New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-09-13
Mass of Documents Seized
in Apartment of Gas
ton Means
Grand Jury Begins
Inquiry in New York
$2,OOO,0O0 Estate Said to
Have Vanished; Specu-
lation Shown

the District Attorneys Office in the
Park Avenue apartment of CASTOR Is
Means, secretary of Mrs. Maude A
King. yesterday yielded up an assorted
collection Of legal documents. bank
books. checks and correspondence which
the authorities are confident viii throw
light on the mystery surrounding Mrs.
Kings death. Mrs. King was shot and
killed near Concord, \. c., on August
%, after she had gone 10 the woods os-
tensibly for target practice. accom-
panied by Means and two others.
This modern "Pandora's box" re-
vealed a tentative agreement whereby
CASTOR b. Means was to receive $780,
600 if he was successful in recovering
from the estate of Mrs. Kings deceased
husband, James c. King, o fortune
amounting 10 100000 or mbre. Fol-
lowed then a copy of an alleged late
will Of King, which Means said he had
found, actually giving this wealth to
Mrs. King.
Checks Show Heavy Speculation
Bankbooks and checks by the score
came out OF hidden pockets of the
trunk, showing that Means had had de-
pests in New York, Chicago and South
ern banks running up into the hun
dreds of thousands of dollars; that he
had traded extensively on the cotton
market. and that his losses, though
heavy, had always been covered by his
bank accounts.
These disclosures and others not less
startling were made by Assistant Dis
trict Attorney John T. Dooling after
the grand jury had taken up the case.
Alton B. Means, brother of CASTOR. and
one of the tsrget-shooting party which
ended so tragically, was summoned be-
fore that body TO testify as to his
knowledge of the facts surrounding the
shooting.
He was taken to the Criminal Courts
Building after night of feverish &C
tiyity in the Means apartment at 100
Park Avenue, together with the trunk
full Of documents, which were impouhd-
ed Immediately by the grand jury
With Means went Henry Dietsch, his
4atber-in-law. who acted as CASTOR
Neans's secretary. Both men were
sworn in and their examination was
continued until noon. 1t Will be re-
sumed this morning.
Indictments are expected TO 1oilo"
thc grand jury's investigation. MI
Dooling said:
efforts have been made to get all
tbo available evidence bearing on the
cr;noe out of our hands We were work
inc against time in going over the
naners in the Means apartment, ana the
documents are now in the possession Oh
the grand jury
As result of information recorueu
in the contiscated documents, Mr.. Dooi-
ipc. fatty stated his opinion that the
millions of Mrs. King had vanished al
most entirely. ,,;.
N "Her estate is gone" he said, adding:
Y "Gone. not squandered, for. IN order 10
souander il, she would have hau 10 @'~
voluntarily" ,.J r
The size of the fortune disposed OF
IN five wears was fixed by the state
ment of a former attorney of Mrs. King
who said Yesterday that his clehI II,
1912 was worth between S2,OOOUVo ana
IS 900. 900 A large part Of TINS MONEY
he said, had been obtained IN the form
of gifts from King, lumber maSn9Ie.
Tho all-pight search of the Means
apartment ended At 10 O'Clock yester-
dav morning. During this time Alton
Means. who was present, slept only nj
fulIv. a blanket thrown over hIm as ne
Law an a couch. Mr.. DOOlin2 and an
assistant worked through the long
bonrs without a stop for slumber or
refreshments. The Assistant District
Attorney was still on the task at late
hour Yesterday, after thirU-siN hours
without rest.
Tries TO Stop Search
Alton Means made frantic efforts
during the night to engage attorneys
in an attempt to stop the search ana
seizure. Among those he tried TO reacn
nv telephone was Carl L. Schurz, of 10
broadway. the lawyer who drew mp the
tentative agreement TO give CASTOR
Means S95G0O0 from the proceeds OF
the e-discovered will.
His efforts 10 secure counsel proved
unsuccessful, and he was about 10 try
in person when grand jury subpoena
was served on him. Means appeared
stunned BY the swift action OF the au-
thorities here.
lie made only one request that he
be allowed to communicate with MS
brother CASTOR. This granted, he
stopped at a telegraph once long
enough to send message telling OF
the seizure of the papers and ms en-
forced appearance before jury.
Means and Dietsch were not asked 10
waive immunity. They returned TO the
Park Avenue house technically free
but under surveillance OF the DISTRICT
Attorneys detectives.
Mr.. Dooling declared then that the
secret mission which had brought Alton
Means 20 New York the day before. at
The behest of brother Buddy" was 70
get the trunkful of papers and carry
them away. lie said that the tentative
agreement to be entered into by Means
and Mrs. King was one OF the docu-
ments particularly desired. In this
agreement, the text Of which Is given
here for the first time, Mrs. King is
designated the first party" Means the
second party" and the lawyer, Schurz'
the third party
Agreement to Pay $4,000
The agreement is dated April, 1916,
tho day left blank, and Is unsigned.
After reciting that Means had Obtained
inflammation showing that Mrs. King
was entitled 10 certain add'uonaI
NANCY from the estate Of James [.
al rlfra q