The Mena weekly star., 1921-07-21
BIC MONEY LURE
 CAUSED DOWNFALL
Former Clerk Was Free Spender and Every Man in Two Counties Wanted. to Work on Luxurious
 Minnesota Farms.

| Austin. Minn., July 19.--Embezzle- ment of sat least $150,000" from George A. Hormel & Co.,, packers, was admitted by R. J. Thompson, comp troller of the company, in statement issued jointly with officers of the con cern.
 Thompson, widely known in this sec tion of the country as president of the Oakdale poultry farm near here and the Oak Holstein farm at Blooming l Prairie, Minn., has assigned all his holdings to trustees for operation un- til their ultimate disposition is deter mined.
 The property in Thompson's name is valuable, Hormel officials said, and whatever the extent of Thompson's de- faIcations, this property will make up large amount of it. Thompson said, Everything l own will be used to help square accounts"
 l Thompson was working with audi tors in an effort to ascertain the exact amount of the shortage, and company heads refused to estimate what the l loss would be, except to authorize the
 statement that it would be at least $150,000,
 Thompson, country boy, entered
 the employ of the Hormel company several years ago, first as a candy salesman at the plant at wage of SIP week. His rise was rapid and his speculations, he said, started shortly after he became comptroller.
 No legal action had been taken to- 1 fight against Thompson, and 1t was in- dicated none is planned until it is 1 definitely known what the shortage is.
 "I must have been crazy, know was crazy" was the only explanation from Thompson.
 From a SIP week clerk in the cor Ifectionery store, Thompson's rise was rapid. Every week he announced some new project, and his neighbors looked forward eagerly for each announces ment.
 One day he announced he had in- i Iherited a 40-acre farm near Leroy which he converted into a chicken ranch. He spent $50,000 upon it. It became a meca for travellers.
 Thompson laid out beautiful parks on the farm; erected dancing pavil- llion at an expense of $30,000, with a dancing floor to accommodate I,0uU couples. Two thousand electric lights were installed.
 A hotel with fifty beds and dining room to care for seventy-five diners was built. Then he constructed a fire station and installed two chemical en- zines with permanent fire fighting force. A 10-acre playground for children was laid out and an artificial lake built.
 On farm north of Austin he spent thousands of dollars on buildings to house his S300,000 herd of Holstein cows and his $20,000 Duroc hogs. His COWS were cleaned with vacuum clean CTS. Electric fans were installed in the barns and so arranged as to drive all flies to room at one end of the build ing, where they were destroyed by chemical gases. His hog barn was steam heated.
 He erected dormitory for his hired men, spending $i0,000 for rugs and ldraperies. There was a billiard room, sunroom and dance hall. Every man lin Mower and Steele counties wanted to get job on Oakdale farm. The OakdaIe trail from the twin Icities to Chicago was another project aided by Thompson. He named it af- | ter his farms and planned an artis- tic cutstone gateway to be erected at | the Iowa state line, where the trail passes Oakdale farm.
 His subscriptions to public affairs nd charity always were large. Thomp- son told calmly tonight about his trouble and declared his only present concern was to get his accounts strengthened out.
 Mrs. Thompson is loyal in her sup port of her husband and said she is ready "to start all over again" with |him. They have one son.