Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1876-04-20
MBERs5uaa gANX BURGLARY.
A Full History of ROLAND.

A Full History of Roland.
The following account which we ap-
pend is taken from the Philadelphia
Times of Thursday last. The Rebel
Major was identified as noted "coni~
dence man." We opiue that the conf
dence CT our people will be very hard
to gain after this full expose.
That ''truth is stranger than fiction
is ofentimes strikingly exempliGed in
life, but frequently the accuracy of the
saying is brought ont with Startling dis
tinctness in the record of criminals as
they are ''worked up by that sleuths
hound of the law, the detective. The
recent daring attempt to rob the Bank
of Chambereburg by gagging the cash
Ter and his household and cutting the
vault, has brought to the surface, IN the
capture Of the principal burglar, a man
who presents history capable of being
wrought into Paul Clifford or Claude
DuyaI, and needs only chronicler
The fact that one of the chapters of hi
life was written in this city makes him
especially attractive at this time to those
who read the record Of crime with in
terest.
WORD PORTRAIT OF TIE NAN.
When q very young man-say Is or
2o-Lewis G. Clermont lived in Chi
cago as car conductor. 1t may be
imagined what he looked then by his
present description: A man about So
years DID, little over the medium height
and weight, well thewed and in shapely
physique, with face almost class cal in
outline, striking for its full, dark, blue
eye, warm complexion, heavy, dark
brown mustache and good teeth, and in
dress a ''nob," genteel in black, with
spotless linen, diamond studded. In
conversation be speaks slowly and cody,
with ready use Of words, and in manner
suave and persuasive, giving the i'm
preston of one able to talk the birds of
the bushes if it should please him. The
''confdence game,'' as it is known to
the police, might have been-and, in-
deed, was-his natural element.
AN OLD 'UN AT THE BUSINESS.
Such man, in his last teen came un-
der the notice of Walter Patterson, a
man who stands at the top of his pro-
/ fesslon in other words the most noto'
rious and successful forger in this coun-
try His invariable plan of operation is
in itself study for an artist The word
lis" is used because Mr. Patterson has
never been caught, land he is at this mo
ment spreading his net as a fowler in
some city as he did in tins some three
years ago, when he swindled the Ma
tional Security Bank on Girard avenue
out Of $4,000 then operating under the
name of Charles H. Gale Clermont
/ became his 'skid"- name given to the
young man who operates under the IN
| structions of an old one-in the frequent
repetition in all the leading cities Of this
country of the following "scheme.
Patterson, rather distinguished-look-
ing stranger, with a travelled air, arrives
in city, and calls at some new banking
institution and at once opens an account
with say ten thousand dollars He rents
an Office, and apparently enters int
some business appropriate to the place
After his first visit to the bank he never
calls again, but uses his 'young man" tc
take his checks to and from the bank fol
few months, keeping his account about
even. Then, when times is ripe and
his reputable business character estab.
lished, he draws down his balance pref
ty low, deposits heavy draft on New
York, but before it is collected, draws
against the draft for as much as is safe
say seven or eight thousand dollars and
s.skips" before the draft is returned tc
the bank, marked in red ink across the
face, forged" A new city, new alias
| a new disguise, but The same operation
soon replenishes his Golfers depleted By
the great enemies of thc fofger, burglar
counterfeiter and any criminal to whom
money comes easily-the gaming,table
In such school as this young Cler
mont made the tour Of cities like Balti
! more, Richmond, Louisville, Memphis