The Portland daily press., 1879-02-11
A DEAD BEAT.
A sniart Petty swindIer who Pretends to
be Deaf and DuMb.

The st. John steamer last evening carried
from Portland petty swindler who has become
notorious in that by pretending to be deaf and
damb, and By Ingenious devices, be has sue
c-eded in deoeving, not ouly people in this
city, but in almost every city in the world
rhe individual in question. in Portland bore
the name CT G. P. Hall, alias Henry Crawford,
alias Henry Milliken. He mas been one of the
ooarie1s at tbs Friendly Ian for the past fe W
days, and has visited a! most all Of our law Of
fees and stores with various papers. stating
that he was deaf and dumb and hangry, hav-
ing eaten nothing since the day previous, at
O'Clock A gentleman who happened in the
office of one of our legal frms when the ipdi-
vldual was presenting his moving case,
thought he had seen the same party eating
hearty Breakfast at Mr. GetchelPs establish
nent a few moments before, but not wishing
TO do any one Injustice, be commenced to write
an order on Mr.. Getchel for dinner, when
the starving man caught his hand aud wrote,
Il shall get that anyway" He canvassed
Portland from end to end, and resoed goodly
harvest, bat vas at last arrested, and carried
before Marshal Bridges, who suspected him of
deception but could not quite make out case
He was then turned over to Secretary Baker
who gave him pass Beyond the limits of tue
state, and the gentleman, as has already been
SAID. at once left for st. John, rem arking, (for
the pass, and other circumstances, worked a
complete cure, 10 his case,) that his 'little
racket was up in Portland" Hs PERSISTED in
his deception, to all, up to Sunday evening,
although strongly suspected, bat Sunday even.
ing, after tho regular religious service, at the
"Inn'', he spoke out, and the deaf heard, and
the dumb spoke. He once, it is said, resided
in Eastport, aud attended school there, and is
Represented as having been q scholar of more
than ordinary promise, which is quite likely,
as he is evidently man of education and
ability,as we'll as most consummats actor He
mas made his deceptive trade pay, it would
seem, as he showed to a young lady, who had
formerly known him as school boy, bills to
the amount of several hundred dollars, he, pre-
tending to her, as we'll as to others, to bs un-
able to hear, or to speak, and he paid his bills at
the Friendly Inn promptly The rascal, in
conversation with the writer Monday, said that
his business was that of h ,ir dresser, but that
he could do better Cheating his way" He
said that he proposed to abandon his evil
coursa,-"till he got TO some place where he
wasn't known" that he bad "b sat" the best
men 10 the United States; that he was as
"cute" as the best detective out; that in Boston
hs had "baat" Hollis Pinkertoo, aud ont West
Pnkerton Senior himself who at frs. sus-
pected, then ptied, and at last helped him
IL got the best of the mao who was never
fooled, he said He had "baa:" the best mar
of the country, at various lodges. aid had m ade
Of dollars by fraud. La New York,
he had met aud 'o.sL" the ch,li-like Cooper,
the acute Daaa, snd had even ven.ured to
climb the Tribune "tall tower" aud coax from
The successor of Horace Grsely liberal doaa-
lion. He has wandered almost every whsre.
Hall is about 81 years of age, feet inches
JAIL, has lost front tooth. has light brown
hair, dresses neatly. aud is we'll calculated to
deceive. He will now give the Brunswckers
taste of his quality