, 1922-02-14

10 CONSERVATIVE estimates by
officers. were disclosed with he arres,
Saturday Of Raymond J. Bischoff and
the arrest yesterday Of three employees
OF no Western Land Operators as-o-
eiaton and three employees OF h
American Novaenlite company.
Leslie Harrington. said by police to
be tho moving spirit IN the affairs OF
the American Novaeuilte mpan and
Charles Urnich and Charles PhIilips,
general manager and president OF tho
Western Land Operators company are
being sought by the police.
The raid or tho officos OF the West.
ern Land Operators company was
made last night at the request OF 500
creditors. Just as police believe they
have established n connection between
tho working OF Btschoff and Harring-
ton so they have come to the belief
that tho Western Land Operators
company was connected with the 9TH
er two n h three operating huge
swindles Jointly.
Harrington. police said. ned thecity
yesterday. a short time before his
establishment was raIded. The en-
pioyes OF his c are also missing.
Tho raids and arrests followed the
hearing OF BiSchotf before Judge Lam
dis yesterday and in which Bischoff
admitted knowing Harrington and
said he had loaned Harrington mon
ey on several occasions.
H~arrington's rise in high finance,
was even more rapid than that of Bis
choff the government invesirators
said Starting when he was pracl-
cally penuiiez. according to the In
vesugators. and upon the suggestion
OF Peter zilvitis and John uEaudus.
former agents Of Btschoff who wanted
to use him az a f~igurehead for their
own benefit In organizing an indepon-
dent company. he obtained desk room
in the office of an attorney but his
business grew to such proportions that
in a month he had established his own
office and hired many Of Bischoff's
own men.
He rented a suite OF rooms at a
large hotel recently and attracted
much attention at Thanksgiving time
when he gave n Inner to 200 over.
seas men. He repeated this perform.
anoc at Christmas. Las July he CAV
n Lithuanian picnic which was attend
cd by 10000 persons. the investigator,
said.
A meeting or Harrington's agents. a
in number. was held last Sunday thcy
said. A Lituauic- policeman who 1.
said to have invested $1,000 in Hcr
rington notes. hoard CT tho meeting
walked into the room, fired several
shots into the ceiling and departed
with $1,000 in cash.
Luke Byrne, $50 a week president
OF tho $1,000, 900 concern, and Thomas
Moran. secretary. met Harrington at a
dinner, they said. and later were given
positions.
I'VE never knew much about the
business" Byrne said. IAN We did
was to keep tho books and write let.
ters at Harrington's direction. All
the money was axe in by him and
deposited by HIM"
n. p. West. arrested in aurora,
Colo. In connection with the Western
Land Operators company Investigation
In said to have started his venture
hero last August. To tho investor he
held forth an attractive proposition
which would yield 100 per cent in six
months, they said. His regular in
terest was 40 per cent monthly on
800.
Prospects were told the company
owned Thousands OF acres of IA in
Montana and Colorado. No particular
piece OF property was specified as Sc
curity.
Investors in September. they said.
made 100 per cent the first month.
Buyers of s $1,000 gold bonds in The fall
were given 81, 900 in bonds in Deccm-
Der. Checks for dividends were paid
by a bank in Aurora, Colo Then In
January tho checks began to como
back marked Insufficient funds"
Reports from towns near Chicago
having largo foreign populations indi.
cate that both Bischoff and Harrington
rcaped large harvests there.
More than 500 residents of Aurora.
H.. and the Fix river valley were
swindied by Biscboff. according to the
investigators. and moro than twice that
number. they say, turned over sums
ranging from 500 to 1000 to Harring-
| ton.
Just what the connection believed by
investigators to exist between the
| Western Land Operators company
and Blschoff nay be. has not been
l dedicated