Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1865-02-10

A CONFIDENCE MAN ARRESTED. uttWo
o'clock yesterday afternoon Deputy Mar
shal Bennett was notified that a precious
knave, who had swindled several parties in
Akron about year since, was now plying
his trade in this city. Hismovements were
watched all the afternoon, and at six o'clock
he was arrested by the Deputy Marshal
while at supper in Mr.. Jacob Karl's board
ing house, Sc Michigan street. Mr.. Ben
nett went into the room where the prisoner,
A. F Hoffman, as he styles himself here,
was sitting with his wife, apprised him of
the errand on which he had come, but in
sisted on his finishing his supper. Hof-
man said, 'All right" whereupon his wife
became busy fumbling over a small hand
basket, and soon passed out of the room.
In a very few moments she returned, and
Mr.. Bennett suspecting all was not right,
left the twain in charge of his aid, with the
order that they should have no commune
cation with each other, while he went out
with candle, traced her foot prints in the
snow to the clubhouse, and discovered that
book into the vault. Procuring this he
found it full of blank checks on various
banks, revenue stamps, &C., &c. Mr.. HOff-
man was then walked off to the City Prison,
and thoroughly searched. Considerable
money was found on his person, and re-
moved, together with a loaded seven-shoot-
er, checks, locket containing sweet images
of his worship, wife and babe in arms, a
silver watch, &c, &c.
The facts of the case, so far as ascertain
ed by the Police last night, are these:
This man, under the name of - Swartz,
obtained considerable sums of money on
false pretenses from several parties in
Akron, about ten months ago. Since that
time his whereabouts have not been known.
Three days since he put up at Jacob Karl's
boarding house, Sc Michigan street. Yes
terday ne fell in with Mr.. Swartzenburg,
who keeps an auction establishment on
Ontario street, and won his confidence to
the extent of borrowing $500 from him,
giving him an order for that amount on
the bank of Wasson and Everett. Mr.. s.
now supposes this order is forgery, and
is in a quite agitated frame of mind. The
rogue then borrowed S72 of Mr.. Karl and
5000 of one of his boarders, giving them as
security an order for 5000 on the Second
National Bank of Cincinnati, drawn by
August Miller & Co. in favor of A. F. Hoff-
man, with Hoffman's own Endorsement.
This is evidently forgery, as it is all in
the same handwriting, and il further seems
probable from the fact that other checks
were found in his book which were half
filled out, one of them having simply the
name "August" at the foot, as if the forger
intended signing the name of the above
firm, August Miller & Co.
Hoffman was known to go to the Express
Office yesterday afternoon, but in the ab-
sence of the Express official who receives
the money packages, Deputy Marshal Ben
nett ceuld not learn last night whether the
prisoner had sent off any of the money he
had borrowed.
Parties in Akron were notified of the ar
rest and were expected to arrive in the
city last night. The case will be diligently
investigated to-day, and we hope to give
a full and clear account of the imbroglio
tomorrow.