The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1869-10-15
ARREST OF TWO SWINDLERS.
An Account of Some of their Transac-
tfonS.

On Monday last, Lieutenant Philppy, OF the
detective force, received a telegram from Savan'
nah requesting him to be on the lookout Tor TWO
men, named, respectively, j. Bergman and w. ID.
westlake. The next night Officers Coates and
Levy succeeded in arresting them, and they, with
| their trunks are now in the detective office.
In one of their trunks was copy Of the Savan-
nah Republican, OF date October 1oth, in the local
column of which was an article stating that "two
Yankees one calling himself w. D. Westlake and
the other j. Bergman, arrived at the Pulaski
House on the 2eth ultimo, with very large, heavy
trunk, which taxed the capacities Of two stalwart
porters to the utmost extent to take 1t to the room
which they had engaged. They proceeded to carry
out plan which they had formed to swindle the
merchants and business men Of Savannah. They
proposed to get up large advertising sheet in
which the business cards Of the merchants were
to be inserted for consideration, which adver-
tising sheet they engaged to post up at three
thousand railroad stations.
ssThey also went to the job office Of Mr.. Purse,
and contracted with him to print the advertising
sheets for them. 1t also appears that they had
an empty trunk at the railroad depot, to which
they were gradually transferring the contents of
the trunk at the Pulaski House. They succeeded
In bleeding the merchants to the amount OF some
three hundred dollars for inserting their business
cards in their advertising sheet. Yesterday,
some gentleman thought he "smelt mice" and
went to Mr.. Purse and ascertained that these
Yankees had only. contracted for the printing OF
two hundred Of their advertising sheets. The
swindlers, finding that their rascality was about
to be disclosed left for'parts unknown, with all
the money collected and without paying their
hotel bill or paying Mr.. Purse for printing, and
after sending the trunk at the railroad depot to
Charleston"
Officers Coates and Levy looked for these men
all day Monday and Tuesday, and learned that
they had registered at the Pavilion Hotel, Vic
toria House and at other places, Bergman as
Watson, and again Us Leland, OF Memphis, and
westlake as Hardy, OF New Orleans; and that
after remaining at house for day or two, they
departed without putting the proprietors to the
trouble OF signing their names and putting
stamp upon documents generally known as re-
ceipts Tuesday night Oficer Coates discovered
them in q bar-room, opposite the theatre, and
notified Oficer Levy. 0flcer Coates arrested
Bergman, while Oficer Levy took charge OF
Westlake, who succeeded in making his escape
from his custodian, who has Just recovered from
from severe attack Of sickness. Bergman was
locked up and search commenced for Westlake.
About O'Clock he was found by Oficer Coates, at
a private boarding house on East Bay, in bed
with some children. He had left his room and
gone to theirs.
The accused are decently dressed, and have two
large trunks filed with clothing books, pictures,
various advertising mediums and the like. They
commenced to canvass for advertisements here,
and succeeded in obtaining few. They claim to
be southersars, but are evidently Northerners.
They take their Imprisonment very cooly, and
seem to think that II is very funny. One OF them,
westlake, has tier from man signing himself
as associate editor OF the New Orleans Times, ap
pointing him special correspondent, Which is
doubtless forgery, like the credentials certify
ing that he Is an express agent.