New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1872-03-06
A GANG OF SWINDLERS.

NOTWITHSTANDING THE FRIENDS or TIE
EMIGRANT-TIIE GENEVA whTCH FRAUD.
The following letter was received at TIE
TRIBUNE Office yesterday:
To theEditor OF The Tribune
SIR; The article in THE TRIBUNE of to-day headed
evdS sT SSaS Ga SSa a Sa Written Wsa o
have never been engaged in any business except the
any iegtmate business My references are any Of ths
mercantile agencies leased the store No 163 Broad
There oroide plated watches in the
Boad%ay ana as inc goods are az gold ana syef as
malicious article HENRY r. ELiAs.
NeU- York, March g. 1s71.
Inquiry showed yesterday that the Elias gang, In
GLIDING four brothers. is better the than
TO the mercantile agents. The ringleader Ellis II. Elias
who lives splendor at the Metropolitan Hotel. applied
this office for apology year ago. and was recon-
mended 10 go Police Headquarters for further nfor-
nation about himself. lie there found HIM
self set down as the chief Of the "sawdust
swndlers" and his three brothers, OF whom
Henry p Elias is one, merely his dummies"
victim went to the Tombs yesterday. and offered to
make complaint against the gang at No. 1853 Broadway
for swinding and Judge Bowling Is said to he anxious
to have them brought before him. The following facts in
regard to the Elias Brothers have been revealed since
the issue of yesterday
A bogus firm, styling itself Mann, Morgan Co.. aud
having an Office the second floor Of No is Bondst,
has for time past carrying an ingenious
system Of swinding whereby numbers Of nobemen and
wealthy persons or charitable disposition ia
have been defrauded OF large sums of money.
This firm is simply Ellis II. Elias and the scheme
which the firm claims to represent and which IL adver
tises worthy OF support called the "EDgran Pro-
tectory Association" The circulars announce 90
uns0phstcated Europeans Of benevolent disposition
that the Association has been established by wealthy
and charitable NEWCOMERS for the purpose OF protect
ing xperienced grants sharpers
thieves who watch the arrival Of every
vessel from Europe and who shrink from crime order
to the poor foreigners ofeyery dollar they have their
possession For this purpose the Protectory EmiTant
Association employs at Castle Garden ten Trustworthy
agents whose duty is furnish all necessary D
formation yarrived emgrants, to prevent their
being robbed by the vuures lying in wait for them aud
conduct such OF them have money TO the hotel
and farm Of the ProtectOry Emigrant Association Ia the
| cnvrons Of NewYOrk, where the emigrants find good
board and lodging ut merely nominal rates, and where
opportunity is gwen them to work at remuneratye
wages until other employment has been provided for
them" The hotel Of this benevolent Association accord
ing the engraving which 1dorns Eliass circulars, s
three-sory building with two wings, and containing
at least The farm attached to the hotel IL
represented to embrace upward OF 20 acres OF the
most fertile and hghy-cultiyaed land." TIE circular
fails mention the precise point sin the enyir0ns Of
NewYOrk" WHERE the hotel and farm are situated but,
as 1t states that they within two miles VI the City
Hail." they be very desirable places Of residence.
After setting in glowing coors all the advantages
already derived from institution EIias ercu,ar-pro
ceeds 10 state that the "Protectory Emigrant
Association" has resolved 10 extend the field
Of its operations, to enlarge the hotel con
sderably aud purchase 200 OF ground adjoining
the farm. The capital. however, OF the Association is
stated TO be insufficient for all this and the Association,
therefore applies the wc-nOwn lberay OF the per-
son to whom the circular ia addressed and requests him
either to forward Messrs. Mason Morgan Co.. OF No
IS Bondst New-York, one pound sterling for the IN
closed ticket of membership such sum a. lac may be
willing to contribute.
The tickets are elegantly printed al E1ass private
| photographic establishment, IN cOors AMI bronze. Nine
thousand OF these circulars and tickets mailed early
| In January, TO the addresses obtained from Elisss
| agents in England and Germany, and no stranger
arrives this port from those countries without bring
ing large number letters with valuable Enclosures,
addressed TO Messrs. Mason, Morgan Co., No. Is
Bond-st, NY" Among the recipients OF the circulars
OF the "Protectory Emigrant Association are Queen
Victoria and the members Of the Royal family, the
Bishops OF England, the Cabinet Minister'S the Lords,
&C.: and In Germany, the Emperor William and
other members of the royal family The European jour
nals for some past, have had good deal to say
| about the frauds practiced upon inexperienced emf
grants in New-YOr that charitbly disposed persons
in the Old World have been the more easily deceived by
Eliass mi esentatons Mr.. Marsh, who manages
the office Broadst, Is assisted by John H. Constantine.
alias Robert Earle, alias Chas w. Lawson, who has until
lately attended the sawdut offices conducted by Elias
ri No ST Canast and other places the east SIDE He
il well know at Police Headluarer an accomplished
| and successful swndler.
The Elias Brothers conduct their swinding operations
under legal advice and employ at an annual salary
| LAWYER who informs them in what manner they can
most successfully swndle the public and at the same
time escape legal penalties The law makes 10 INSIDE
meanor for any person doing business to Sign hrm
name TO circular other document when no such brm
exists therefore beneath the different firm names at
tached 70 the circular or the Geneva
Watch Company there written Z" Per D. A.
CT signfying that some clerk or irresponsible
person wrote the names the firm. Elias approached
an agent OF the American Watch Company yesterday,
and 10 know II the suit could not be arranged
40 IA 10 let him 90 until Saturday when the will
expire The following the substance OF the several
afdavits upon which Judge sedgwick granted the IN
! junction: - ", ~ ,.-. 4, ,--,.. H..
BrosSsy that the marked Johs
Ellsry 592" and that he paid SO 80 for w.
Peb. 2s 1872 he bought a No 63
kBrosdw.a silver watch marked John Ecry Boston Mass %
for which he paid so -.
Appleton agents the plaintiffs the suit that be has enannsd
tleueg and Newell and hat they no, cold
metal that watches paporng " be the
Eery and sold BY defendants and that
signed the ocar Of the GeneSs Watch
irresponsible bogus and ths there Is such sod
the said Geneva Watch Co. and that be that
the enoped from further deeeyh the pabEe aIs
ipjuripg the PLAINTIFF