The Cheyenne daily leader. [volume] (Cheyenne, Wyo.) 1870-1884, 1879-04-29
From the Evening Edition.l
CUNNING CONTI /!
THE ITALIAN FRAUD Gagged.
He 10 Seen by a"Leader" Commission
er-Although He Speaks Seven
Languages, He Will
Not Converse.

Over one hundred people assembled
at the depot yesterday to sswelcome''
back DR.. J. L. CONT. the dead beat
who swindled so many of the good peo-
pie of Wyoming. Constable Talbot
had him in tow, and led a lengthy pro-
cession to the county Jail where his
prisoner was safely confined.
This morning a representative of the
LEADER, through the courtesy Of
Sheriff Draper and Deputy Martin,
''called" on the distinguished beat.
Of course he was sat home,n and the
formality- of cards was dispensed with.
We found him occupying a cell with a
imam and brother'' of good hue. CONT
was lying down, but jerked nervously
towards the door at our request.
After stating that the object of our
visit was to give him opportunity to
defend himself against the charges
made in the LEADER, we surveyed his
person as he stood thinking over the
proposition. He appears to be a man
of about thirty-ive years of age. Is of
medium height and of light build,
weighing perhaps 140 pounds. His
face Is not unlike that of an Italian.
He wears full face whiskers which
are jet black, as is his hair. Nat
uraly his skin is very dark. His
hands are delicate and soft, showing
that he never worked hard at manual
labor. Finally, in answer to our prop
o~sition, he said that he had nothing to
say. Were the statements true? No
answer. We urged that we yearned
to place him in a proper position before
the world and would he not put for
ward any explanation or extenuation
of his offensesp 81 have nothing to
say" replied Cont, %nervously twitching
his fingers, while his body shook as
with palsy.
Then the public has condemned you
justly on the evidence as p~ublished-it
is all true, is it not? He looked the
embodiment of despair. Lacking the
courage of even a child, he could not
stand erect, firmly. No answer came
from him. "You confessed all to the
constable, did you notp" II have
nothing to say" he replied, his voice
husky with emotion. "Are you con-
tent to be adjudged by the public a a
vile deceiver, and not say a word in de-
fense?" Even this failed to move him
from his retreat of cowardice. He had
nothing to say. "Have you any de-
Tense at all to make before the court?n
Again he declined answering.
Other questions were put to him but
he could not be drawn out. One could
not have the slightest regard for him,
80 cowardly were his amer and
speech. He wa polite, though, evident
ly trying to ward off the i~nterrogating
shafts with the shield of courtesy.
His language was well chosen and the
accent good. There seems to be no
doubt as to his being well educated.
During the conversation we asked
him about his correspondence with Mrs.
Scott Siddons. But he had nothing to
say about that either. However, he
showed a number of letters from the lady
co a gentleman on the train. Probably
he swindled her also by his suavity of
manner and deep, yet plausible schemes.
In the sheriff's Office there are several
letters from various parties to DR."
Cont: One has reference to a letter adj
dressed to Mrs. Scott Siddons. An
other is from his attorney in Omaha,
Warren Switzler.
Regarding his arrest, Constable Tai
bot says that after ascertaining he was
in the post hospital at Omaha, he went
Immediately to the fort. Here he learn
ed, on Friday morning, that CONT had
just been drummed out as an incorrigible
dead beat, but the ambulance driver
could give information Of his where
abouts. So Talbot found the driver
and learned that Cont was still in
town, and that he was to get twenty
five dollars as a loan from the driver
that very day. Search vas kept up
and Cont was at last discovered in a
bagnio at eleven O'Clock at night.