The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1878-01-04
MRS. RALsToN's COMPANION.
]. A. chandor Recognized as o Notorious Con-
daence Man, Like His Father. il

A
San Francisco society is very much inter-
1 ested in the attempt of the widow of the
deceased banker, w. c. Ralston, to cause
/ Senator Sharon to reopen his accounts of
the Ralston estate. The travelling compan-
ION of Mrs. Ralston, during her recent visit
to this country, who. it is stated, represent.
| ed himself to be the son of an American
contractor at st. Petersburg, is J. A Cham
dor. Unsuccessful attempts have been
made, it is stated, by the friends of Mrs.
Ralston, to break off her intimacy with
| CIandor. .af; a.~
Las ssalo Chandor, the father of the young
man, was enc of the most notorious conf
dence men in the United States about thir-
ty years ago. On June 1, 1848, after win
ming the confidence of Charles Joseph Aft
| ner, who was then in some financial diff
| culties, he pretended that one of Affner's
creditors had suddenly arrived in this city
| with all the bills and claims existing exist
ing against him, and was actively search
ing for his delinquent debtor. Chandor
told Affner that if the man discovered him
he would certainly put him in prison. but
Chandor could settle the entire amount of
the Indebtedness if Elmer would give him
what money he had. He succeeded in OBJ
tanning from his victim $3.50, watch, three
watch chains and pair of gold eyeglasses
in all valued at $1,000. The fraud was
soon discovered, aud Lassalo Chandor was
arrested. His trial was begun ON March
12, 1S49, before Recorder Talmadge, and
Alderman William Adams and Thomas K,
Dcwling. 1t was one of the celebrated
cases of the term; and occupied the court
during six days. John McKeon and the
late James R. Whiting represented the
people, the counsel for the defendant were
David Graham, the author of ssGraham's
Practice and Joseph L. White, at one
time a prominent lawyer of California, and
who was afterward killed at Panama. A
verdict of guilty was rendered, and on
March "a, 1S49, the prisoner was sentenced
to pay a fine of $3.50 and to be confined for
six months in the Penitentiary. The de-
tectiyes remember the son as young man
about five feet eight inches high, with
faiE Complexion, light eyes, iull auburn
beard and meustaehe, who dressed in the
most fashionable style and lived at times
in several of the most respectable boarding
houses ON the west side of the city. That
was five years ago, and he was then known,
according to the detectives, as one of the
shrewdest confidence operators in the city.
His plan Of operation was to get acquainted
with foreigners who were about returning
to Europe, and pretend that he was going
on the same steamer; that his baggage was
already on board. He woald then borrow
all the money he could get his victim to
trust him with, and disappear. In one case
he succeeded in borrowing valuable watch
and chain from one of his 'ffellow passen-
gers" to enable him certainly to catch the
steamer, giving as reason that his own
watch was being regulated, and he had one
more call to make. It is repurted that he
succeeded in obtaining the largest sum of
money ever obtained by confidenc game
in New York.