The Conservative. (M'connelsville, Ohio) 1866-1871, 1869-07-02
A REVEREND swINDLER.
Arrest OF n Minister for RobbinE IN
Insurance Company.

Insurance Company.
From the Bunalo Commercial, June 10.
About three weeks since a man known as
| Rev. J. ID. Harris, omployedns a sub-agent
by Mr. X. JABall, general agentin this city
for the Manhattan Life Insurance Company
4 of New York, 10 make collections through
the country, called on Mr.. Ball and made
the following statement, ~. ..
II had in my possession about the sum
of 81, 24S 90 in cash, money collected du-
ring the month Of May, on policies and
renewals, assuring the lives Of r. W.
Cheney, +. II. Cheney, II. l.. Crocker,
Yorkshire, C~attaraugus county and others
said policies and renewals issued by the
Manhattan Life Insurance Company, and
sent me for collection. The said amount of
money or thereabouts was placed by me in
n handkerchief on the afternoon of Mon
day, the 31st Of May 1863, and secreted
about my person; that was at the time OF
placing the money about my person, board
ing with one Elm Cook, q h~otel-keeper at
Pike, Wyoming county; thatiI retired on
the night Of the first day Of July, In the
customary manner, about O quarter to 10
| o'clock, and that shortly after retiring l
went to sleep, and have no further recollec-
ton until some time during the night /
was awakened by some unusual
noise, and saw two men In
my room, the light having been left burn-
ing. One Of the men, simultaneously
upon opening my eyes, spmng upon me
and seized mo by the throat with his right
hand, aud my left arm with his LETT the
other seized me by the right arm and
threw his weight upon my lower limbs,
holding there with q vice-like grip, and ap-
piled a sponge to my nostrils saturated
with choloroform or ether, said TO be chlo-
reform, which produced q helpless and
Ianguid feeling, nndI subsequently became
unconscious from It's effects. That before
becoming insensensible from ito effects, I
whs conscious of being robbed Of oil the
money in my possession contained in the
handkerchief which was tied about my
body under my arms, tho handkerchief
! having been cut and the money extracted
thorefrom.l .E q ~
when 1 became sensible was lying in q
helpless condition upon the bed, and re-
NAMED so seemingly for q considerable
length of time. As soon Ms i was enabled
10 move, I rolled on the bed and on the
| floor, and attempted to articulate, but was
unable to speak a word. / then arose and
walked toward the door Of my room, went
out into the hall M far as the stairway, and
called upon Mr.. Cook, but have no recol-
lection of him responding until i went
down with the light, when / met him nj OF
near the foot of the stairs. Shortly after
ward / returned to my room and dressed,
when an examination was made in the
premises, but without finding either the
money or any trace Of the robbers"
Not crediting tho above story, and being
convinced that MIR. Harris had not been
robbed, Mr.. Ball placed the matter in the
hands Of Messrs. Albro & Byrne, proprio.
tors of the Central Detective Agency
They very soon became Satisfied that Mr..
Harris knew moro of the pretended rob-
berry than he was willing to disclose, and
after getting a detailed statement from
Mr.. Harris of his transactions, Mr.. Albro
followed on his trail, and found that con-
siderable portions of money claimed by
him TO have been lost ut the time Of the
pretended robbery, and collected in the
month Of May, had actually been collected
MS long ago as January, February and
March last.
Mr.. Harris was arrested on Monday last
Mt Batavia on four separate charges for en-
bezzlement. Yesterday he was examined
on two ofthese charges before Justice Cow
den, of Batavia, and held for trial. The
examination on the other two charges was
postponed.
Another warrant is in tho hands of IN
officer for Mr.. Harris on n charge of en-
bezzlement committed in Wyoming county
at the time Of the pretended robbery.