Omaha daily bee., 1874-06-29
A SWlNDLER ON HIS TRAV-
ELS.
How . Professional Sharper Beat
an Omaha Merchant.
He Is Soon Afterwards Caught
By the Telegraph.

the osborn House, h0cnester, n.
Y, of which Mr.. George Thrall,
now of the Grand Central Hotel,
Omaha, was then the proprietor.
This young man registered as ~.
H. Thompson, New York"
He was allowed to run up a little
bill there, and permitted to obtaina
small sum of money from the hotel,
under a false representation. He es-
capped arrest, and jumped the city.
In 1873, while proprietor of the
Battle House, Mobile, Mr.. Thrall
noticed the registry of ~. H. Tom
linson, New Orleans" Recognize
ing the handwriting, and the same
initials upon his register about nine
years before at Rochester, the clerks
were at once notified TO watch Tom.
linsOn, and not to let him run up
q larger bill than his baggage would
secure, and not to permit him to get
it out of the house by piece-meal.
He was on that day out driving on
1.-THE Shell road, and when he re-
turned, it was just in time to take
the train, so he paid his bill and got
away without being recognized. A
few months later, Mr.. Thrall was
sitting on the front gallery of the
Battle House, when a well dressed
man, of the same general desorip-
ton of ]. H. Thompson, except
about forty pounds heavier, presen-
ted himself and introduced himself,
remarking that he had been an Oc-
casional guest at the Osburn, at
Rochester. He presented a BUSH
ness card upon which his name ap-
peared, as q member Of q firm In
New Orleans. Soon after that Mr.
Thrall met TomlinsOn on Canal
street, New Orleans, but as he was
not seen, and not caring to be rec
ognized ny him, was allowed to pass
on. Mr. Thrall was too busy to in
vestigate whether such firm as the
one Tomlinson had represented
himself to be connected with, had
any existence. Tomlinson next
turns up in Omaha, a few days ago,
and asks Familiarity for Mr.. Thrall,
at the office of the Grand Central.
The city editor of the BEE, hap
pening in about that time, was in
formed that "Harry Tomlinson, of
New York, seemed to be an old
friend Of Mr.. Thrall," etc. A little
personal item appeared in the BEE
the same evening to the effect that
Mr.. Harry Tomlinson, a friend of
Mr.. Thrall, was In the CITY on a
visit, and was stoppirg at the Grand
Central Hotel. A morning paper,
not lacking in enterprise, repub-
lished the item. Mr.. Thrall inquired
into the matter, and found that
Tomlinson had not been instrument
tai in publishing it, and as it had
all occurred by mistake, he did not
deny the friendship through the
press, not deeming it of any i'm
~portance, believing, however, that
Tomlinson had reformed, and that
he was representing a business firm
in the East, as his cards set forth.
Under this impression, TOmlinson
was spared the modification of ex-
posure, and was allowed to rest un-
der the hallucination that he was
not identified as Thompson. Tom
linson, while here, introduced
himself to several army Off
GERS, protesting to have been
connected with the First Infan-
try. Among others he approached
General King with the statement,
to which General King coOlly re-
piled that he himself had been con-
nected with that regiment twenty
one years, and that he had no
knowledge of such an officer. Tom
linson was not at all disconnected
by the rebuff, but changed the sub
ject.
T'omlinson had by this time post
ed himself sufficiently well to carry
out one of his swindling transac-
tons, by which he gains a liveli-
hood. His plan was executed as
follows
Captain H. W. Cremer, of the
china and glassware house of J. 7.
Griffin & Co., had received a postal
card, purporting to be from the Mu-
tual Glass Company, of Pittsburgh,
stating that Mr.. Tomlinson, their
agent, would arrive about June
Goth, when he would be glad to re-
ceive their fall order for goods, &C.,
&c. This card was without much
sent by Tomlinson himself.
Upon the strength of this card, and
also upon Tomlinson's relationship
with a well-known old citizen, to-
with his acquaintance with
Mr.. Thrall and several officers here,
Captain Crcmer endorsed bis draft
On the Mutual Glass Company for
200.
IonllInson at once had the draft
pocketed the money, paid !
his hotel bill, and left for the West.
Almost Immediately after his de- ,
'%arture, Captain Cremer received ,
mother postal card, as follows: ;
off ]. H. Tomlinson should call
You, representing himself as our .
gent, have nothing to do with him. :.
lie is not in our employ, and is q Il
windler. Yours respectfully, v
MUTUAL GLASS Co. v
Pittsburg, June II.
This postal card was I'm every sense
{ the word an eye-opener to Capt.
1000. ~ ~ 4Hoa nnlfod rrnnn