The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1926-09-17
DAUGHERTY AGES
AS TRIAL GOES ON
But Miller, Former Alien Property Custodian, Codefend
in Big CaSe Has Loyal Wife by Side.

BIZ Times Special
NEW YORK, Sept. 17.-Drama
has been sitting with tensely
clenched hands for several days in
a Federal courtroom here.
All that legal trappery and con
fusion of terms can do to hide It's
presence has been done
There is a tumble of evidence con
corning stocks, shares, agreements
undertakings, capitalizations, trans
fers, world-war geography, history
and golden bubbles bobbilng up in
champagne glassesl
Now and then a reporter takes out
this thought-challenging phrase, "A
trial rivaled in American history
only by the Johnston Impeachment
-" and waves it at the public.
But for the underlying drama one
must look to the principals-Harry
Daugherty, one-time cabinet member
and president maker; Thomas w.
Miller, former alien property GUS
to6ian and Richard Merton, German
metal magnate.
If the charges be true that Daugh-
erty and Miller accepted a bride
from Merton. then they have we'll
earned their wages of disaster.
Take the outstanding figure -
Daugherty. He ages with every day
in the courtroom. The strain of
keeping up a brave front" tells
upon him. Not LONG ago his wife
died, and his family is in disruption.
He is alone. He grasps at the kind.
ly good-morning of a newspaper re-
porter and replies warmly.
Miller has by his side, day upon
day. his loyal wife. She has been
with him in the courtroom since the
first day. She will be there at the
last. A woman with an artistocratic
nose; an artistocratic face; the man
ners and bearing of a lady. She
comes from a proud line, without g
single strain upon it's scutcheon, un
til
She bears up under the ordea
proudly and gracefully But whether
her husband is guilty or not guilty
what of the family turmoil that must
have been precipftated? One hears
many rumors, to all of which she 1:
silent. She keeps repeating 81
have nothing to say" Is it true thai
her mother died crushed by the
blow? There is no answer.
Merton, the AristOcrat
And there is Merton, the immacu
late and aristocratic German, tn,
young financial king. Ee "sits OF
top of the world" He has salvageC
the great family fortune out of chaos
A character for some Galsworthy
this fellow, whose steel interests ar,
comparable with any of the grea
American fortunes and who, will
his beautiful wife, occupies suites
in one of the finest New York hotels
They say he used the American
officials to recoup the Merton mil
lions at time when minutes tickle,
off disaster. Melodralna has no NOR
lurid story.
Here were the Mertons-tw,
brothers, thrust suddenly into thei
fathers boots by his death. Bot
young and untried in the world o
big business. Vast interests wer
theirs; interests with internationa
ramifications; a great steel powe
founded back in 1850. Then cam
the war and as one nation and thel
another entered they had to sit bacl
and watch their interests being I'm
pounded by enemy countries. FINAL.
there were but two neutral nation
left. In which could their stock
find security? They feared Swift
erland a bit and finally swung t
Americana, America would not ge
in. they figured. But America di
get in and their American stock