The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-03-05
RICH ACQUITTED 0N CHARGE OF USING MAILS ID DEFRAUD Jury in Federal Court Re- turns Verdict After Brief
 Deliberation RICH EXPRESSES
 HIS APPRECIATION Was Worth S10O,000 Before Being Forced Into Bankruptcy-Now He
 Must Start All Over
 Again, He Says

Following brief dellberation. the jury in the case of Abe Rich, charged with using the mails to defraud. returned a verdict of not guilty yesterday morning in the federal court, and the defendant
 was honorably discharged by Judge w.. | I. Grubb. The case went to the jury Wednesday night about ' o'clock and in a few minutes it handed a sealed verdict to the clerk. which was read in open court yesterday morning at 9:s0 o'clock. Following the reading of the verdict and the discharge by the judge there was a demonstration in the courtroqon and the friends of MT. Rich crowded around and extended congratulations to him and his attorneys, M. NJ. Ullman. c. P. Beddow and Leo Oberdorfer.
 With the termination of this case all the proceedings in the bankruptcy and United States court in reference to the Rich bankruptcy results in a complete yindication for MT. Rich and he stands in the same position in the community in the eyes of the law as he did before this litigation started.
 Statement by Rich Following the acquittal by the jury Mir Rich stated: T am extremely grateful to the many friends who stood Loyalty by me during my troubles. I am espe-
 cially grateful to The Age Herald for it's consideration in dealing with my cases in court. I never wronged anyone in my life and always was confident of being acquitted when all the facts of my finan- cial troubles were fairly presented to the jury.
 Must Start Over Again Previous to my being forced into bank ruptcy was worth approximately SlOo0O0 today am where started 20 years ago
 practically without dollar. During the 20 years I was in business I never had a
 note protested or failed to meet an obli- gation. The loss of my money did not
 hurt me so much as the attempt to in jure my reputation, but by the several verdicts of my peers I can look every man in the face in the full consciousness that l have done no wrong.
 'I scarcely. know how to express my appreciation of the efforts of my attor- ncys, MT. lillian, MT Beddow and MT. | Oberdorfer, who worked so faithfully and efficiently for my vindication. I can only say that l deeply appreciate their un- l tiring interest in my behalf"
 l The prosecution which ended in the &C.,
 quittal of Abe Rich in the federal court I yesterday began in November, 1913, fol- lowing the bankruptcy proceedings of Jo- seph Rich and Abe Rich, who had for 20 years conducted a. jewelry business and loan office in the city of Birmingham un- der the name of the Colorado Loan com- pany.
 Involuntary proceedings began against Joseph Rich of Birmingham and there- after another bankruptcy proceedings was filed in the city of New York against MT. Rich in which sensational charges were made. Owing to the amount of lia- bilities and assets involved and the fact that proceedings were pending both in
 Birmingham and New York. the case att tracted much attention.
 The National Jewellers Board of Trade
 began to make charges of irregularities against Abe Rich, the manager of the
 business in Birmingham, and finally caused him to be indicted in December,
 19l3 alleging that he made false state
 ments to the National Jewellers Board of
 Trade and caused it to be sent through
 the mails with the intent to defraud. A
 trial was had upon this indictment in the federal court before Judge GrubD m
 March, 1914 and a. large number of jew
 elers from New York and Chicago were
 summoned by the government as wit nesses.
 Case Is NOlle Pressed Or that trial the court ruled that the
 government had not made out It's case and
 was about to instruct the jury to acquit the defendant when the district attorney asked leave of the court to nolle prosse the case and hold the defendant for an
 other indictment, which was granted. In the meantime Joseph Rich and A1a
 Rich had each applied to the bankrupt
 court for their discharge, alleging that they had surrendered to the bankrupt
 court all of their property. The applica-
 tior, for the discharge of Joseph Rich was
 uncontested, but that of Abe Rich was
 vigorously contested by certain creditors
 represented by the National Jewellers
 Board of Trade, but after hearing be- fore Judge E. H. Dryer the discharge was granted. An appeal was taken to Judge
 w. l. Grubb who sustained the ruling of
 Referee Dryer and Abe Rich was granted a discharge from all claims provable in
 that bankruptcy petition, it being ad- judged that he had not concealed any of
 the bankrupt property nor protited py ,ne bankruptcy proceedings
 Another indictment against Abe Rich containing seven counts, was returned at the same term of court in which the former indictment was nolle pressed charging him with using the malls to de- fraud, alleging that he sent false state- mcnt through the mails to Bradstreets s Commercial agency and to 0. H. Kionl<a & Co.,, wholesale jewellers of Chicago. On the trial of this cause, which ended yesterday all the counts were excluded by the court on the government failing to make out prima facie case, except the letter to the Kionlxa company, and the case was submitted on this charge, and the jury. after being out but few min utes, acquitted the defendant.
 At the trial this week the government had large number of New York, St. Lcuis and Chicago jewellers present as witnesses. Judge Grubb in his oral charge to the jury stated that there was no evil dence tending to show that Abe Rich had profited by the bankruptcy or had converted any of the property purchased on the credit of Joseph Rich to his own individual use. and the only question sub
 mitted to the jury was whether he devised a scheme to obtain false credit and to use the mails to further the scheme. and of this the jury acquitted him.
 --s.--
 Wheat Tied Up
 Jersey City, N J.. March IA tie.