New-York tribune., 1921-04-08
Miller Indicted
AS Director of
"Divorce Mill''
Westchester Grand Jury Re
turns Four Counts, Each
Charging Forgery and In
volving lO-Year Sentence
Bench Warrant Is Issued
Justice Tompkins Declares
Signatures on Five of
Lawyers 'Dccrees' Fakes

The Westchester County grand ,urv
yesterday heard evidence in tho al
legged "divorce mill" operations of Her.
bert r. Miller, unlicensed New York
lawyer, and at the conclusion Of the
hearing returned four indictments
against him. Each of the indictments
charges forgery in the second degree,
legally defined as fabrication of docu-
ment that may become public prop
erty. and each involving a maximum
penalty of ten years in state prison.
County, Judge Frank L. Young, to
" nom inc indictments were returned,
Immediately issued bench warrant
for Miller, who has been missing since
January 19 last, when the first evi-
oence of his alleged numerous fake di-
Vorce and annulment actions was un-
covered by District Attorney Lee Par
sons Davis at White Plains. The theo-
ry OF each of inc indictments is that
Miller forged intcriocutory and final
DEGREES of the Supreme Court
Inc cases that were the basis for
the grand jury's action were Godfrey
q; Taylor against Margaret Taylor, Ar
thur I. Dempsey against Edith NJ.
dempsey, Lillian Loughran against
,nomas LouGhran, all for divorce, and
Margaret N Mcclelland against Thomas
r. Mcolelland. for annulmcnu these
were but four of about forty similar
cases said by District Attorney Davis
to have been handled by Miller and in
which the alleged forgeries and faxed
testimony reached all the way in some
OF the actions from complaint and
summons to the final DEGREES.
Will Investigate Every Case
The District Attorney announced that
the investigation into Miller's activities
which started two months aro. would
continue until, so far as possible. evcrv
case IN which Miller had been con.
nected as attorney IN Westchcstcr
County and in which he is said to have
employed "stocl5 company" Of nro-
1esslonal men and women witnesses at
the rate of $40 day, Las been thor
oughly dissected and proved fraudu-
lent.
All OF The witnesses scheduled to
testify before the grand jury appeared
at the Westchcster CoHrty courthouse,
out only ten went before the jury.
lEcse were Louis RI rodt, County
Clerk; Charles +. J. Decker, clerk of
inc special term; Natalie f. Couch,
confidential secretary to Supreme Court
Justice Arthur S. Tompkins; Justice
Icmpkins. who said afterward that he
had identified his signature to five of
Miller's purported "decrees" as for
geries: Arthur I. Dempsey, plaintiff in
one of the divorce actions brought by
Miller; Harry Fireman, a divorce de-
fendant; Lillian Loughran, a plaintiff;
NJ argaret McClolland, for whom Miller
obtained an annulment; Thaddcus L..
a court reporter attached
to Justice Tonpkins, and Godfrey j.
Taylor, another of Miller's litigants.
In the case Of Caroline Fireman. Mr..
Davis said. Miller engaged the man
ager Of New York City candy store
to appear as Fireman, the defendant,
and paid him $40. Mr.. Davis said the
man sworc that he was Fireman. lie
has since disappeared, as the result of
the publicity given Miller's operations,
the District Attorney said