The Washington times., 1922-08-08
CASKET
F|RMHALT IN
WCAMP PA|GN
Indicted Concern Was About to
Issue More Stock, U. S.
Investigator Says.

campaign being conducted by the
Crystal Glass Casket Company here
was halted by the indictment re-
turned by the grand jury yesterday,
according to Miss M. Pearl Mccall,
special assistant to District Attorney
Peyton Gordon. Miss Mccall has
been prominent I'm the investigation
Of this company's affairs since she
took her post about ten months ago,
and II was she who presented the
evidence to the grand jury which re-
suited in the Indictment.
A list OF stockholders in the local
concern in the possession of tke
District Attorneys office shows that
nearly 1000 people, from every
neighborhood and evidently from
every walk of life, bought the stock.
which is Of little value. according to
Miss Mccall. g..
These people were fed up with
stories Of large plants In operation
and being purchased, and were prom
lsed profits of 256 per cent" Miss
Mccall said today. "As a matter of
fact there were no large size glass
caskets in existence, as far as we
can find out. The only ones to be
seen were the sample ones on exhibit
In windows Of company.
"A circular advertised there was
one glass casket now in the ground,
and figures were printed giving the
annual death rate and the profit,
$50 on each casket sold.
There are many pitiful stroies of
people who invested their money
with this concern" Mrs. Mccall
said. II have In mind one man
who mortgaged his home and
scraped up every cent he could TO
invest II with the Glass Casket
Company. and now he Is penni.
less"
The company is alleged TO hsve
nIisrepresented to it's stockholders
and the public that IL was buying
a manufacturing plant in West Vir-
ginia. AS a matter Of fact" says
Miss Mccall. they bid high for this
plant at auction and received an
option on the property, then pro
ceeded to herald the deal. The op.
ton has since expired. but still they
have been advertising the pur.
chase" ..
Had Wide Metz
The district covered by the local
! kentucky and Delaware, according
OF the concern. The company was
organized under the laws ct Della.
ware as a corporation. The capital
stock is supposed to be $1,000. 900,
divided into 100000 shares. par
value $40.
The moving spirit OF the com.
ND ~ Qn ha mi ia9
throughout the country, has been
James w. De Camp. who Is sup
posed to have conceived The idea.
according to the Districts Attor.
ney's office. Mr.. De Camp. &C.
ccrding to Miss Mccall, has prUfited
handsomely from the companies he
h helped to organize. He is now
All officer or director in several of
them. 1t was his idea, says Miss
Mccall, to go into a city or town,
Interest some men in the company
idea, help to organize a company
for stock selling purposes. collect
a cash fee Of $4,000 and 10000 in
stock Of the company. He would
then proceed to sell the stock.
Six Are Indicted.
II is probable the case OF the
! Casket Company will be one OF the
first called when the fall session OF
court opens. Others indicted with
De Camp are A. B. Lacey, presi'
dent or the local company; r. A,
Howe, vice president: and Edwin
c. Reed, secretary.treasurer; and
: s. N. Acker.
A Washington girl, employed al
one time with the company, whose
name was printed on stationery and
| marked "secretary-treasure was
not mentioned in the indictment
Miss Mccall says she has since
left the employ Of the company and
is not believed to have known the
nature of Its aims.
A humorous touch found in the
documents compiled by the District
Attorneys office is notice where
a local lawyer received so many
shares of stock for legal services
rendered" ;"