The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1876-04-19

merciless rhymes, 30 avoid them
avoid them as you would a pesti
lencei
The Romance OF ,rfme.
That truth is stranger than &c
ton" is oftentimes strikingly exem,
pliiied in life, butfrequently the accu
racy Of the saying is brought out
with startling distinctness in the re-
cords of criminals as they are "work
ed up" by that sleuth hound of the
law, the detective The recent dar.
ing attempt to rob the Bank Of Cham
bersburg by gagging the cashier and
his household and cutting the vaults
has brought TO the surface, in the
capture Of the principal burglar, q
man who presents history capable
of being wrought into q Paul Cliff
ford or Claude Duval, and needs
only chronicler. The fact that one
of the chapters of his life was writ.
ten 10 this city makes him especially
attractive at this time TO those who
read the records of crime with inter
est.
When a very young man-say Is
or 20-Lewis G. Clermont lived 10
Chicago as car conductor. 1t Iaay
be imagined what be looked like then
by his present description: \ man
abOgt 80 years old, little over the
medium height and weight, well
thewed and shapely in physique,
with q face almost classical in out.
line, striking for its full, dalk blue
eye, warm complexion, heavy dark
brown moustache and good teeth,
and in dressa mob. "geGtsel in black,
with spotless linen, diamond studded.
in conversation Ee speaks slowly and
HeoOilY, with ready use of words, and
in manner suaye and persuasive, Civ.
ing the impression of one able to talk
the birds OF the bushes if it should
so please him. The confidence
game" as it is known to the police
might have been-an6, indeed, was
his natural element.
Such a man, in his last teen, came
under the notice of Walter Patterson,
man who stands at the top of bis
profession-ig other words, the most
successful and notorious forger in this
country. His invariable plan Of op-
.erstion is in itself a study for an ar
tist. The word sis" is used because
Mr.. Patterson has never been caught,
and be is at this moment spreading
his net as fowler in some city as be
did in this one some three years age,
when be swindled the National Secu-
rity Bank on Girard avenue out OF
$4,000, then operating under the
name of Charles II. Gale. Cler-
mont became his kidd name Civ
en- to the. young man who operates
under the instructions of al old one
in the frequent repetition in all the
leading cities of this country of the
following "scheme;n Patterson, q
rather distinguished looking stranger,
with a travelled air, arrives in a city,
and calls at some new banking insti-
tuition and at once opens an account
with say ten thousand dollars. He
rents an Office, and apparently enters
into some business appropriate to the
place. After his frst visit to the
bank be never calls again, but uses
his young man" to take his checks
and deposits to and from the bank for
q few months. keeping his account
about even. Then, when time is
ripe, aud his reputable business char
acter established, be draws down his
balance pretty low, deposits heavy
draft on New York, but, before it is
collected, draws against the draft Cor
as much as is safe, say seven oreight
thousand dollars, and "skips" before
the draft is returned to the bank,
marked in red lax across the face,
forged" A new city. new alias,
new disguise, but the same opera
ton soon replenishes his Golfers de-
pleted by the great enemies of the
forger, burglar, coun,erfeiter and any
criminal to whom money comes east
ly-the gaming tamble. In such q
school as this young Clermont made
tSe tour of cities like Baltimore, Rich
mond, Louisville, Memphis, New Or
leans and even Chicago. and in each
be left his distinctly marked trail to
the tune of perhaps 100000.
In 1872 Clermont, now arrived to
mans estate, experienced hy contact
with the world and blushins in all his
manly beauty, registeredat the West
End Hotel, Long branch. as the son
of rich merchant in Cuba. At the
same hotel the tall, handsome, ripen-
ed form and rather refined face Of a
woman, well known in certain shady
circles in West Philadelphia were
noticeable. Her camel's hair sba~ls,
rich silks, flsshy diamonds and coach
and pair attracted the attention of
our hero, and his fascinating appear
ance on the tapis was the signal for o
desperate case of love at Erst sight
rudely transmitted in the alembic of
detective slang into "hoth thought
they had a good snap; case of dia-
mond catch diamond A hasty mar
rage while at Long Branch and
fitting to West Philadelphia man
sion for the honeymoon followed
Clermont, in his assumed character
of q Cuban hiding from the United
States Government, kept close to the
house, armed cap pie, never writ
ing q note without his jewel-hilted
pistol ready at his hand; lever sleep
ing without the cold stee. in different
shapes under bis pillow, and grand,
gloomy and peculiar in his treatment
of his mistress-or wife, as she sup
posed.
After q few weeks of this sort of
life he concluded to take trip to Eu-
rope, and madame converted all her