The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1879-11-10
Swindling.
A PATENT RIGHTS SWINDLER GAP
TURED

Excellent Work by Our Police Force.
Marshal Bridges is to be commended for an
excellent piece of work. He has probably
seized the head and front of the gang of pa
tent right swindlers who have so long infested
this state, and will see that he gets full pun
ishment for his swindling operations.
Last Tuesday Marshal Bridges arrested at
the Central House on Centre street, a woman
aged about "a years, who gave the name OF
Mrs Royal ST. Clair, OH charge OF attempt
ing to pass forged note. Mrs. ST. Clair is
woman of ordinary stature, with swarthy COM
plexion black eyes and hair. projecting brows,
and an expression OF great determination.
When she was arrested there were found on
her person three notes all purporting to have
been made by E. NJ. Fogg and G. M. Fogg,
Deering, and signed by them. One was for
S35, one for $37 and the third for S25. On
one of these notes were several endorsements
of sums paid on the notes, and it is claimed by
Mrs ST. Clair that these are all genuine notes.
At the time she was arrested Mrs. st. Clair
was trying to negotiate note for $3.50, signed
by Charlas L. Bunker, Franklin, agreeing to
pay the above amount six months after date,
with interest at any bank in Maine. The
note was drawn on a piece of common white
paper, was ill-spelled, and badly written. The
signature, note shaver in town ascertained
was genuine, and he was about to advance
Mrs. ST. Clair $50 on it when she was invited
to the police station.
Mrs st. Clair was placed in the woman's
lodging room and at the request of Marshal
Bridges (who had ascertained that her hus-
band was a we'll known patent rights operator,
and was probably the chief mover in the enter
prise) the reporters of the daily papers agreed
to keep it quiet until Mr. st. Clair could be
"gobbled, as there was every reason to be-
lieve he would be in day or two. But on
Saturday morning-as the presence of the
woman was known at the station, and as she
had been suspected just before the arrest OF
shop-lifting the fact of her arrest for this lat
ter crimeswas published, but her name with
held.
The arrest was made known just in time, for
the steamer New Brunswick that morning
brought Mr.. Royal st. Clair to this city. The
police looked out to see where he was stopping
and at D. M Saturday Marshal Bridges ar
rested him at the Steamboat House. When
taken to the station st. Clair tainted dead
away, but on coming to, he admitted his guilt
but declared his wife was innocent that she
knew nothing about the commences of the
notes. Afterwards, in conversation with the
reporters, he declared the notes were all regu-
lar. He claims to be agent for B. Butler "
Coin whose favor the Bunker note is drawn
who deal in patent rights at St. Johnsbury,
Vt. Their principal articles are harrow and
patent dish-pan. The parties acting as their
agents dispose Of the right to make the goods
for sale, and in return take purchasers notes
for what they can get. To use st. Glars
words, they ''drive sharp bargains, and when
the countrymen get bit or think that they have
been bitten, they sometimes squeal" lie re-
fused to state how the Bunker note was secured
Mr.. ST. Clair who is about 80 years of age, was
formerly in the grocery business in Portland
and three years ago kept store on India
above Middle street. He failed and went to
Lewiston where he also failed, and the fail
ures have never been settled. He said he had
never before been arrested except for carting
ale across Boston during the existence of the
DrOllDlpOry INV lllOIC' 4NoVOo WOW hO"AAA va
his person to the amount of $4,000. as follows:
Gilbert Jordan, Franklin, $500.
John M. Burnham, Biddeford, $3.50.
S. T. Thompson & Son, Bangor, $500.
Sumner G. Rowe. Ellsworth, S15O
T. L. Hamilton, Calais, $50.
Lester Burnett, West Charleston, VT, $500.
A second note from the same $1,000.
Wendell Silsby Amherst, Me-, $50.
White Brothers, Bridgewater, $500.
TLoso ,otac ara u,rittnn like the Bunker
notes, on different scraps of paper, but it
is thought the signatures are genuine, obtained
in the lightning saw swindle" way. The
only difference between the above notes and
the Bunker note is that the latter reads ''pay
B. Butler g. Co.. and the others "pay r. St.
Clair
Mr. Bunker telegraphs that he has never
given any such note as that mentioned. Sher-
iff Deveraux of Hancock county, says MIR.
Bunker is an honest, straightforward man, and
possessed of considerable property He drives
| the stage from Cherryfeld through Franklin
to Ellsworth The Sheriff further states that
about month ago he was employed by Ban
| COR stable keeper to look up the whereabouts
| of st. Clair. The latter hired team of the
| livery man for three or four days, and four
months had elapsed since that time and the
team had not been returned. The Sheriff
traced the man to franklin found the team
and st. Clair settled the matter satisfactory to
| all parties. Furthermore Deveraux says st.
| Clair has been floating through the country for
several months selling patent right and
sponging money out of every person whom ne
could induce to listen to him. In some cases nc
got money in others notes and horses.
Both Mr. and Mrs st. Clair are good dress
ers, and Marshal Bridges learns that st. CLAN
has been operating for some time in Houlton,
Bangor, PASSPORT and other places with head
quarters at Kenduskeag. st. Clair was IL
Franklin, where Mr.. Bunker resides two
weeks ago, and left there for Portland via
Bangor, but changed his mind and went tt
| McAdam Junction, thence to St. John and
thence came via steamer to Portland as previ
ously stated. He has retained Mr.. d. w
| Scribner as counsel.