The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1875-10-22
The PYsARr BROTH RS.
How They operated on B nks and
Telegraph Wires
AHd Ran an Ende 'endent
Telegraph Office ia n
COrm.FEelsi.
TIE sA.rpest sriadls OF ia Season.

The Sharpest SWindIe or ia Season.
Both RaseaIs Caught, bat On Escapes
A few weeks ago the WITCH IA Beacon
contained sensational story lbout two
young men named Pysart Defending the
Emporia NafIonsI Bank out o $1,000, by
means of forged drafts on New ork. The
following week the Beacon sale it was all
Q mistake. As good rsany p pers have
copied the Beacon's accounts, L ~ Gees
sary TO publish correct version of the az
fair. We have been waiting until the
rascals were caught. aud now feel at lib
erty to give what we believe to be the
main facts.
About the middle OF last August two
brothers named n. 5. and +. e. Pysart
came TO Emporia, saying they were going
into the cattle business, aud in a few /
weeks went to Wichita. About the mid
die Of September they returned to Empo-
ria, and introduced themselves at the /
First National Bank as cattle dealers. of
the firm Of Py sSrt & Sons.Of Bethlehem. Pa. |
and created favorable impression. In n
few days the eldest, MS. Pysart, called at |
the bank and presented eight drafts Of
d 600 each drawn 10y said firm upon the |
American Exchange National Bank of
New York city, stating that himself and |
brother wished to have the drafts collect |
ted, in order to use the money in buy
ing cattle. The bank officers replied that |
they would have to telegraph to assure |
themselves Of the validity of the drafts, TO |
which test Mr. Pysart cheerfully assent |
ed, and quietly went out. The bank tele- |
graphed TO Bethlehem. Pa, and to its
agents in New York, Donnell, Lawson & |
Co., and IN due time received answers
that the firm was q responsible one, and
that the drafts were good. In few hours
Mr.. Pysart called In and asked If the
bank had received an answer, and was
told that it had, that the matter was all
right, and asked IN what shape he wished
the funds. He said he would take $500 in
cash, 800 in a draft to pay debt to n.
NJ. Jones & Co., OF Wichita, and seven
81 600 certificates of deposit. This lit
tie transaction being concluded, Pysart
pocketed his cash, draft and certificates,
and the bank took his drafts and mailed
them to Donnell. Lawson & Co. for collec-
| ton. Next day the hank received tele-
gram from j. r. Mu lVaAe, lshier of the
Topeka Bank, asking If NJ. g. Pysart
/ was authorized to endorse the name Of
| Pysart s. Sons upon the certificates OF de-
post from the First National Bank of EN-
poria. The First National replied that 1t
presumed he was. This answer was not
satisfactory TO Mr.. MuIvane, who was re-
Gently defrauded by bogus draft, and he
1 4 a. n,f
the certificates. His refusal alarmed Py-
sart, and he communicated with his broth
er, who had remained in EmpOria, and
IN day or two they disappeared.
The next development was from Dom
nell, Lawson 4 Co., who wrote the First
National that the Pysart & Sons drafts
sent them for collection had been protest
ed, as no such firm did any Business with
the Am erican Exchange Bank. The First
National replied by asking why D., L. &
Co. had telegraphed that the drafts were
good, and D., l.. & Co. replied that they
had never received or sent any previous
kilograms on the subject. 1t was soon ev-
ident that bold fraud had been carried
on by the Pysart brothers, by means of
tampering with the telegraph wire or
Iperintendent was notified. He procured
the services of Mr.. Rogers, one of Pinker-
tons detectives, and vigorous search
was made for the rascals
A few days afterward n man came into
FIT. Wallace and presented two of the GER
titicates of deposit to collect the money on
them. News of the fraud had reached
there, and the detective was photographed
and went out, land ascertained from the
man that the Pysart brothers were camp
ed on the prairie about I3o miles SOuth-
west of Fort Wallace. Taking csmpan-
ion along the officer started out on the
prairie, and found the Pysarts, who were
taken by surprise and surrendered. The
one who did the business with the bank
was first searched, and five of the certifi
Gates found on him. He was then left
waiting while tie officers proceeded to
search the other, and he slipped up to
where he had thrown his revolver under
= coat, got it, cooked and aimed at the of.
ficers, and said that he had resolved not to
be taken alive, and that he would Sh DOT
them if they attempted to prevent his es-
cape. He had ''the drop" on them, in
frontier pArlance, and he backed toward
pony which was standing near without
saddle OF bride, jumped on its back, and
rode of at gallOp. The officers brought
the brother that did not escape to Enpo-
ria last Friday evening, and he was taken
before Justice Bachelor, who cOmlaitted
him to jail in default of 5000 bail, for trI-
al at the next term OF court. The offense
lsa penitenIiary one, Of course.
IL
covered for the telegraph company to find
out how it was done. The theory was
that while Pysart, who escaped from the
sf1icer, went to the bank to sell the drafts,
? the other had managed to surreptItiously
use the telegraph Office at the juno
r ton, which is solely fer railroad bust.
ness, and therefore is sometimes LETT with
|, out attendance. But finally this theory
was upset by some one finding an indie
pendent telegraph Office in DR.. Moore
cornfield, q short distance northeast OF the
city. The night before the drafts were
presented at the bank, the Pysarts had cut
/ the telegraph wire, on one of tie poles by
: the A, T. & =. r. track, ran wire of their
own down the pole and out into the tall
corn some sixty feet. Here they had put
up board about ten feet long, for a table
an ran their wire back to and up the
pole, and all messages over the wire they
had cut had gone through their independ-
, emit line. The Pysart in jail here has
: told how he managed the teIegraphiug
There was captured with him 8 small
/ "pocket telegraph instrument, enclosed
In rubber case. He had used this In
strument, and by It became perfectly
. aw are OF all messages that passed along
the wire. When the messages from the
First National bank to Bethlehem and to
: New York were sent, he took them him
: self, and prevented their further passage
east. All other messages he permitted to
go along either way. Alter the proper m
teryal he telegraphed ostensible answers
from Bethlehem and New York, and the
regular operator at the Western Union Of
ice in Emporia did not know the differ.
enee. Had Pyssrt been At his post the
next day, when his brother tried to get