The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1872-06-07
sslHs3ndIIns xStTasisssi i1fzSy.

I'm MONDAY. the 9th Of May last; Mr, y !.
n.sd I,agraye. iobbing dry goods deaieT, 9l
No aas nrnolne street, fled from New 1orK
~ nnIts ,1nknown, leaving debts 70 the
oyno,,rt of S25o.000, contracted. i,naef In
cumstauces which must be regarded us criini.
n,Ily dishonest. Almost all the promTneh.
drv goods dealers have been vlctilnlzra 70 .. =
lar,,c amount, and the roll OF creditors III
elnaes the firms of 4. T. Stewart d Co., "a.
r C1afIi1 d Co, T.. S. ,Jatlray Co, I. :.
Da,Iiman1i q Co., Arnold, Constable x Co.,
Linncmsn. .Wchry t. CO., Richard lse''l y
Co. Dudcu, Frcres, Green Il Co., GahaeI'
roest & Co., Lee. Twecdy y Co., Aarlailee'
Robbins Il Co. Kutter, Ltckulayer I" ~ NJ.
Auffmordt & Co., besides many others. In .e
manner in which Lagrave conducted ihs
swind!iug operations was this: For the pAsI
two years he had conducted business IN u low
and sure fashion, doing everything on sliiail
sraIa. ray,ng with pTomptitnde, and niakihs
himself extremely pleasant. TO all VINO iiaa
transactions with him. His credit was sooo,
for no has several rich brOIhers-Il-laW III tiie
c;tv all firmly established in highly rephla'
lie commercial enterprises, and there were
f.,y houses who would not sell to him WIN
tbc ,,sual pre,.lution Mt thirty days, SIXTY
d,ys. or four months, according TO the Gus
tom Of the trade During the past io"r
months he has been steadily buying articles
that are considered The most silabie, ana sell
inp them within few hours ut auction stores
nnder an assumed name. He generally us
nosed of the goods bought Oh credit Ill New
York. but he occasionally varied the proceed
inss by sending them to Boston ana Inila-
delphia. lie sold at considerable saerl'ice'
Lrt II i believed that lie has secured over
hundred thousand dollars, which he mas WIN
| him. IN
There were houses that would never sell
70 him on credit, and therefore it may be as
suncd that some Of the stories about lis
early career which now come to the surface
NAV be true. 1t is stated that when nrst ID
New York he started as 4 pawn-broker III
Nassau street, and did business of such q
questionable character that he had to aban-
don it and 90 South. He returned from
Charleston at the opening Of the siaYeholG-
ers' rebellion, and was the last northern per-
son in that city who escaped. This mmtc
him small hero when he arrived III New
York. and he found no difficulty in starring
IN business for himself He dealt Is a
iobber in hats and caps, anu had Us
his salesman Mr.. Otis, whose reputation,
it is said, is none Of the best This otls
was sometimes his partner and sometimes
his clerk. but was certainly the latter III
the time of his evasion. 1t is believed that
there has always been perfect understan !.
inc between the two, and that when LagIa'
two years ago abandoned the hat husne S
and became Il jobbcr in dry goods it WIS
with the firm intention of making the sweep
for which the detectives are now after h S
heels. His marriage relations appear some
what mixed, since there are upon record
several marriages in which he figured rs
principal, and only recently he was united 20
Mile. Schmettering, an opera singer, who
is new advertised as Zara Lagraye. As this
person Is now in Europe, the creditors think
he nny have gone there also, but knowing
the tricky character Of the man, they are not
sure that he is not concealed i'll the city,
No,r y0rb Times.