The Kevin review. [volume] (Kevin, Mont.) 1922-1929, 1925-12-03
W. M. FULTON
OIL OPERATOR
HELD ON FRAUD
Representative Of Chicago Firm
Enters Action; Alleging
Money Due Him

w. M. Fulton, Kevin-Sunburst
operator, whose success during
the last year has made him one
of the most spectacular figures
in Montana's oil industry, was
placed under arrest and held in
default of $4,000 bail Monday
evening on the charge that he
intended to leave the state as
means of defrauding creditors.
The case has few. if any, paral-
lels in local district court annals
in that the arrest was made with
out a criminal complaint having
been filed or the usual warrant
issued.
Fulton was taken into custody,
the second time duriug the day
on an order issued by District
Judge H. H. Ewing following the
filing of civil complaint in an
action brought by Thomas J. Nc
Manus, Chicago bond house rep
resentative. The action is brot
under Montana statue seldom
invoked by litigants, according
to attorneys.
After Fulton's arrest, J. A.
MeDonough, his attorney, declar-
ed that the $4,000 bail fixed for
his client was an excess of re-
quirements as fixed by law.
ANY and all stock sold by Nc
Manus ard any service rendered
was for the Fulton Oil company,
a corporation, and his claim, if
any is against the Fulton COM
pany and not against Fulton in
dividually," Mr.. McDonoueh
said.
Mr.. McDonough declined to
state what action would be take II
by the defense, but he said that
a request would doubtless be
made to have the bail reduced.
He maintained that placing of
the bond at $4,000 was a tenn
porary measure. The sheriff, Mr..
McDonough asserted, would not
be compelled to hold the defend
ant more than "a hours unless all
costs are paid by the complain
ant.
McManus bases his charge
against the oil operator on the
claim that S56, ,5S1 is due him as
the value in shares in the Fulton
Oil company which, he alleges,
Fulton agreed to deliver to him
as commission on sales of the
company's stock. Fulton, h
charges, failed to surrender the
shares and has, with the inten-
ton of defrauding the plaintiff,
disposed of his Fulton Oil stock
and other property and threaten
ed to leave the United States.
McMenus claims that the amount
he alleages to be due represents
the value of the shares, with
dividends previously paid, at the
time Of their sales by Fulton.
The plaintiff set out in an affi-
dayit which accompanied t h e
complaint, that Fulton told him,
last Saturday, that on November
"a he had sold and actually trans
ferred all of his Fulton Oil stock.
and also had disposed of his auto
mobile and drilling outfits. 1t has
been reported in Great Falls for
several days that Fulton had dis
posed Of his Kevin-Sunburst in
5erests to share owners in the
Rice Oil company.
Setting out the terms of his
McManus says in the
that in April 1925,
Fulton employed him to sell on a
$4,000 shares in the
Fulton Oil company, Fulton a
greed to pay him, he says, 25
cents a share on all stock sold at
81 a share, or to give him stock
IN payment Of his commission,
as McManus might select. Stock
10 be delivered under the clause
was to be valued at 60 cents
share, which would mean that
McManus would take Al 2-3 share
for every 100 shares sold - Great
Falls Tribune.