Daily national Republican., 1863-05-27
A GIGANTIC sMINpLE.
A wealthy CitiIsn OF Rochester within
tied In the sum of $3.50, 900.


A wealthy Citizen OF Rochester Vtttim-
tied In the sum of sI5O,OOO.
great fraud, porpetratod by single indl.
vidual, has Just come to light in Rochester, and
the guilty party has been brought mp TO an-
swer. The person who suffered by the opera
ton was a well-known and Pealthy ctuzen,
named Aristarchus Champion, and the alleged
swindler is Luther Calvin saXton. The Uido"
gives the following history of the affair:
II appears by the papers presented that Sax
ton came here to reside something over two
years ago, with his family. He was man pre-
tending TO deep religious feeling, and an earnest
supporter of great rUiOrms-a patron OF the
arts, Of eduoation--in short Of everything that
was good.
He worked himself into the confidence of MIR.
Champion, and so long ago as July, 1861, he
began to reap the fruits Of that confidence.
SaXtOn pretended to be the managing man Of
an immense concern, known as the Union
Book Company" with a capital Of SO, 100000,
which was engaged in the publication Of books.
religious, moral, historical and scientific. 1t
was represented that twenty-four libraries were
TO be published embracing over five thousand
different works. The titles of these books were
given in magazine purportug to be Issued by
the Company, in New York, called the Union
Magazine. 1t is understood that but one copy
probably prepared for the purpose 10 which 1t
was devoted.
Mr.. Champion became interested in the pro-
ieCt, having in view the dissemination Of knOwl-
edge and truth as well as the realization of
profits, and he made over in notes and mort
cages to saxtOn about SlOO, 900 for stock in the
Union Book Co." AS the operations of this
company extended TO Great Britain, the mort
Cages were made payable in London, interest
and all
SaNLOn went to Europe last year and returned
with another big scheme to Mr.. Champion.
This was the International Manufacturing
Company" " to operate in both hemisph0res with
a capital of one hundred millions, liable to be
raised to one thousand millions. The details
of the plan and of the operation of this com.
pany were drawn up by SaXton, and he and
Mr.. Champion were to be the American mana.
! gers. 1t was Claarly demonstrated upon paper
| that Sl3, 900 900 could be realized per annum
upon the slOO, ,OOO, 900 with which the company
| commenced operations.
SaXton represented that he had an immense
| property in New Jersey, which could be put in
as capital TO this company for five millions If a
certain cloud resting upon 1t could be removed.
| II would cost fifty thousand to remove this
cloud, and that amount Mr.. Champion ad-
vanced his paper for, and SaXtOn realized with
in three hundred dollars of the whole sum.
For period of nearly two years this conf.
dence game has been played, and MIR. Cham
piOn had no distrust Of SaXton until few days
| since, when he addressed letters TO William b.
/ Astor and others in New York, with whom
Saxton pretended to be intimate, and who had
stock in his companies as he represented, anC
the answers came that they did not know IN,
man.
Last week Mr.. Champion put the matter int
the hands of his attorneys, warrant wa,
issued By Judge Z. Darwin Smith, and OIL
Saturday Chief of Police Mudgett arrested
SaNton at the Astor House in New York and
brought him 10 Rochester. He was lodged in
Jail and will have an examination before Judge
Smith soon.