, 1877-01-07
Homes Of the Bunko-Steerer and
the Envelope Swindier.
william B. Langley and His Associates
Their Peculiar Games and
Devices.
xh.f II Cost William to Get Rid OF an
Observation-Disclosures Con.
feSsi0ns

.h,o traffic before their scheme was nfppcd IN
n. bud through their letters accidentally get
tin1 into the hands OF the firm whose name
they were using. Tho head and front OF the
.chsme was William B. Langley. lie was as
listed by man named John Loncrgan, who
tent store ostensibly on the West Side, which
xss ncyer occupied. The first scheme was car
1ed on under the title Of Lonergan & Co.
This plsyed itself out, and W. Young
+ Co. was called Into mythical existence.
ionercan & Co., aud W. Young u Co., meant
William B. Langley Langley was Lonergan
and Ioperyan was Langley, and each was the
a,her as OCCASION required. Langley has hccn
described in these columns heretofore, and THE
Tp1nryE has aided III lifting him into uncnyi-
,h}e notoriety By exposing his acts. He is,
vi,hout doubt one of the hardest cases in the
sitr. and the police well know him as such.
Langley is sbrewd, cool, and well informed, and
TnoTs every kinli Of the intricaties Of tho
nrmina1 code, and studies how lie can best
exape its meshcs.
e'>"Fs TIE sswAG"
vh;h the firm Of W. Young & Co. and 1.oner-
r1n & Co. obtained through their repro
sentations WAS sent to Harris store
horse. $50 Vest Monroe Street. He advanced
nvuse' 1nane5 % On the sevrral parcels as they
came in, Harris record is not the cleanest iu
he world. lie has the conyict's taint upon him,
hsh,yinr once been tried and convicted for rape
md served one-year's term in the Penitentiary
If Joliet. He WAS the Eo-betweela, as it were,
and looked to the distribution Of the consign-
,nents OF punder. He gave up portion Of the
goods. but the greater part get to be account
"a for Harris took lots Of whisky, drugs, bug
eies in fact anything which crossed his way
fhrGach Young & Co. Goods were sent to them
which never SEW the Van Buren, street store, but
vent straight to Harris establishment, from
1f Rr+%$ $fac4 Fo1 14-
are not The worst that have come to light in re-
card to William B. Langley and couple or
more Of others who are in q like trade as him
self.
It is we'll known among the police that
WILLIAM B. LANGLEY, ''DuTCAY " LEHMAN,
AND j. J. LEVY
are the head and front and protectors OF all the
bunko-steetrrs at present in the city. Langley
carries On mock-auction shop at No. liz Clark
street. Langley, Lehman s. likins used to car
r. On like concern at No: 160 Clark street.
This is the north end OF the Arcade. At pres
ent this is closed. At No Clark street, near
Water, Dntcly" Lehman runs snidc jewelry
store. Dutehy" Lehman and j. J.. Levy run
the Empire cheap cloth shop, No. 2e9 Randolph
street ]. J. Levy runs Peter Funk shop un-
de. the Union House, on Canal street, opposite
the Fort Wayne Depot5
And now as to these places and Langley's rec
ord In the past. The store at Arcade court is
closed. There is still q stock in it, but unless
"Eellbeeied" =" Granger comes to town its doors
are not thrown open. For awhile the envelope
dodge was run here under the guise Of d cheap
watch factory, but the hay-cutting machine that
stood at the door to entice Grangers has van
t:hed, and the lounge formerly in the window
now is in service at some other point
1t liz Clark street Langley runs his
NOCK-AuC1lUA SHOP.
It Is = mongrrl sort Of a place It has proven
itself to have been 'tfence' in the past,
ar1 to-day the same hard class OF citizens make
It headquarters. Langley ostensibly sells
cheap watches and runs a pawn-shop- The
tg.eeny" is enticed through the medium OF
long, yellow circular, which is handed to him
bE dapper fellow in front Of the store. He
goes in to look at goods, is coa1ed back to look
at the making Of watches, or through some
other Device and then bunkoed BY the medium
Of lottery game or By the envelope dodge.
