Evening star., 1939-01-08
Coster Responsible
For Own Exposure,
Prober Reveals
Stock Presented for
Receivership Action
Owned by Wife
- the Associated Press,

- the Associated Press.
NEW YORK, Jan. 7.-Evidence
was developed today in the McKes-
son 6y Robbins mystery indicating
that F. Donald Coster- -Musica was
responsible for his own exposure as a
swindler and ex-convict and for the
discovery that the giant drug cor
poration's assets included $4,000, 900
worth which were fictitious.
At the same time. Federal investi-
gators revealed as long ago as 1884
a McKesson & Robbins employe,
now a department head, had taken
a personal dislike to Coster- -Musica,
obtained a copy of the corporation
presidents f1ngerprints and turned
up information tending to show the
existence of fraud, but then did
nothing, officially, about it.
The suggestion that Coster-
Musica, knowingly or unwittingly,
brought about his own swift ruin
came from Assistant State Attorney
General Ambrose v. Mccall who
disclosed that the 1000. shares of
McKesson & Robbins stock pre-
sented to Connecticut man to quail
ify him to start an equity receiver
ship action December S was stock
which belonged to Mrs. Coster.
Serial Numbers Compared.
Mr.. Mccall said he established the
ownership of the stock by a COM
parison of the serial numbers with
those in the records of Steiner,
Rouse & Co., brokers, who carried
big account in Mrs Costners name.
Earlier this week, Vincent w. Den
mis-, Hartford Comm corporation
counsel, told Mr.. Mccall that Mayor
Thomas Spellacy of Hartford had
asked him to start the receivership
action in Federal Court in Hartford.
To qualify him, Mr.. Dennis said,
Mr.. Spellacy gave him the stock.
Mr.. Dennis sent Mr.. Mccall the Sc
rial numbers by special delivery to-
day.
Mr.. Mccall said Mrs. Coster or
dered Steiner, Rouse e. Co. on De-
cember S, date of the receivership
action, to transfer the stock to Her
bert j. Dietrich.
Mayor Spellacy, who also testified
this week at the inquiry being con-
Quoted by the office of Attorney
General John J. Bennett, jr.. said
he received the stock from Benja-
min Slade, New Haven lawyer, on
December 3, although the brokers
records show the transfer order
was not received until two days
later.
In any case it was Mr.. Dennis
action which started things going.
Mayor Spellacy and Abraham
Weissman, New Haven lawyer,
were appointed receivers.
Reorganization Petition.
Before they had a chance to act,
however, officers of McKesson &
Robbins in New York, perturbed
by the report of a shortage of
millions in the crude drugs depart
ment, petitioned in Federal court
here for an order to reorganize
under the Chandler Bankruptcy
Act. The petition was granted and
this action superseded the Con-
necticut action, leaving the affairs
of McKesson & Robbins to be ex-
posed, as they shortly were, by
half a dozen official agencies.
Mr.. Mccall would not comment
on this new and astonishing turn
in the investigation, but he said
he was not surprised.
He offered no Identification for
the Herbert j. Dietrich. Two of
Coster-M -Musica's brothers who were
exposed with him used the name
Of Dietrich.
Three brothers are being held in
Federal Jail here-Arthur Musica,
who used the name of George Ver-
nard and represented himself as
Canadian agent for the firm; George
Musica, who as George E. Dietrich
was assistant treasurer and an as
sistant vice president, and Robert
Musica, who called himself Robert
Dietrich and worked in the shipping
department.,