The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1871-06-27
A Gift Man in Trouble.
From the Cleveland Herald.l |

Sometime ago man whose real
name is supposed to be F. S. Macom-
Der came to this city, engaged an office
in the building No. SO Public Square,
and went into an extensive advertise
ment of "grand gift sale of twenty
thousand fine steel engravings." He
had posters printed in large quantities,
and caused them 10 be circulated
about the city and county. He also
procured large quantity of tickets
with coupons attached to render them
perfect in form and the more sure to
deceive the unwary. These tickets
are prepared in the usual STYLES for
such purposes, and declare that s29,-
76S are to be given away in presents.
The advertising sheets contain a long
list of presents which are to be award
ed to those holding tickets, including
six gifts in greenbacks, one of $1,000
and another of 81 900, denominated
"capital presents" The circulars fur
ther declare that the distribution will
positively take place at Central Rink
ON Wednesday, June 81, 1871, and
says that having on hand about 1000
copies of the beautiful steel engrav-
ings, entitled, The Lords Prayer
'Trapper's Last Shot, Farmers Noon
ing, aud Cottage Fireside,' and desir-
ing to dispose of them Immediately,
in order to make change in business,
we have concluded to dispose of them
in the following manner, viz: By issu-
ing 10000 certificates, one of which
will be given to every purchaser of an
engraving, and which will entitle the
holder to one of the presents enumer-
ated in the list" The firm is repre-
sented under the name of Caldwell q
Co., and Macomber,a although transact
ing the business as the firm itself,
when interogated avows that he is
merely the agent, and that the business
proper is located at New York. For
the purpose of the custom of the city
he has employed boy and a woman
as agents to sell the lottery ticket, he,
himself, turning in when times were
dull and assisting in canvassing the
different districts Of the city. AS a
means of extending the swindle be-
yond the limits of the city, he has not
been scrupulous about involving the
innocent, and has resorted to the
means of the enticing country postmas-
ters into his agency. He first attracts
their attention by sending them valid
ticket as present, accompanying it
with bundle of the lottery tickets,
and requests the postmasters to sell all
they can, offering them at the same
time commission of ten or twenty
per cent as the case may he.
A gentleman who had been q sus-
picious observer of all these trans
actions, gave some information to
Superintendent Schmidt, in reference
to the matter, and on Thursday having
gained sufficient knowledge of the
business to warrant the step, Detec-
tives Rowe and Holzworth descended
upon the headquarters at No. 60 Pub
lie Square, Room /, where they found
Macomber in the midst of his bust
ness. He was taken to the Station
and everything which could be found
in his Office was coniiscated. A large
number Of his hand bills and tickets,
and some of his correspondence, to-
gether with a few miserable engrav-
ings, amounting probably in their to-
tai value, to twenty dollars were also
found in his office. By this sudden
and to him unexpected interference
with his nefarious employment some
developments are made which, while
tending to make more certain his con-
viction of being an infamous swindler,
affords as we'll means of opening to
the public the manner in which its
confidence is abused.
The coupons cut from large num-
Of tickets sold, have been found among
his papers, and indicate that the bust
ness has been extended into nearly all
the small towns in Northern Ohio.
When taken to the prison Macomber
made no attempt to deny that his
whole business was base fraud, and
seems to hold the opinion which is
common among others that sit is a
clear case" against him.