New-York tribune., 1921-09-23
Brokers Exiled.
Like CrusOes.
At City Gates
Morris, Porter and Pope,
of Defunct Wall Street
Firm, Marooned in. Sub
urbs by Court Order
Start Fight for Freedom
Socially Prominent Partners
Confined to Home Coun-
ties by $4,000 Claim

Three modern Robinson Crusoes
each financially and socially prominent
in New York, have for the last three
months been marooned separately in as
many counties about Manhattan, un-
able to assume the cares of business in
Wall Street by day or to attend Fifth
Avenue social engagements by night,
it was disclosed yesterday.
One, Lewis Gouverneur Morris, the
descendant of one of the signers Of
the Declaration of Independence, has
been forced to remain within the wilds
of Westchester County during that
time on pain of forfeiting $4,000
should he dare to cross one of the
county boundary lines.
Another, Frank B. Porter. is con-
fined exclusively to roaming about the
territory included within the wilder
ness retreats of Suffolk County, with
only the natives and about half dozen
men Fridays as his companions.
The third, J. Hathaway Pope. j.
slightly more fortunate, inasmuch as
he has been given the freedom Of the
comparatively more settled jungles of
Brooklyn. But he daren't step over
the Klngs County line anywhere. on
pain of being attacked by a tribe of
ballitfs and process servers.
Failed in Wall Street
The plight of the three Crusoes con-
stltutes the current result of long
story, which, to summarize as much as
possible, began with the action of the
Stock Exchange on April ID. 1917. in
suspendlng for insolvency the firm of
Morris & Pope, in which all were part
ners. This failure was for s55o,00O.
One of the customers of the firm
was Charles Morgan, New York bust
ness man: He charged that he had lost
several thousand dollars through GER
tain business transactions handled for
him by the company, and broaght suit
in the Kings County Supreme Court.
The case was tried before Judge Aspi-
nall and he won a verdict for $1O,249.
Subsequently Mr.. Morgan tried to
collect on the judgment, but this
was unsuccessful. So, about three
months ago, he caused the arrest of the
three former partners on body execu~
tions, and their restriction to the jail
limits in the respective districts in
which they were taken-Westchest ster,
Suffolk and Kings counties Since then
they have been marooned there rs eff
fectively as was the original hero of
De Foes narrative on his lonely desert
island.
Mr.. Morris was the first TO make an
effort to regain his freedom. He insti-
tuted proceedings in the County Court
at White Plains, claiming to be an in
solvent Judgment debtor, and asking to
be discharged as such. 1t is reported
that, outside of q number of articles of
male wearing apparel, he claimed that
his sole possessions were one wrist
watch, two razors, two tennis rackets
and S29.57 in cash.
Member of Many Clubs
made to keep the situation secret, but
the story leaked out yesterday when
County Judge Frank l.. Young, at White
Plains, granted an ex-parte order on
behalf of Mr.. Morris, returnable to-
day, to show cause as to why he should
not be released from being held within
the limits of the White Plains jail
1t was reported that other efforts to
regain their liberty were being made
by Messrs. Porter and Pope.
Mr.. Morris is member of the Union,
Metropolitan, Harvard, Ardsley, Apa-
wants, Tuxedo and Badminton clubs,
Colonial Lord of the Manor, and
prominent in the affairs of the Colonial
Wars Society His wife was the former
Natalie Bailey, daughter of the late
j. Muhlenberg Bailey, who executed a
bond for $4,000 at the time of her
husbands arrest, guaranteeing that he
would not move outside the Westehes-
ter County limits.
His business partners are of equal
prominence.