The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-09-14
NEW ORLEANS FIRM IS INDICTED FOR
 WHOLESALE FRAUDS
Members of Slave Concern Failing for S5, 100000 Face Serious Charges From
 Abroad

New Orleans, September 13.--Alber1 l Lemore and E. E. Carrere, indicted
 here today by the federal grand jury on 20 counts each. charging use of the
 mails to defraud by means of an al lleged false bills of iadins scheme ol I immense proportions. appeared before United States Commissioner Browne ! late today and gave bonds of $5000 each for their appearance in court. They will be arraigned before Federal Judge Eos ter tomorrow.
 Lemore and Carriere were two of the principals in A. Lemore & Co. stave exporting concern with headquarters here. that failed in February. 1914, with losses to banks and firms in this and foreign countries. which the trustees in bankruptcy today estimated would reach about $5.0O0,00O. This Is said to have been one of the largest failures ever recorded in the south. The firm had agents and branches in several Ameri- can cities and in many of the leading cities of Europe, doing an extensive
 
 this country to foreign ports.
 The indictments were based upon charges that Lemore, and Carriere se- cured an immense sum of money by ne gotiating drafts on bills of lading issued on alleged fictitious cargoes of slaves. The drafts were cashed through banks in New York. Liverpool, London, Hamburg, Antwerp. Paris Amsterdam and other cities, where. it is charged, the defendants maintained branch con cerns or agencies which were declared their alleged scheme. To Plead Not Guilty
 The attorney for Lemore & Carriere said tonight his clients would appear in court tomorrow and plead not guilty to the indictments. The attorney said Lemore & Carriere contended the bills of lading upon which they cashed drafts were genuine and that they denied there was any fraud in their transactions.
 According to the trustees in bank ruptcy the concern practically was in- solvent from its incipiency but the issuance of drafts on alleged fraudu- lent bills of .lading did not begin until 1909 when, 1t was declared, the firm was found by examination of its books to be about $200.000 in debt
 The bills of lading. 1t Is said, were obtained from the Austro-American and the Vogemann steamship lines in exchange for letters of agreement guaranteeing the transportation com panies and their agents from any lia- biIity for losses that might be in- cured. The letters of agreement it is asserted, also held Lemore x Co. not liable for losses. The drafts then were attached to the billssof lading and later. 1t is charged. were negotiated either charges have been filed against the steamship companies. Examination ot Lemore < Co.'S books. according to the charges, indicated that during one pe- riod in 1S1s the concern executed drafts for 435,000 to S4V.OOO day on alleged false bills of lading to cover "maturities" s fs
 Lemore & Co. according to the trus- tees, drew drafts on and negotiated the bills of lading through. their own or affiliated houses in Europe. which were operated under different names These, 1t Is said. were the Liverpool Slave company of Liverpool: Frye Myers. A. Co. London; the Association tGnue- trielle. Paris; Coulon Berthoud E 4>E, Paris and GairArd & Sons of Mar6tfflbS. These firms. it Is asserted. now ara in bankruptcy.
 Drafts drawn on the European con- cerns, 1t was said were accepted and the bills of lading were returned either to the VogemAnn Steamship company . main office in Hamburg. Germany, or to the offices of the vogemann and the Austro- American lines here for can of agreement given by Lemore < Co. to guarantee the bills of lading.
 Examtnatton of the cofnpany's rec .'' z t1 Irf,t --