The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1867-09-06
1HE LIFE OF A DIDDLER.


Presents, Controls n Lead Mine,
Establishes y Root Backing
shop and Distributes
Bibles
The adventures of j. G. Patterson
for time one of the most successful o.
the New York cheUdiierS d'indiEstrie
and one whose life has been strangely
eheluered, give some idea of this
amount of willingness and vigilance
which must necessarily be put in ex
ercise by those who seek to amass &
fortune by adroIt dishonesty. ofa char
acter that exposes them, if detected, tc
the severest sentences OF the law.
Patterson, who is now twenty-nine
years of age, commenced life in the
employ of Messrs. Lawrence & Co.
carpet dealers, New York. His modest
demeanor and innocent look attracted
favorable attention, which was still
further improved by his seeming in
cessant attention to business. But al
this very time he WAS gambler, in
vesling his every spare dollar in faro,
He soon opened a commission house oil
his own in Ann street, and by consum-
mate address kept the Rp-
peArance OF doing very extensive
business. BY means of letters and
representations he was enabled to bnr-
row money largely of his friends.
Weary of waiting for their pay, they at
lasL ordered an Investigation of his ac-
counts, which showed that his books
were fictitious, his letters forgerles, his
capital only two hundred and fifty dol
lars, his debts ten thousand dollars,
and the whole business u fraud from the
very beginning.
Meantime, by false representations
of IA good pecuniary status, Patterson
had contrived to obtain for his wife the
daughter of prominent citizen OF
Auburn. The lady soon had reason TO
repent her choice, for, through some
fresh confidence operations, her hus-
band became an inmate of the Moyu-
mensing Prison at Philadelphia. His
able, though hypocritical letters OF re-
pentancs, gained him speedy pardon.
Returning to New York, utterly desti-
tute OF funds, he cUntriYed TO raise the
wind by perpetratiDg an audacions
swindle upon his late jailor. He invi-
ted him to New York and entertained
him in the most princely manner at his
hotel for several days, providing the
most costly Havanas. the choicest
Cliquot and the most superb dinners,
and accounting for the magnificent
style of his own living by stating that
he had recently been left sole heir to a
large estate.
After the jailor arrived at home he
received "a letter requesting loan OF
fifteen hundred dollars, which he did
not hesitate to grant. A portion OF this
Patterson used to iq quidate his hotel
pocket for "keeps." He next assumed
the character of a person who controlled
a lead mine worth millions. He bought
a small tract OF worthless land hired a
bogus assaYist to certify to an analysis
of the ore. aud sold the stock very
freely; allowed the concern 10 collapse,
and pocketed all the money paid in by
the subscribers, amounting to some
hundred thousand dollars. He now
took up his abode at tho Sprangler
House, near Union Square, paying
twelve thousand dollars per annnm for
a suite of rooms, and devoted himself
to social intrigue and genteel dissipa-
ton. But he did not forget his inan-
cial speculations. He VictimiZed all his
personal friends, making them costly
presents, and borrowing from them
under pretence of having great riches,
"A great deal more money than the
presents were worth.
Patterson also established a boot
backing shop under the City Bank in
Wall street, fitted it up elegantly with
black walnut furniture, and employed
u number OF boot artists, but finally
abandoned the undertaking. At an.
other time he went TO chicago and dis
tributed over twenty. five hundred BIZ
bles to the schools, concluding his OPP
eratiOns by swindling the trustees. AT
Washington he made himself socially
successful, living like n lord and liter
ally entertaining princes. But by this
time his many victims in New York
had become implacably incensed
against him, and he was obliged tC
make hasty exit with only such pro.
perty as ne could carry in a very small
carpet bag. He turned up at length in
the South, in II state of abject poverty
and being too poor TO purchase rail-
road ticket on his way North, he con.
trived to secure his passage by means
of an artful imposition upon the CON
ductors.
Has last tasco occurred in New Eng.
land, where he contrived to win the at
fections of widow lady with large ex'
pectations. Ere he reached the lady's
house, however, he was arrested on one
of the fifty charges against him and
thrown into Jail, from which he was
liberated by gentleman from Hart
ford, who gave bail tor him in the sum
of eight thousand dollars, which has
since been forfeited. He has never since
been able to redeem his fallen fortunes;
and after a career evincing sufficient
talent to have made him In a good
cause rich, he has leisure to reflect In
his present state of wretchedness and
destitutiOn, that honesty is the best pol
icy, and that sharpers often overreach
themselves and fall unWittingly into
the snare which they SO cruelty laid for
others. ,4. o.. - a---..- -E.-g
GAMBLING IN SARAToaA.-A society
for the suppression of gambling would