Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1878-07-25
A Thrifty Collector.


s. A. N. Converse, man who was q
prominent witness for the defense iuathes
impeachment trial, made unto himself
friends OF the mammone of unriehteous..
ness alter the following manner; y
D 49, PREsroN, M,NN,, July II. 1876. ~
Ed. TRANSCRIPTION the 4th day of
April l sent my clerk, Mr.. Geo. w. Palm.
or, to Dexter, for the pu rpose of placing
In the hands of Mr.. A. N. Converse some
Mccormick machine notes for collection
They were fifty. lone In number, amount.
ing on their face to $9,71433. He was to
be paid commission of two per cent,
and the balance Of every collection was
TO be sent to me by express, rs soon - he
got 1t. The parties were all notified from
this Office, and after little time, as no
money came in, a second notice was sent
out; in reply to this came back some in.
dignant letters from our customers, who
claimed to have paid their notes. then
wrote Mr.. Converse to send the money
immediately; he replied that he would
as soon rs possible. I thought this q
very strange letter, and sent Mr.. Palmer
up Immediately to find out about it, and
do some other business. On Mr.. Palmer's
arrival, Converse said he had just sent
the money by express. The express man
"a relative Of Converse-corroborated
the statement. This appeared satisfactc.
~, but on Palmer's return, week after.
wards, he found no money had ever been
sent. On the day OF his arrival, recelv.
ed $74.2O, while knew Converse had
been paid quite large sum Of money.
Thoroughly alarmed, I sent Palmer up q
second time to get the remaining notes
and what money he could. When the
notes and money were demanded, Con.
verse claimed to have paid over all the
money collected, and said the notes were
in his safe, and he had lost the key
Palmer staid at Dexter two days in vain
attempt to get money and notes; he then
returned here for counsel and assistance
gave him his instructions and tele
graphed Mr.. r. A. Murray, of Rushford
to meet him at Dexter the next day. On
their arrival at Dexter, Converse reiterat
ed his former story Of lost key, and nc
money on hand. Two days spent in Wis
iting men who had paid him, disposed o.
the latter part of his statement, and show
ed that he had been paid $334.01, which
he had not accounted for; as for the frs
part of his story, citizens of Dexter say
he has used that strategem several times
before. With all of the facts in his pos
session, lawyer Murray made the needfuI
specifically written demand preparatory
to arresting Converse for larceny. With
states prison staring him in the face III
managed to find the key to his safe, and
from various sources scraped the money
together. This of course saves him from
prosecution, but does it make him an,
the less guilty: He boasting ely said tia
"he was sharp enough not to get in where
he couldr get out" but I propose to DE-
what can 10 prevent his getting in at al
any more, thereby doing other bushes:
men service, and him Incidentally
though the latter is not intended or de
served. Several other parties have sui
fered in silence from his dishonesty, hav
ing been gulled into trusting him by TIN
laudations of his friends. But that is no
my disposition. He has caused me 1
good deal Of worry, expense and trouble
by his rascality, and has evaded AM
, legal punishment. You will find til,
documents enclosed to sustain my state
ments; please return then or file then
away where they may Is mad. 1 will
assume all the responsibility, monetar,
and physical, for the publication of thi
statement. Very truly yours,
NJ. T. GRATTAN.