The New York herald., 1922-02-15
BUCKETING VICTIMS
ALL NAME 50 FIRMS;
SUSPECTS in FLIGHT
Complaints From Many
Parts Of Country Delay
Grand Jury Action.
LARCENY CASES FORMED
Two Defrauding Operators Go
to Serve Year Each in
Theft of $4,000.
LARCENY CASES FORMED

bucket shop operators were received
at the office of District Attorney Ban
ton yesterday. the mail literally filling
the office and coming from all parts
of the country. Last evening the
complaints were still being listed and
summarized for,Mr. Banton and Jerome
Simmons, Assistant District Attorney,
who has charge of the bucket shop
cases.
The District Attorneys office has
learned, it was said last night, tha.
several of the bucket shop operators
whose cases are to be considered have
left New York in an effort to escape
arrest if indictments are returned
against them.
Because of that fact the District
Attorney has not revealed the names
of the firms and individuals against
whom accusations of irregular trans
actions have been made. This infor-
nation probably will not be made pub
lie until the Grand Juries have fin
ished their work and the indictments
are served.
The Grand Jury situation and the
pressure of work of all sorts in the
prosecutors office has materially de-
layed the presentation OF the bucket
shop cases to the Grand Jury. 1t was
found impossible yesterday to present
any new evidence. Provision was
made, however, to better the situation
at once. Mr.. Banton said:
"I have arranged with the indict-
ment clerk that Mr.. Simmons shall
have the fun time of one of the Grand
Iuries for the next four days with
out interruption. He will take the
additional Grand Jury and present to
It only these bucket shop cases He
also will have part of the time OF the
regular Supreme Court Grand Jury.
but am afraid he will not be able to
get in there until the end of the week.
swsmpcd with Complaints.
"This office has been swamped with
complaints against bucket shops. The
publicity given to the matter has
brought letters not only from all parts
of the adjacent territory. but even from
plants which were received to-day have
not been examined yet, but we will get
to them tomorrow. We regret there
has been some delay in presenting the
cases to the Grand Jury but there have
been other matters of Importance which
have taken more time than we antici-
pated and then the holiday has inter-
yened AS a matter OF fact the Su-
preme Court Grand Jury has not been
sitting to-day.
"I want to make It clear that we are
not conducting a Wall Street investiga-
ton We have no intention of carrying
on any investigation. as this is not an
investigating office but prosecutors
office. We are simply examining into
complaints that come to US for the pur-
pose of indicting and prosecuting where
that course seems justified"
Mr.. Banton made IL clear that spe-
cifc instances of bucketing. with
names. dates and amounts could not be
made public until indictments had been
found and the indicted men appre-
hended. He hoped for some such result
within few days. he said. but did not
specify any particular day.
IL appears that the record OF the
number of firms against which COM
plants have been made up to yester-
day morning, remains at thirty.
Whether the 200 additional complaints
involve other firms will not be known
until the new complaints are examined
and compared.
"Of course not all the complaints we
get are valid. by any means. said Mr..
Banton. "A lot OF them come from men
who are obviously just bad losers"
There is always a crowd about the
prosecutors office during business hours.
w uypr
appear before the Grand Jury. but had
TO be sent away. much to Mr.. Banton's
regret There were also several new
complanants who told their stories to
Mr.. Simmons or Benjamin Schneider.
who is assisting him.
Injured woman MuIcted.
One, French woman. was struck
by an automobile some time ago. suf-
fering a broken leg. She collected dam
ages against the owner Of the car and
was persuaded by a broker TO invest
this money. together with about $4,000
which she had in Liberty bonds. She
lost everything.
Mr. Simmons Is of the opinion that
the bucket shop operators have made It
their business TO watch the judgments
recorded i'm the newspapers with view
TO persuadlng persons who through this
means come into considerable sums all
at once, to invest" through their
brokerage houses. This would be In
keeping with the use of lists Of Liberty
bond holders and savings banks deposit
tors which the bucketeers are known
TO use.
Grand larceny will be the charge In
the majority Of cases in which indict
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