Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1874-08-19
A WINDLER CAUGHT.

| -
For several months the detectives have
been in search of a man who has been going
by the name of A. w. Lamont, alias ii. A.
Ward, and various other aliases, but whose
true name is Charles +. Lord. The search
has been unavailing until last Saturday even
ing The attention of the police was first
drawn to him on the 24th day of last January,
when a young man named Fred l.. Newell,
hailing from Central Falls, r. l., reported at
the 4th Police Station that he had answered
an advertisement in the Herald, signed by A.
w. Lamont, purporting to be III want of an
agent for a travelling show with good wages,
&c, the applicant to deposit $50 with Lamont
as a guarantee of his honesty and faithfulness;
that he had seen lamont who said his show
was to be on exhibition in Salem that night
| (the 2ith), and after giving him the $50 the
two started for that city; that somewhere be-
tween this city and Salem, Lamont had left
the train, ostensibly to be gone but mo-
ment; but he did not return. Newell, how
ever, proceeded to Salem, but failed to find
any show billed there, and returned to Bos-
ton, satisfied that he had been swindled. De-
tectives Gerraughty and Harding were de-
tailed to work up the case, and as they pro-
ceeded step by step in their investigation,
they discovered that they were after IA swind-
| Ter and thief who had been at work in his
profession from period dating far back in
the past. GA the Goth of last October he
boarded with Mrs. Marsden at No. IL Ed
| inboro' street, but soon after stepped out with
| Sl58 worth of clothing and jewelrv belonging
to various parties in the house. At about the
same time he negotiated lease with Messrs.
r. l.. Harlow & Co., of Lewiston, Me-, for
their panorama called "Olegraphs of the
Golden Land and California Novelty Co., -
for term of two months, but when the lease
expired instead Of returning the property,
Lord vamoosed to parts unknown, and
Messrs. Harlow & Co., have not seen their
property from that day to this 1t has prob
ably been seized for debt, but while Lord ac
knowlehges that he knows where it is, he re-
fuses utterly to reveal its hiding place. Sub
sequently he has boarded with families on
Indiana place, Minot street. Leverett street,
and other localities, all Of whom he has cheat
ed out of their board bill
About the first of the present month there
appeared in the Herald the following adver-
tisement:
I" Wanted-A man to assist me in my bust
ness; pay about $40 per week and expenses
for one year; one from the country preferred.
Address employer, Herald office"
T Something about this advertisement led
the officers to think that =" Employer" and
Lord were one and the same person. They
had followed clew after clew without success,
but were determined to try this. AS a re-
f suit, on last Saturday evening, Detective Ger
raughty and Officer Ledwith of the 4th Police
proceeded to house at the West End, where
Lord was boarding, ard arrested him as be
was sitting on his bed looking over some let
tiers he had received in reply to the above ad-
ver,isement. These letters were thirty-two
in number, and were from all parts of New
England many of them being from Boston.
In them the applicants state they have varI-
Gus sums of money to loan " Employer and
are out Of work. Lords mode of procedure
was probably Ibis After receiving letter
of inquiry as to the nature of the business, he
would reply by stating its character, but that
he should require guarantee of $50 or 500
or $3.50, as the case might be, as to the appli-
can,s honesty, &c. In many cases the poor
dupes sent the mo ley, or arranged an inter.
view, when the money would be deposited
and another interview arranged, but at the
/ second interview Lord would be missing. OF
course the exact number OF people he has VIC
timized, and the amount of money he has
raised, cannot be gwen at this time. After
leaving Ednboro street, he went to the West
End and the officers have three cases against
him there. Lord has a wife who has assisted
her husband with marked degree of shrewd-
ness and ingenuity. He has remained in the
house most of the time recently, while she
has transacted his business outside. Many
and many a time have the officers been on
her track, and followed her in the expecta-
ton of her leading them to her husband hid
ing place, but each time she has batfled them
she being possessed, so it might seem, of an
instinct that told her when she was watched.
Last Saturday evening she discovered the ap-
proach of the officers before they reached the
house, but not in time to give the alarm to
her husband before the officers had their
hands on her shoulder and babe her d. sst
Lord comes from one of the most respectable
families OF Bangor, Maine, but early in life
evinced disposition for theft. He has been
an inmate of the Maine Reform School for
stealing, and at one time made an effort to
start newspaper in Bangor, but not having
funds to back him up the projee fell through.
Most of the property he stole from Edinboro'
street has been recovered. Boston Herald.