The Weekly Kansas chief. [volume] (Troy, Kan.) 1872-1918, 1879-01-30
GCHEAP JOHN"
Unpleasant Suspicions and Damaging Dis.
closures, Ressalt i'm His Getting In Limbo.

pose OF personal gain, would deliberately plan anh
put into execution an act that would carry des-
truction and ruin to considerable portion of the
town. Yet recent events have caused a large major
ity Of the people of Troy believe that they have
had such a man among them.
The latter part Of last September a jew made bis
appearance in town, for the purpose of opening u
store. Henry Boder was fixing up the old Nixon sa-
loon building for store-room, and this stranger
stood by hurrying up the work, as he was anxious
to get started He opened out his goods before the
workmen had left the ROOM SO eager was he to be-
GIN He hailed from Atceson, and called himself H.
X. Winter but he adopted s.Cheap john as his bus
mess title. He sold goods surprisingly low, to the
establishment of other merchants. He also kept
peddling wagon ont selling goods, and buying up
produce He went heavily into butter, poultry, po-
tatoes and the like, and seemed to be doing boom
ing business in spite of reported losses at the gam
ing table and an open family rupture
Between the evening of December llth and the
morning Of the 2th his store discovered be in
flames which had got under such Roadway that it was
impossible to save it, Most of the goods were burn
ed, with all the household goods up stairs and the
family, it was said, barely escaped with their ives
kotsch's shop was also burned, and it seems almost
miraculous that the City Hotel was saved. Had
that burned, the whole block, Boilers Bank would
undoubtedly have been destroyed, and perhaps moro
besides. From the moment the flames were discov-
cred. people said they were looking for it, and that
it was the work of premeditated design. While some
discouraged such an idea, every circumstance CON-
mencing before the fire, and developing day after
day since, went to aid and strengthen the suspicion,
end net the slightest evidence to cOunteract it. Per-
sons had passed the store q couple of hours before
the fire broke out, but not smell of smoke was per
ceptible, it would have been from q smouldering
in add hu;l W,pfar Ia c.
Joseph the afternoon of the day before the fire. and
for the only time he had been known to do such
thing had taken his two little daughters with him
girls old enough to things but not sufficiently
used in ways that dark to conceal what they
might see or hear The family had invariably had Q
colOrcd woman come to the house to do the washing;
but on this occasion, the day before the fire. they had
sent the washing large bundle to the residence of
the washerwoman. They reported that they did not
discover the fire until it was in their faces scorchng
them, by which means they awakened; but
while the young telling this, it was observ-
ed that they carefully dressed with their col.
lars on, and their watchchans scientifically adjust
ed. Persons inquired for the key that they could
get into the storeroom, and the goods, but
told it was mislaid and when they undertook to
break open the door, Winters brother resisted them,
telling them to let it alone. But they broke in new
cEtucices, anu saNtu Quautty VI SOOu5 IN inc
morning, of the went to the telegraph Office,
to send despatch to his father, announcing tho dis
aster and requested the operator write it, Wh at
shall sayr asked the operator. well, say, Fa-
ther, she's burnt, replied the hopeful unguardedly
reply that in itself would create suspicion that
the father expecting the intelligence. Winter
reached home on the morning train, looking tear
full though he had ust heard that Christ was muir
dered. He said he was just his way to the depot
to start to ST. Louis to purchase goods, when he re-
ceived the telegram yet it an hour after St.
Louis train time.
1t was ascertained that Winter had IS, 900 iusur-
his stock and household goods-fully twice
their value and this insurance judiciousy dis
tributed among five companies. He claimed that he
had lost goods to large amount; that his wife had
lost diamond rings, and silver ware and fine silk
dresses and cancels hair shawls aud that cossid-
cradle amount of Government bonds were in a trunk,
and were burned. He also said that large amount
of butter in the cellar, and five hundred bushels
of potatoes. But persons who had been in the cellar,
the day before, declared there butter of any
account and not fifty bushels of potatoes.
There WAS too much here that suspicious, and
the insurance companies commenced investiga-
ton. The matter worked up by the St Joseph
Fire and Marine Company, which carried part of the
insurance. They took Winter to the hotel and ex-
amined him, while at the same moment other agents
went to the house and Intercepted his wife. When
the two statements were compared, it was found that
they did not agree in a single essential particular.
Winter had given the names of places where they
had lived. while his wife had said they never lived
there. According to Winter, they We're married in
one place but according TO Mrs. Winter, they had
never been in that place And on, all through the
examination They made inquiries all the
,pfar hai not vad
in a single place that he said he had, but had lived
nearly everywhere that he said he hadn't. Even his
own stories confcted and he told half dozen diff
fereut tales relative to the circumstances
Then they began to get track of his goods. For
some DAYS before the fire. he had spirited away, and
shipped to Leavenworth, Kansas City, and other
places large quantities of his most valuable goods
Some were shipped from Troy Junction, some from
Wathena and some from st. Joseph. They were all
shipped by other parties, he not being seen in the
transactions and consigned TO fictitious names,
who would not call for them, but they would remain
in store until he got Strengthened up and went into
business again, when he wonld claim them. prove
property, and have them shipped to him, as new
goods. He must have emptied his store OF nearly
everything of value, before the fire-which explains
the opposition to having the crowd go in to carry
out the goods His wife's silver and fine dress
the numbers of his Government bonds, nor remem-
Der their denominations (; did he try to explain
why he kept such property in trunk, in so unsafe
place.
Last week, creditors from st. Joseph commenced
attaching his goods. Schuster & Co. came to Troy,
but the amount of their claim was 80 large, that
was necessary to apply to the District Judge While
they were at Atcson for this purpose, Winter offer
ed John Wilson large lot of clothing for $780, which
was so good q bargain that Wilson took him up
But he afterwards discovered that while he was
looking for team to haul the goods home, Winter
had stolen from the box eight ten fine overcoats,
worth more than $780, They had been seen carrying
loads of yoos to other boose in town. at unseasona-
BILE hours Some of these have been recovered; and
lot of clothing was found concealed in closet in
Winters house, after he had most solemny asserted
that nothing was there but few old clothes belong
ing to his sons. There may be other goods about
| town and others that he had shipped away, that
have not vet been discovered
Last week, Winter went to st. Joseph, where he
was arrested at the instance of Schuster Co., and
Patterson, Noyes & Co., on the charge OF obtaining
goods under false pretenees. At last advices, he
was in Jail About the same time, his brother who
is supposed have been the head devil in burning
| the building, skipped ont. 1t seems to have been
he that