The Portland daily press., 1879-11-12
The Patent Rights Swindlers.
WHAT THE BOSTON JOURNAL SAYS
OF THEM.
What Was Done in the Municipal Court
with the st. Glars.


in Maine, notably those of Mr.. Jones of Bel
grade, Mr.. Tyrell of Canton and Mr.. and Mrs.
Royal St. Clair in Portland and down East,
all of which have been fully reported in the
PRESS as they occurred. he Journal says
the Boston detectives have lad similar eX-
perience in Massachusetts,, and that the head
of the gang, operating throughout New Eng
land, is a wealthy Michigan merchant
The operations Of these sharpers i'll various
forms of swindling cover period of four Or
five years. They have been bold and at the
same time cautious in their movements, 50
that although two or three times brought into
court it has been difficult to secure convictions
Their defence has been that their victims have
a remedy only i'll civil suit, and no one has
had the courage to take the matter to the
higher courts. Such was the result Of q legal
contest in Western Massachusetts about four
years ago. The leaders not being under ar
rest, their real names will not appear in this
sketch. The Boston detectives above referred
toon inquiring into the DownEast swindles
found the same persons concerned III them.
under different aliases, OF course, as were
mixed up in similar cases in Massachusetts,.
Warrants were procured in Maine for the ar
rest of two or three Of the leading conspirators
and it is hoped thai such evidence may be ob-
tanned and that the cases can be presented in
such way as to secure their conviction. The
implicated parties were in Boston for two or
three days last week, but they have now left
New England.
The Journal says that Isaac Tobin of Canton
caught one of the rascals and found in his
possession large number of notes which it is
supposed have since been presented for col
lection. The latter ''agent'' gave the familiar
name in various places Of L. G. Bragg of
Kalamazoo, Michigan, also J. G. Leavitt and
other aliases. Another victim is Mr.. James
Loring of Otisfieid, who was taken in by
fellow giving the name of I. T. Hultz.
Royal St. Clair who was arrested last Satur-
day for being engaged in swindling farmers by
means of the so-called patent right business
was brought before Judge Knight yesterday
morning.. He waived examination and was
bound over in the sum of $1,000 for his ap-
pearance in the Superior court.
Mrs. st. Clair was also before the court and
her counsel, D. w. Scribner, Esq, and W. H.
Motley, endeavored to show that she was igno-
rant of anything crooked about the note.
Mr. Bunker of Franklin testified that he did
not make the note, although the signature he
thought might be his. He said that he had
some dealing with st. Clair in reference to
horse which ST. Clair sold him for $25. The
agreement was that if the horse did not have
the heaves an additional s. was to be paid to
st. Clair. The horse did have the heaves so
the IS was never paid. Mr.. Bunker said that
he at the time gave his address to St. Clair,
and he thought it probable that the note had
been written over this.
Mr.. Sanborn said that the note was offered
to him by Mrs st. Clair for $40 less than its
face value.
Royal St. Clair was then put upon the stand.
He testified that he had been in the patent
rights business for year He said that he
never told his wife anything about his bust
ness. He gave his wife the note, but told her
nothing whatever as to whether it was good
or bad. He gave it to her to get money with
which to pay their board bill at the Central
House.
Mrs. St. Clair said that her husband gave
her the note and told her Mr.. Scribner would
help her in getting it discounted. She went
to him and he directed her to several note
dealers She said she had no suspicious about
the note She showed it to Messrs. Waldron,
Leavitt and Sanborn.
Capt. Daniel Randall of the American
House. testified that st. Clair came to his house
two years ago and his wife q year ago. He
had some trouble with st. Clair in reference to
a BILL Mrs. st. Clair had tried to settle the
bill, promising to pay 50 at a time, but her
husband forbade her doing SO, saying that he
could attend to his own business.
Mrs. Stone Of the Central House, testified
that she had never seen anything out Of the
way in Mrs. st. Clair, but at q question of
Marshal Bridges she admitted that some of her
had been found in Mrs. ST. Clair's
trunk An attempt was made to show that
Job had been put up on Mrs. St. Clair by the
proprietors of the Central House in order to
get claim on her for board bill which ST.
Clair owed them but nothing positive was
elected.
Mr.. Scribner summed up the testimony in a
clear manner, claiming that the woman was
entirely innocent, and that if there was any
thing crooked about the note st. Clair was the
guilty party.
Judge Knight then held the woman for
trial in the Superior court in the sum of $780,
Both St. Clair and his wife were committed in
default of bail.