GET RICH QUICK

Greymouth Evening Star, 6 December 1926, Page 4

GET RICH QUICK

FRENCHMAN SWINDLED.

LONDON, November 7. “Foxes and Sour Grapes” might well be the caption to a case whose opening is interesting the whole of. France, says the Paris correspondent of the “Times.” Two ex-convicts, Baron Reith and Gaston Fontanille, the latter of whom had disappeared, are charged with fraud in connection with the flotation of a company for the breeding of silver foxes.

Accused changed their names and took a sumptuous office. They induced Prince Michel Murat to become chairman, issued lavish prospectuses and spent thousands of francs in publicity, salaries and expenses.

Foxes worth 300,000 francs were to be bought, each subscriber of 1000 francs becoming paH owner of a fox, and sharing the profit from the sale of the skin. The public was lured by the promise of 900 per cent dividends, and [subscribed 1,700,000 francs. Ten fox cubs, unsuitable for breeding .were pai-tly paid for, and most of them died. ' Prince Murat, whom the prospectus untruly described as a- great fox breeder, admitted receiving 24,000 francs. He knew nothing about the business, which he had entered because he had lost most of his wealth iii Russia.