Free trader-journal. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1916-1920, 1919-01-20
c. A. GENT AND 0RMUS
|. BROCKETT ARE
UNDER ARREST
HELDAT MARION ILL.
WISCONSIN MAN ACCUSES PRO
MoTERS OF DEFUNCT OTTAWA
COMPANY of OBTAINING SSH,-
a5a FROM HIM BY MEANS OF
CONFIDENCE.

With the arrest today at Marion
Illinois, of C. A. Ghent, president, ana
Ormus l.. Brockett, secretary-treasur-
or of the defunct Ghent Motor COM
pany. of Ottawa. secrecy thrown ABOUT
the nine suppressed" indictments re-
turned last Friday by the January
grand Jury we're lifted and the names
of the defendants in the concealed
bills, together with the crimes al
legged. were revealed by States At
torney George S. Wiley.
Lost s22,sae in Ventures.
Charged with defrauding DR.. ). J..
Calkins of Shawano, Wis, out OF $22,'
9S9.7 70 the grand jurors, upon receN-
ing the testimony from the complain
ing witness, returned eight indlct-
ments against the two men for con-
fdence game and the other for OBJ
tanning money under false pretenses.
DR.. Calkins. who is a dentist, CLAIMS
to have sunk in the Ottawa enterprise
all the cash he had on hand together
with large sums he borrowed.
Represented Worth $125o0o.
He represented to the grand jury
that agents of the Client company
called upon him and invited him to
visit Ottawa to look over the com
pany's plant. This he did. While he
was here it was announced to MIN pS
representatives of Client and BROCK
eft that the. buildings and site were
worth S125 900 which asone wouIt
assure him plenty security for thu
money he was about to invest in th'
enterprise. After he had gathered VI
all his loose change and began buy
ing stock in large blocks the compan
was gotten under way. Subsequent
came the failure with its well know
results. Then it was than Dr. Ga
kins learned the c0lnpany's assets
thrown into one heap were not wort
more than $4,000 at the most. II
visited Ottawa several times befoT
making his final investment and onl
once after the company became Il
solvent That was last week whe
he appeared before the grand jul
TO make his charges against Chez
and Brockett. The results of tn
last visit are disclosed in the nine i
dictments and the arrest thN mornii
of the two defendants, who were Ia
on in custody by Sheriff Melvin Tha
ton of Williamson county.
Bonds at $1,000 Each.
Notification of the arrests came
day to Sheriff Curt S. Ayers, who
narted this afternoon for Marie
located in the oil lelds of southe
Illinois on the northernmost bord
of Egypt" He will bring Gent a
Rrockett back with him to Otta
ia face Judge Eldredge in the circ
court Bonds on all the counts I
fixed at $4,000 each 1t is belieI
that the defendants viii arrange boz
FOR their immediate release on tn
arrival here.
First tips as to the whereabouts
Cent and Brockett came from acqu
lance of the two men. 1t was lntin
ed they were in the southern lllir
oil fields promoting an oil prop
tion. Further investigation by s.
in Ayers brought results at o
They were located at Marion.
sheriff there was authorized to ar
and hold them for the La Sale COZ
authorities. A telegram from Sh
Thaxton announced their arrest
detention.
Frauds Charged Under Counts
Among the counts against Gent
Brockett are speculationS by DR.
kins covering different intervals.
Feb. /, 1917, he made his first in
ment of 1895. Then on Feb.
the same year he sunk S7,l23 IL
plant. March 10 he bought s4,S
worth of stock; April 5, $4,S
worth June 30, sl,4p0i oct, .,
.Continued on page 8. col. 5,