Capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1919-1980, 1920-04-14
Money Came In soFast
Byron Didn fHaue Time
To Count $500 Bills

o0ot AACN niQNA 1lOhCs NdIt0H
Byron. the timber operator. who solo
preferred locations on Uncle Sans :
choicest timber land in the forest re,
serves on cash in advance basis, took
in at Salem is problematical John w.
Todd who introduced Byron to Saieal I
and now represent the investors, esti-
mates the amount at sac, 600. Others, |
Including some of the investors, place
it as high as $4,000. The amount is
hard to ascertain, as those who eonfid-
ingly came across with the mazuma
are most secretive and shy upon pub
licity. Byron, who is serving his SEN
tence in federal prison at McNeils is
tions for using the mails to defraud of
course isn't saying, and the federal
agents who probed local operations got
ESQ little cooperation from the victims
that they were unable to fix the total,
though they state that it probably ex-
ceded $4,000.
/ Anyway the money came in so fast
that Byron never stopped to count it
as the paying tellers in local banks
showed it across in $500 bills in cash.
ing checks.
Indeed Byron was in such rush that
he objected to the banks customary
rechecking and grabbed the bills and
stuffed them into his pocket and beat
1t out to his high powered auto and
waiting chauffeur with his cleanup in
his pocket.
Totals 127 Members.
1t is generally conceded that the
Byron club totals 127. members, &
: lucky number. Some of the members
were SO enthused over the prospect o
getting rick quick at-.Uncle Sans ex
! pense that they put up as much al
/ $4,000 for initiation fee. Still other
, were content with $4,000 contribu
q tion. The rank and file, however
, came through with $500 for one tim
ber claim location ticket and some in
, cluded a ticket for wifey and other
one for each of the children-just lik,
q liberty bond Investments stake t,
make the klddies wealthy with
out work. AS special favor
;, initiation was reduced to som
!. favorite sons to the infinitismal sum o
a $500, but these members were used
quite unbeknown to themselves, a
= guinea -pigs,%-cappers to lure the III
\ wary.
IL One bank is said TO have cashed az
= prixmately $4,000 in checks for B!
: ron and another bank $4,000 or more
Anyhow the money rolled in on Byro
/. much faster than it has on the CON
/, mttee for the new hospital. And tn
% roster of the Byron club shows ths
!, only the we'll educated were eligible
!, preachers, educators and profession;
men preferred, with few merchant
and business men to lend variety an
prevent its becoming high brow a.
|, fair.
i While Byron was forming his Sale
chapter of the brotherhood Of tf
!, bunkoed, he lived in becoming style
swell apartments at the Portland hote
% motoring downto Salem In his big C;
: with a chauffeur in uniform-and
=. proved to be worth it. But his oper
!, tions received rude check when Il
~ , department of justice had him. r
~ manded into custody, lest he car
al away the state capitol.
- OF the 127 members Of the club, tv
- have received back their initiation t
~, and been tentatively dropped from me
II bership. The 1875 others, however, a
living in hope-and hope springs etc
H.. ct ThQ fOllO
ing Is a partial list of reported me-
bers Of the Byron club as furnished
. the special agents and supplemented
Ic members themselves. 1t is far frc
complete, but the secrecy enjoined
~ the members makes a complete j
- difficult to secure:
-. Dir. r. N. Avison, Miss Margaret
~ Cosper Paul Wallace. Mrs. W.
'es Young, Frank G. Myers, A. M. Cloul
C. B. Webb, w. d. Evans, f. e. Bel
70 man, P. ]. Kuntz, ]. T. Ross, M
40, Esther Wheeler, Miss Gertrude Pur
- ton, Helena Willets, E. A. Miller a
a wife, Erwin F. Smith, Dan F. Lang
I berg, Claud Stevenson, Frank Dew
Jean Dewitt, A. Bert Pratt. Lym
I Mcdonald, DR.. E.. E. Fisher, Lee G.
field, b. e. Carrier, r. r. Jor
: DR.. Carl G. Doney, Mrs. w.
. Winsloy, F. c. Delano, Ed T, Barr
Edna Sterling. U. G. Holt, H. H. v
|, dervort, DR.. c. B. o'Neill, DR.. M.
Finley, Florin Won Eschen, Cha
! Chambers, ]. c. Perry. Ella Deyoe,
vim w. Lewis, William McGilchrist
Ed Baker, Lucille Watson, Ethel Hl