAN STEAM ENGINE
Mr.. segal has been referred to as a
"human steam engine and "the prince
Of borrowers" The last sobriduet was
applied to him last July when he swore
in bankruptcy court that his assets
we're 10 cents although he was racing Ia
bilities OF nearly SS,00o,Ooo.
His worst enemy would admit that he
had uncanny powers when IL came TO
financing on a "shoestrins.' Time after
time his opponents breathed sign OF re-
lief when Segal met with some reverse
that seemed sure to crush him. onlE 10
find him in nm incredibly short space ol
time promoting some new project ot even
greater magnitude than that on which he
lost.
Adolph Segal thought in millions in his
palmv days This was shown in his two
deals with the Sugar Trust, the hrst OF
which netted him a sum said to nave
been more than S1,Co,oo. 1t was in ms
second deal that he overreached himseI
and was trapped by agents Of the trust
This trap caught also Frank Is. Nipple,
president Of the Real Estate Trust Com
pany. and Hipple shot himself when his
company collapsed.
HGPPLEs DYING REPRoAcH
In his dead hand was found q note
that read as follows:
II am alone to blame. Segal got the
money. I was fooled"
Had Segal succeeded in his second at
tempt to make money out OF the Sugar
Trust his profits would have been far
greater than the first In the first he got
Hipple to finance a sugar factory in
Camden. The trust was sitting compe-
tltion in those days by buying up all rival
factories and closing them. segal figured
tile trust would buy his factory and
1t did.
He tried it again this time building
the Pennsylvania sugar refinery at
ShackamaXon street wharf. But the
trust, bitten once. had been watching
him. Il learned of his deals with Hip
pie; il learned that the 100000 Of funds
in the vaults of the trust company had
been touched, and II laid the trap Segal
had nut TOO many irons in the fire.
While the magnificent sugar plant was
building he had conceived the idea of
great hotel on the site of the old Elkins
mansion at the northeast corner Of
Broad street and Girard avenue. The
Majestic Hotel WAS being completed.
Segai had been spending money right
and left IN a social campaign that ho
PLANNED to insure the success Of tho
hotel. The campaign is said TO have
cost MIN S3o00,00l
TRAPPED BY SUGAR TRUST
Sogal needed money, and the trust he.
came aware OF it. Its agent reached
Sogal and advanced him more than
Sl,l0Oo'o, but in return It secured con-
trol Of the Pennsylvania Sugar Refinery.
The only hope segal had of paying the
loan was to operate the factory and
realize on shares of stock or make the
trust company come to terms and buy
him out. But when the trust obtained
control its Board of Directors voted to
close the factory, and al! segars efforts
70 operate the place We're futile.
Iacu came the crash The Real Estate
Trust Company went under and Hipple
shot himself. George II. Earle, JT., was
made receiver. He learned Of the part
the trust had played and laid his infor-
nation before the Government authorities
az Washington. Segal compromised ana
escaped punishment, Indictments were
ICu!4 against several trust officials hy
the Government, although no stone was
left luturnel in the fight 70 prevent L.
Civil action was taken by Mr. Earle
against the trust and it also compry-
missed.
HIS MARVELLOUS CAREER.
Mr.. segal came TO this country from
Austria. Fortune smiled on him At the
start. His first venture, it is said was
10 throw dice with his landlord 70 see
whether ha should pay two years rent
down or nothing for year. ana be won.
Then he began work over a soap caldron
i'm the cellar OF a West Philadelphia
house.
His first big iuccess was the perfect
ing cf a process to wax paper. He sold
the patent for 5000. After that he made
money In various Wags. lie has built
soap factories apartment houses and
great operations OF dwelling. houses. The
Bartram Apartments IN West Philadel-
phia, were built by Mr.. Segal, and, al
though he was laughed at as a dreamer,
the place paid from the start
In Altoona he built $40 houses and lost
on the deal. The Majestic was 10 be his
Erowuing achievement, bur the place
.Tas4 Z. a