In septembef Of 1875 George HuwalG, Of 50
watch, which was snatched from his show case
bg Harry Duncan, alias Muldoon, who figured
soFfomnently in the Hoxie robbery. He dis
posed OF his swag to Langley, who sent 1t
through Kennedy and Charles G. Bartlett
to Buffalo to be sold Huwald got wind of it
through the officers who we're working up the
case. Officer Aahoney had Langley arrested
for receiving stolen goods. Muldoon had pre-
vloQsly - sQuealed, but the case was Dismissed
" Justice D'Wolf, before whom he was tried.
The case did not drop here, but was brought
before the Grand Jury in February last, when
The aode robbery case and Muldoon were un-
ger investigation. This jury also tried the
Aoone{ murder cases, and at the tiE1e IVES con-
saaesed very shaEV and crooked body.
LASGLEr's CASE
IVES lAd before the squad. They talked over it, |
and finally indicted him. But there was ono |
q. nan there whom Langley had in his grasp.
Ims 1a Fas George II: Bishop, specimen Grand
Sn11of, Just such man as some of the County |
commissioners would be likely to appoint. He |
had at one time seen better days, but whisky |
~ brought him down to the lowest verge. |
ne "1s the surveyor Of the defunct Equitable |
indicted, A6~' 80"
~. y, ntsaoP @ NOTIFIED H1M or TIE FACT,
- sne following interview will show:
ee'e1al days ago q TRIBUNE reporter ran |
1sos haoss sns 5sshop at the Tivoli Over glass OF
rtss',aoa IN tue presence Of competent witnesses
Luz e conversation took place.
aE reporter Vas introduced, and said:
+a,,,, oo arc presumed to be q man of eharac- |
"Yes, sa, I an. I hare certificate here as |
na. a. a.lozney. Twas admitted to the Bar In Min
1nsnsan,d su ~ vas the surveyor OF the 4Ktna Fire
,h.; - ,t believe you got Bill Langley clear, and
'aat * d'o1 aFe considerable OF man!''
GrnS} rs & | got Langley clear. / was on the
xrc,1I.H ~ I'LL 4 ul1u OIL influence, OHE
"e9Iud Inta say anything about tlat.''
% . a1fe paid you wells
,ns. ne a uldn't cire me anything to speak Of He
". aE Ease ne s. to treat The boys witll.' |
u ifson, s a'on't be giTe you 55O:"
~ wv say that hc gave NC anything.n
sso,L LOOK here, Atr, Bishop, didn't be give you
Anesitatingly-. II this comes out it will
~, W, "e; wouldn't have it known for the
s"d "%m. ne gave INC $50, but it was in money
~ sua sRooas,-nost1y goods; but NUNS the |
'es1: w. Won't say that lie gave me auything.n
onet eu 1a afe Arrays ready to help friend, in
4tss ~ way, andcrstandl"-
suencses ss tor .9 axays ready to exercise my in
~ mnul Jon be On the Grand Jury again!"
snon r., VIII be on the Grand jury again
ii he cay, Who are Fouz" then queried Bishop
rpnis 'gPorter. The Inter made an cvasive
ont - o!shop a1p continued: ''If this comes
= ~ VII 5uln me.' shortly after this
,r,l ~ ~, OF hishop's gave the reporter
Grana aau ! cautioned Bishop to be guarded. The
1sma ah vufy OF which Bishop was one Of the
Iuels sa.u consisted Of the following persons:
Patr;s,. mmee;alI'ster, me foreman; James O'Harn,
Il GA ~. uelaney, John Long, j, ", Stocker, J.
e.js Iutusss fa u. +. Fitzgerald, Francis Conway,
% Ssds Cle{eland, Edward Trcston, Mark De
Iba.nss Michael NcAulcy, r. O. Peterson,
,as ,oola ~ y. Iobln, George ". Bishop, r E.
1e,ne,a menus Fox. George McCaulcy, George
az NV, ~, James mclaughlin, John Fasse, Gus
meyer, c. B. Bartlett.
DURING eElTEMBEn LAST
,+ino yg tellow was arrested on Clark street for
afe5 tnto11cated 70 and disordcrly. He was first