The Portland daily press., 1877-09-18
CIR. .sEWETT & CO."
Their Eight Weeks Career in AUBURN
Were They Professional Bank Robber.s


From the Lewiston J0urnal.]
About the first of July medium 'sized, slick
and-oily gentleman of thirty appeared in Au-
burn, and applied to A. NJ. Pulsife1, ESQ. for
basement in Roak Block He said he intended
to engage in the commission business He paid
months rent in advance, but did not know as
his goods would be here for few weeks.
Meantime kilograms were received to look out
for force Of professional burglars who were
on trip of adventure to Maine. The COM
mission dealer in Roak Block speedily raised
blue sign to the basement front, inscribed ''R
Jewett & Co." with two black fists like two
Fates, pointing down into the bowels of the
earth-only this and nothing more. 1t was
soon ascertained that r. Jewett & Co. had
elsewhere appeared as George Campbell; that
he came from Philadelphia, and that he was
reputed to be shyster. The police camped on
his track. He was taciturn person with no
apparent acquaintance, and boarded at the
DE Witt. By night he was discovered in close
conversation with other strangers whom he did
not seem to know by day. Of morning he
presented himself before an admirng world in
light suit and lofty kersey hat; in the after
noon he shone in black and carried himself
like doctor of divinity. He occasionally de-
scended to his basement, but nobody followed
him or preceded-except in one or two cases
by night
1t was also unfortunate for r. Jewett & Co..
that the head of the firm, having repudated
his own name, should select what proved to be
almost counterfeit of the name of one of the
most reliable business men of Auburn, MIR. r.
G. Jewett. widely known corn and flour
dealer. Mr.. X. q. Jewett soon began to receive
inquiries whether r. Jewett & Co. and Rufus
Jewett & Co. (for the new conner in the former
name sent circulars soliciting cousignments
from the West) was the responsible r G. jew
EFT or somebody else. Finally Rufus Jewett &
Go. received quantity of leather at Auburn
station, via Grand Trunk Railroad The leath-
er was from Boston firm and was taken to
the basement of r. j. g Co., and in q day or
two re-shipped via M. g. Railroad to "Varney
& Co., Boston, firm, so far as can be ascer-
tanned, having no existence. Soon afterward
r. j. & Co. received another lot of leather,
which was similarly rotated and sent to another
fictitious firm in Boston. In few DAYS the
Boston leather firm drew on Rufus Jewett &
Co., through an Auburn bank, for payment for
the leather, but before the draft matured nei.
Their Rufus Jewett q Co. nor the white hat nor
the black was to be found. He had paid his
second months rent in advance, but the places
that knew him seemed to know him no more.
He was last seen in the streets of Portland late
in the evening, two weeks ago Friday. Now
the Boston leather dealer is anxiousy inuuirin @
his whereabouts, and Mr.. R. @. Jewett, one Of
Auburn's soundest business men, is naturally
somewhat irritated that a gentleman in two
suits of clothing and such fine hats should so
succeed in not paying his bills and confound-
ing himself with a citizen who is not in the
habit of changing suits at noon or of lodging
the sheriff.
But the mystery does not end here Three
weeks ago last Friday the midnight associate
of George Campbell alias r. Jewett & Co.
with the blue sign and the two Plutonian
hands, left town and were seen no more On
the Friday afternoon following, r. j. & Co.,
leaving no sign behind him but the blue one,
suddenly withdrew. The same afternoon one
of his midnight friends who had left Auburn
the week before, called at store in Bethel and
bought some powder. That night safe in
the Bethel store was blown open and rfled of
its contents, and some unburnt powder was
found answering to that purchased in the after
noon, since which neither r. j. g. Co. nor any
of his unsocial friends have been heard frc m.
1t is possible that the party in question and
the professional burglars were distant acquant-
ances, and that the fact that they were sus-
pected and vigilantly watched by the police,
may account for the absence of any attempt to
strike blow in this vicinity. The curiosity of
one or two of them concerning bank locks and
vaults, may or may not have been the innocent
pursuit of knowledge. 1t will be well, at all
events for the police of our two cities to have a
long memory.