Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW.
2OO
(CoWitnued from page I g 7.)
that time I was in no position to prove a misapplica-
tion of funds, and had no grounds for legal proceedings.
The next thing I learned was that Pratt had garnisheed
the entire establishment. The Church Company con-
signed to Barrett the Everett pianos, and called upon
him to remit weekly or monthly, as he made collec-
tions. Upon arriving here Mr. Pratt found that pianos
represented to the company as being in stock had been
sold by Banett and v the money'collected by him. They
had a clear case of embezzlement against him, and Bar-
rett, knowing that'he was gfrilty of forgery, kept out of
our way. I had every reiSdn to believe that the Hallet
& Davis cbhipahy had the same collateral for'consigned
pianos as we had for sold pianos. From a letter writ-
ten by Barrett a short time ago I learned that Hallet &
Davis had sent two men to Cleveland to investigate his
affairs who figured out a surplus of $18,000. I was in-
formed that the W. W. Kimball Company, of Chicago,
sent a man here with a like result. I found that local
men were discounting Barrett's notes in large numbers
and then I came to the conclusion that some printing
office was turning out the paper. Taking my bundle of
fifty-six notes I conferred with Mr. Grobt and we tried
to trace out the signers. Some had been executed by
out-of-town people and we could find no trace of some
of the other's even in the directory. Finally we found
Mr. A. B. Htinn and the fact was soon established that
we had there a cfear case of forgery. We immediately
procured a warrant and took steps to ensure Barrett's
arrest. Then the notes began to pour in, and we
learned that some of the notes were held in duplicate.
Further investigation disclosed numberless cases where
notes had been duplicated, and brought to light the
most gigantic, wholesale, and reckless case of forgery
in the country. Duplicate notes are held by Hallet &
Davis, the Emerson Company, Wilcox & White, the W.
W. Kimball Company, several Cleveland banks, and
others in this city. The question, now, is on the valid-
ity of the notes. All of the holders undoubtedly pos-
sess some genuine and some worthless notes, and it
will be a hard task to separate them. Barrett imposed
even on his own clerks and gave them spurious notes
for salaries and commissions. We find that some
pianos have been sold and the original notes given
back, while the duplicates are still held by purchasers.
We hold some original notes in cases where the dupli-
cates were given back to the piano purchasers when
they had paid their face value. In such cases the
originals are still valid. Pianos that were paid for in
spot cash figure through notes as collateral security.
You can tell nothing from the books. Everything at
the store is in the most chaotic condition. The only
record of the busines worth anything was in a merhbr-
andum book, and that has gone with Barrett."
Mr. A. B. Hunn, referred to above, is superintendent
of the Perkins' Lock Manufacturing Co. He purchased
a pianp from Barrett for which he gave two notes, cine
for $100 and the other for $125. It is believed that five
sets of these notes were floated. The Emerson Piano
Company alone hold three notes with Hunn's name
attached.
The following, taken bodily from the Cleveland
Leader and Herald of the 2ist ult., throws additional
light on this astounding affair :
"Attorney Johnson, the assignee of B.S.Barrett,
finally got hold of some assets yesterday. They com-
prise books, papers, and piano leases to the value bf
about fifty cents. Mr. Johnson also made a very sur-
prising discovery. In examining the contents of Bar-
rett's safe he found a large bundle of unopened letfers.
There were fully one hundred of them, and some bore
the date of last April. T,he assignee has not opened
them, but the letters were nearly all from banks and
gave notice of notes that had gone to protest. Such
notices were also contained in small printed blanks and
postal carOs found in the bundle. Mr. Johnson has as
yet taken no steps to ascertain the condition of Barrett's
agencies in Akron and Massillon. A peculiar feature
of the whole case is the fact that the Wilcox & White
Organ Company, of Meriden, Mass., have no represen-
tative on the scene. They are certainly creditors, and
may perhaps be the owners of some of the organs held
by the Sheriff under the attachment of the Jdhh Chtifbh
Company, of Cincinnati.
" Sheriff Sawyer, who has held possession of ihe st6fe
under the writ of attachment, and Assignee Johnson,
One of the many TESTIMONIALS being: constantly received toy the
'Wilcox & White Organ Company 'regarding: their Wtfnderful
Who Was delegated by Judge White to settle Barrett's
affairs, parted company yesterday. Sheriff Sawyer got
the stock and Mr. Johnson has the store. The Sheriff
moved the goods', comprising a score of organs, some
pianos, and the office furniture, to a vacant storeroom
at No. 234 Superior street. The only things remaining
in Barrett's store are the fixtures and the pianos re-
released to Hallet & Davis. The rival forces are now
preparing for a fight in the courts. Their claims con-
flict, and there are several important questions of
authority to be^ettled. Trie 'fight may hold over until
tfie'assignee prepares a statement. He Has not yet be-
giin Work on the bodks and the're is no telling wiiat sort
bf a romance may be woven frdrh those hiind red fetters.
"Thereis sortie probability thaViihe Sheriff, or tHe John
Church Company, for whom he made the attachment,
will be sued for damages. It is asserted that for a
claim against B. S. Barrett they attached the property
of B. S. Barrett & Co. Mr. Edwin D. Atwater is the
"Co.," and since the store was closed he has been stead-
ily protesting against such action. The staterrient is
tnade in His behalf that through the action of
creditors, Who T tk sole possession, He lias
^p
Vesftted frtjm transacting 'business. Ah attorney said
y that Vsuit for $5i6ob or $io,6oo danlagM
fee itistiriifed in a re'W'days. Mr. Atwater'tfatfe
tifs first ^jfe'afa'rSce in T ine cbufts late Yesterday after-
ribpn Wtfen lie'feplevjrfed sdme'of the -property in tHe
"Sheriff s possession. ¥he writs of repleVih include fdtir
'pfanos,'Vsafe, an^bffice disk and a lot ; o£ *piano covers,
stools, etc.
It has been estimated that Barrett's entire indebted-
ness foots up something like f ioo.ooo, and the follow-
ing apportionment was made by gentlemen directly
interested :
$30,000
15,000
5,000
5,000
4,400
Hallet & Davis Co., Boston,
Euclid Avenue National Bank,
W. W. Kimball Co., Chicago, -
John Church Co., Cincinnati, -
Emerson Piano Co., Boston,
Alfred >tftour,
.
.
.
C o m m e r c i a l N a t i o n a l ! Ba"nk, -
'.
.
Total,
600
2,000
$62,000
Sett-Hap? Gobble Organ.
THE THAVf Una INSUMNeC COMMft*
Soleotiona from all the prominent composers can be artistically ana
™™»^&^to »-»/
m T r A A U
« mm-mri
AT\/VVIT/IA
lr
-a
A
WILCOX & WHITE ORGAN CO., Meriden, Conn.