American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1878-01-05
A Fascinating ScOundreI.

The Springfield (Mass.) Republican
says: The arrest of John Baggs Hop
per, alias John Miller, Maj. John Thorn
as and Charles Chapman, at st. John,
N. B., the other day, for forgery, brings
up the career of a very remarkable
swindler. Springfield knew him under
the name of Thomas, and he has "done''
New England very thoroughly. Here
he put up principally at the Massasoit
House, but afterward was at Mrs.
Evans's boarding house. He sought to
know our "best people, was patron
of several neighborhood parties and pic
mics, his picture is said to hang in the
display made before Moffatt's gallery,
and he made for time altogether a
conspicuous figure in the city. He was
here for quite a stay last January, and
returned again in the early summer for
another little visit. He came some
times to the Republican editorial rooms
to read the southern papers, talked in
terestingly of politics, and was alto
gether fascinating person. Thomas
is perhaps just turned 40; of medium
height, stout build and little inclined to
be portly, weighing about 200 pounds.
His head is shapely, with an incipient
bald spot around his dark hair, which
is cut short, but not close, and has lit
tie wave in it. His complexion is
healthily fiorid, and he wears hand
some dark mustache; his eye is bright,
his manner frank, intelligent and at
tractive.
So much for the man. His career of
crime and scandal has been Industrious
and eventful. Hopper was born in
Queen Anne County, Md, where he
married Miss Miller, daughter of the
local minister, by whom he had two
children. Just before the opening of
the war he forged heavily, deserted his
family and fed South. After the war
he turned up at Augusta, Ca, having
assumed the name of his deserted wife
Miller, as we must now call him, was
agent for two insurance companies,
which he swindled in dozen years out
of about 100000 by forgery and en-
bezzlement; he also married another
wife, by whom he had five children.
Miller finally passed forged notes on
James G. Bailey & Bros, intimate
friends, and left Augusta. He next
turned up at Charleston, S. c., and,
with the help of pal, victimized
Catholic Bishop out of $4,000. He is
thought to have gone thence to Califor-
mia, but turned up in New England last
January. He lived handsomely at the
Boston Revere House, and came to
Worcester and this city as Maj. Thomas.
He was somewhat notable attraction
at Martha's Vineyard last season, being
accompanied by young and stunning
woman who claimed to be rich Buffalo
IN. " widow, and the pair gave the
most elegant entertainments possible.
About this time Maj. Thomas won, the
confidence and money of a Springfield
drummer, and he proved a s lady-killer''
to the disgust of certain gentlemen from
this part of the country, it is said. 1t is
also thought that he was concerned in
the big diamond robberies that took
place at the Vineyard about this time
But Thomas was recognized by an Au-
gusta (Ga.) man, to whom he explained
that he assumed his present name be-
cause he was living with woman not
his wife. The swindled Augusta parties
were notified, and the chase after the
forger began which has just ended in
his capture.
Those who knew Thomas in this city
say they are not surprised at his great
success as a rogue. He had a most re-
tentive memory, was accomplished,
studiously polite and carefully agreea-
BILE. He rather overdid the business at
first, so as to bring suspicion upon him
self, but soon dispelled it with great art.
OF course, there are people who now
say they always knew him to be a
villain. But the degree of confidence
that Thomas everywhere inspired
seems to have been no less remarkable
than the success with which he carried
out his crimes. While here he pretend
ed to be New York lawyer settling up
the estate of a ward. in the metropolis.
He is also said to have had $4,000 de-
posted in the Chicopee Bank.