Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1840-06-09
DOMESTIC.

PASSAGES IS THE LIFE or Or ELDRlp"h -"
dense the following from Tue y !. hefi'u i"' W. 80
lit of our readers:
William NJ. E!dridse was born in the year l'o9, al
,yodhr,v Neg Jersey He was colnpounder Of
drugs at store in this city, when about 10 or years
DID, and looked upon as smart clerk. nc it'l
|.mnloycrs and went to Philadelphia, where ~ 90
,n,o he sor. of Mr. Okic Here Eldr'Ggc fell u"
love with young Quakcrrss The day was ix"d' in'
d rr;.uis moi directing: but before il arrived, DIS
cnv.rv wax made which not only prevented the laN
from Incoming The wife Of In" Doctor, but hFoue'
her r. an unmeir grave EIdrldge was arrested LOT
the robbery Of sir. Oke, ana confessed H. Nc i'
w,s then arrested bat discharged. The Society o.
Fr,enI, directed her suspension. Eldrdge was sen
fenced to the Penitentiary for one year, but ms sen
ence was committed TO confinement IN The i"u'c u
Refuge Whilst he was IN prison, tir lady !" """i'
he WINS 10 have been married died "f broken h'hr''
and after Eldrldge was apPrentcrh 70 some ma
chant who was gong TO the South lie soon ran on
and ,s no II card Of at Baltimore. In $50, he mar
rieda Miss Carlton in Philadelphia, and moved win
her into the State of Ohio where thy lived nearly ion'
years and had three children rom TINS "ir ne f'h
AWAY came. In New York, and shortly Afterwards G"'
n,o the E,mily OF Dr. Mott with s. HON he vas gfta'
favori.e In ihr noah Of Augns', l-3l check pHf-
porting to be drawn BY Nanscr aud Harrison, u" 81"
was presented to the Fulton Bank ana pad; all attempts
10 trace the torgcr proved trurSs 1t was hn'ilE S"r
pcccd That the stgna,ur" had been traced over S,
draft which that firm had PAID 10 DR.. Mott. On me
18th of Srp,cmhrr l-ai account WIS opened al lh
Merchants Bank, in the name OF Morgan ana Drink
This account run until Tie 10Th ct November, "hrh
the person who usually made the d"p"Sles PAD IN INC
sum of ~ Sg2 Al The same day The whole balance
was drawn out and on the following day il was a>cer-
tanned that part of the deposltc consisted OF three
checks other banks in the city, which turned out 10
turgeries.
Mr. Lowndcs satisfied himscfthat the signatures at
the three forged checks had been traced over thTer
checks which had passed through the Eands o DR..
mi. took ul1r, between the Doc
tor and the Magistrate, but nothing positive "as cit
cited.
On the same dav that the firm Of Moran Drake
closed their account at the Mechanics Bank fnrS'"
check presented and paid at the North RIVER BANK
for 500 p The same dag another man was sent L"
I'M. Merchants Bank with check for $1,000, purnort
ing to be drawn b. the firm of j. IL Mason " 70
The trick failed aud ii discovered 10 he or9"rS
In the month Of June l-S5, some person opened Al"
account n, the Lafayette Bank in the name "i Isaac
Avmar Co, and the day another va, opened
at the COMMERCIAL Bank IN the name OF Nyrih !"
Cochrane Thrs. accounts until the ian "i re-
hruarv following, when both firms disappeared from
the city, aud the accounts were oyerdrawn IN the sum
Of ;S17!-.
The Doctor it seem, was suspected in all thrse N
stances About this time he went with DR. Sl"tt Il"
Europe and wrote many long letters nome I" ladies'
winch letters have, hy exhibiting hs hand writing al
length convicted han. In Of these letters, ne De
tails tie loss Of the ,O francs, which he SAYS was an
SrartrG whilst himself ana DF VI were ''N'Ns '''N
natural curlnStIcs ni tho road 10 i.uc"rnr
Tie Doctor next figures IN PARIS N the winter OF
80 which was very gay season among the B!iush
and American residents. Among them Alrs' "ri'S
issued cards Tor grand party on one OCCASION iIcf
rooms brilliantly hghtcd-thr music ready 'Ie
supper prrparrd-hut no "ncsts can" J ne Wii"i'
family were perpcxrd, but thu next day unravcllrd
the whole mystery. Some person had cona"rritrd
the signature OF Mrs W and sent excuse to nearly
every one invited saying that the ctc was postponed
on account ot dom, stlc cannily. l"l. horne ana
his family were particularly annogrd and applied t. Tie
American Consul on thr subject, That d'gn''ary IA
s,itucd an investigations but ii resulted in nothing
In the fall of I-3-, 1t is believed tha; DR.. Mott aud
his tai, ned friend returned la THIS ctE, and ~ the o!
lnwn" spring the Butchers and D.orrrs Bank surF-
ed by the old trick Of opening two accounts, and over
drawing, 10 a large amount. man named Douglass,
f;rr"r being arrested for other crIm', was
qrrstiGnrd this Sub rc.. but som'Iy denied all know
ledge IN the business. MIR. Lowndcs, and a ir"nd,
however ever since 1885, have been III constant cor
rspnnd"nce the subject Of these mysteries: and
when the recent lorgcres the Pm ladrlpha Banks
came In lrii, tie twn gentlemen determined u Try
the; could not fix the guilt on The proper p"rs' IN
Thrv wrote To Philadelphia, and got description 81
the nrs N rio had drawa rhr checks, and appeared as
The manag;nr man Of The three firms They then col
rccd together the letters Of Or. EldrIds" |" ladies and
others and comparing them "lIh The hll.ns up a"
signatures Of the chccEs, the proof OF similarity was
rrefragab". The three officers OF IN" IN ltdelPha
Banks were then directed to trace out the residence OF
Dr. Eldridgr; they found that he resided IN Seventh
street. and instructed to place themselves INSIDE
house opposite the Doctors, and 10 see II they could
identify any person who should have 'ngreSs and
egress They watched day, and saw the Doctor
three times That experiment satisfied them OF his
identity and onr Of the officers Of the bank took the
opportunity Of his coming out, 10 invite the Doctor IN
quiet way, pay visit to sick gentleman close by
The Doctor bowed, and they reached the residence OF
an Alderman IN M adjoining street, and there the
cause Of his ysi, was planned TO the asst nsEed NJ d.
The rest is known Besides money in his desk,
there were found forty full suits Of clothes IN his yard
robe, and Of Jewellery intended as wedding pre-
sent to the lady whom he was 10 have married yeser
Il