Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1863-06-04
Champion Plundered by
Confidence Operator of $l5O,OOO,
From the Rochester Daily Union.

from the Rochester DAILY Union.
One of the most stupendous frauds OF
the day, perpetrated by single individu-
al, has just come to light, and the guilty
party has been brought up to answer
The party who suffered by the operation
is our well-known and very wealthy clti-
zen, Aristarchus Champion, and the alleg-
ed swindIer is Luther Calvin Saxton.
1t appears by the papers presented, that
Saxton came here to reside something
over two years ago with his family. He
was man pretending to deep religious
feeling, and an earnest supporter of great
reforms-a patron Of the arts, of educa-
tion-in short, of everything that was
good.
He worked himself into the confidence
of Mr.. 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 capital of $3,000,OO0, which was
engaged in the publication of books, relig-
ious, 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
purporting to be issued by the company,
in New York, called the Union Magazine.
1t is understood that but one copy of this
periodical was ever issued, and that was
probably prepared for the purpose to
which it was devoted.
Mr.. Champion became interested in the
project, having in view the dissemination
OF knowledge and truth, as well as the re-
alization of profits, and he made over in
notes and mortgages to Saxton about
| 800, OO0 for stock in the "Union Book
Co." AS the operations of this company
extended to Great Britain, the mortgages
! were made payable in London, interest
and all.
4; Saxton went to Europe last year and
returned with another big scheme to MIR.
Champion. This was the International
Manufacturing Co.," to operate in both
hemispheres, with capital of one hun
dred millions, liable to be raised to one
thousand millions. The details of the
plan and of the operation of this compa.
ny were drawn up by Saxton, and he and
Mr.. G. we're to be the American managers.
1t was clearly demonstrated upon paper
that $13, 100000 could be realized per an.
mum upon the $10O,OO0,00O, with which
the company commenced operations.
Saxton represented that he had an i'm
mense property in New Jersey which could
be put in as capital to this company fer
five millions if certain cloud resting up.
on it could be removed. 1t would cost
| fifty thousand to remove this cloud, and
that amount Mr.. O. advanced his paper
for, and Saxton realized within three
hundred dollars of the whole sum.
For period tof nearly two years this
confidence game has been played, and Mr..
Champion had no distrust of Saxton until
q few days since, when he addressed let
tiers to ". B. Astor and others in New
York, with whom Saxton pretended to be
intimate, and who had stock in his COM
panies, as he represented, and answ ers
came that they did not know the man.
Last week Mr.. Champion put the mat
ter into the hands of his attorneys, war
rant was issued by Judge E. Darwin
Smith, and on Saturday Chief of Police
Mudgett arrested Saxton at the Aston
House in New York, and brought him to
Rochester. He was lodged in Jail and
will have an examination before Judge
Smith soon.
Proceedings were instituted to recover
what could be found in the way of money
or property, and it appeared that Saxton
had some funds on deposit here and at
the Metropolitan Bank in New York. 1t
is by no means probable that any consid-
cradle portion of the amount received.
$4,000, will be recovered.
Saxton is man about 30 years of age
and has praoticed law. We have not
been able to get much of his history, but
it is said that he once resided in Otsego
county and was involved there in matters
which kept him upon the limits for con-
siderable time. He has made this city bis
home for about two years, and he pnr-
chased fifty acres Of land at West End,
near the residence of Mr.. Champion, to
make that his future home.
The above statement is but brief out
lice of the case. The details show that it
was one of the strangest cases of fraud
ever perpetrated or made public. 1t is
presumed that Saxton will put in de-
tense and may make one that is plausible.
There will be curiosity on the part of the
public to see it.
F. J. Mather is The plaintiffs attorney.
Messrs. Church and Monger, and Judge 5.
L. Selden are counsel.
Battle of Thompson's Hill.
From list of casualties of the battle OF
Thompson's Hill, near Port Gibson, we
"a ~ f0tt lo1o