Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1920-02-11
BANCROFT, PROMOTER
WITH A PAST
Man Well Known in Barton Last Sum-
mer as Promoter of Camp
Westmore", Shown Up


Last weeks Newport News, pub
lished Friday, said:
The true character of the so-called
Russell G. Bancroft" promoter OF
Camp Westmore for Girls" at Viii
loughby lake, will be disclosed today
at a hearing to be held in Burning
ton. 1t reads like a veritable sensa-
tional drama. A petition has been
filed with the United States District
court for the district of Vermont by
Chas. H. Dudley & Co., Inc, of Han
over, N. H., asking that Camp West
bankrupt. Mr.. Dudley is one. of the
largest creditors of the company.
The petitioners claim that the
company owes debts amounting to
over $4,000, while the assets in its
possession are probably less than
$4,000. They claim that acts legally
known as acts of bankrutcy have
been committed by the corporation.
Furthermore, more than II creditors
desire that this petition and sub
poena be served and bankruptcy be
declared The following is list of
the company's creditors who have al
ready brought suit, basing their
claims on goods, wares and mer-
chandise delivered, and work and Ia
Dor unpaid: Carroll Jenkins, Or
leans; B. F. and H. L. Jackman, Bar
ton; C. o. Stone & Son Inc, Middle
town, Conn; Laura Joll, Conpton,
Que; George c. Lang, Barton; Chas.
EE. Pierce, West Burke; Joseph
Wills, Orleans; R. II. and L. M.
tCalllins, Barton; C. A. Mute, Barton:
Mrs. A. L. Peene, who holds a mort
gage on the real estate, has brought
foreclosure proceedings and secured
q decree Besides these, there are
large number of creditors, many OF
whom are the leading Newport busl-
ness men and firms.
President of the camp corporation
lis Mrs. Anna d. Justis of Newport,
Delaware, on whose credit and that
of her friends the Camp Westmofe
enterprise was largely financed. The
clerk is Joseph F. Preston of FITCH
burg, Mass. Both of these desire
that the company be adjudicated a
bankrupt. The treasurer of the
company was Russell G. Bancroft,
who is undoubtedly the cause of the
financial failure of Camp Westmore.
The following is a sketch of Mr..
Bancroft's former career, reported
from a reliable source which cannot
fail to be of interest to the stockhold-
ers and creditors of the Camp West
more company.
1t is alleged that Mr.. Bancroft has
. been crookedly affiliated with many
different corporations, several of
which have been financially utterly
ruined through the same methods he
has taken to drive Camp Westmore to
failure.
In his home town, Worcester,
Mass, Mr.. Bancroft, there known as
: Wilfred A. Bailey, is first reported
to have been connected with the
: l"Shredded Wheat Co.," as stockholder
and close friend of Shredded Wheat's
4 inventor and president of the COM
4 pany, Henry D. Perkey. After the
q Shredded Wheat Co., had moved TO
Niagara Falls, Mr.. Bailey remained
S in Massachusetts buying up the stock
e at very low price, which he is said
0 to have sold at high figure to people
t of New York state, thereby doubtless
n making for himself small fortune
: About this time it is said that
Bailey had promoted and built the
Worcester & Southbridge Street rail-
5 the Hotel Outlook, just outside of
:. Worcester, both of which are said to
4 have been utter failures. He is re-
n ported to have been ousted from the
i management of the latter because OF
n so-called "extravagance."
s Next in line is reported big farm
ing proposition in Maine, called "The
n Carrabassett Co.," which met with
: the same financially disastrous re-
i which went into bankruptcy. The
e paper mill bonds are said to have
e been sold by Bailey and doubtless
i provided him with funds.
Soon after this newspapers told OF
e his arrest in his home town, Worces-
a ter, and report four years served in
x jail for forgery, with 18 months ad-
= ditional sentence for perjury. Work
II ing as his clerk was Frank Kemp
q q who is alleged to have served year
&c in Jail for perjury with Bailey. Mr.
Kemp was introduced last winter in
!, New York and in Newport and Bar
\ = ton as Mr.. Franklin. He seems IL
= be very decent fellow, but is appar
+ emily completely under the spell OF
- Bailey's influence.
=, After this Bancroft" is recorded
'e to have travelled under the name Of
n "Allison Bailey" instead of Wilfred
v He Immediately began selling. stoci
Z in an invention for long distancs
a a transmission, of telephone messages
IL IL In this alleged swindle, which met
!, failure with the others, many of ths
hi very best Boston people were trapped
and named on the board of direc
- tors. Among others were leading
- Hanover people.
- It was at this time that Bailey be
= came Russell g. Bancroft" as hs
,s said, in an attempt to bury the past
e There followed his interest in
II Camp Westmore, and his meeting
Il with Mrs. Justis and her friends, ant
Mr.. Stone, the contractor.
"A What happened to all these othel
; enterprises has happened to CamI
70 Westmore. Bancroft is very caabls
= and clever man in many ways, mos
sr engaging talker, and really seems Il
10 have mesmeric powers in convincing