The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1880-02-02
A Convict's Yarn
WHICH IT WOULD HAVE BEEN B EFT
TER FOR HIM AND OTHERS II HE
HAD LEFT UNSAID.


Yesterday mornings Sun detailed confess
sion of Royal st. Clair, the note forger sem
fenced for three years to State Prison, made to
reporter for that paper. The confession vir-
tually accused D. w. Sc ribner, the lawyer.
who was his adviser in the patent rights bust
ness, of advising him, last May, to go into the
'note Market" or, in other words the note
swindling business adopted by the lightning
saw swindlers He claimed that Scribner
agreed to dispose of the notes for 20 per cent.
of their value, and that he (St. Clair) sent
thirteen of these notes to his wife to hand to
Scribner. Seribner got frightened and refused
to dispose of the notes, but recommended 9th
ers to her who would buy them. He (St.
CLAIM stated that Scribner betrayed him to
Marshal Bridges, who arrested him, and offer
ed to furnish straw-bail
In an interview with Mr.. Scribner, that gen.
teman said: 1 first became acquainted with
Mr.. ST. Clair some two years ago, when Mr..
w. W. Graves of this city brought St. Clair to
my office. st. Clair said he was in the pat
ent right business and I, at ST. Glars request,
explained to him the so-called patent right
statutes and their effect upon promissory notes
given for patent rights. Mr.. Graves was pres
ent at the interview and heard all that was
said. He (Graves) had met Mr&st. Clair in
Vermont. l drew the form for note, such as
I thought would meet the business in which
ST. Clair intended to embark in Maine, and
which bore'on the back in print the amount
which the maker was worth, both in real and
personal property and stating that the note
was patent rights note. These notes St.
Clair had printed at Berry's printing house,
under the eye of Mr.. G. W. Bean, the fore
man. 1 never said word to St. Clair about
going into the "note market" In fact that
swindle was not unveiled until q good year
later
Last spring Mr.. ST. Clair came to me the
second time. He had a baggage check of tho
Bangor & Machias Steamship Company. He
said the check was given for valse that con-
tanned $75 worth of property, but he declined
to swear that the valise's contents were worth
that sum. Finally Mr.. Blake agreed to settle
for the company for $25. OF this sum Mrs
St. Clair paid me So for my services. After
ST. Glars arrest some % or 80 notes were TAX
en- from him, which he assured me were gem
uine. Having many doubts, 1 wrote to the
most Of the purported makers and in every
case received answer that they were forgeries.
Out of the 25 notes only six, and those for
small sums, were genuine.
AS for the bail matter, Mr.. Scribner said
st. Clair told me he was worth 900 real and
$1,000 personal property; that he had rich
mother in Vermont and rich uncle in Cum
berland, and his wife two rich brothers. l
then saw Capt Randall of the American
House and made arrangements, if st. Clair's
story proved true, to furnish bail for him, and
Mr.. Frank, as bail commissioner, agreed TO go
and take the bail. In conclusion Nh Scribner
said all his statements could be verified and
that he should proceed against the Sun for
libel, as the story of st. Clairs had been known
to other newspaper men who had not hest
tated to come and get his (Scribner's) version
and verify it, before committing to print the
Story OF a convict, based only on that convict's
word. He thinks ST. Clair must be crazy to
tell any such story. AS for the Garland let
tiers, ST. Clair speaks of, Scribner explained
What they were, and, according to his expla-
nation, they affect Mr.. St. Clair not Mr..
Scribner.
Mr.. Scrbner furnishes the following letter
from Royal St. Clair:
Mr. Scribner:-Dear Sir:-I am in hard
spot and need your help to get out of it. MY
wife has got note that is all right, and the
giver is good which you can readily find out
by sending to Ellsworth, Me-, and if you will
help me get the money on it, I will give you
80 dollars of it for your trouble. In regard to
the baggage, they must pay for it, at once.
The Boat Company have the schedule of the
things lost that you made out last spring, and
u ti'Ue one, but settle with them and get all
you can out of it.
On the opposite page is written:
Mr.. Scri5aer:-Enolosed find note
against o. A. Hall of Milton for 125 dollars.
which is good l know the man, and know
him to be good AMI you can find out by en-
quirlng of Strout and Gage, Portland 1 have
one against White Bros of Bridgewater,
Maine, and you can find out about them of
Miliken & Bros, of Portland, Commercial
street, Maine.
I wish you would see what you can do with
the notes as l know them to be all right.
Yours truly,
r. ST.. CLAIR.
Mr.. D. W. Scribnor, Exchange ST.. Portland.
Me.
Mr.. Scribner says: In refutation of all and
singular of what Scribner says I refer to G.
K Bridges. Daniel Randall, w. W. Graves, c.
H. Bean. 81. NJ. Sylvester, M. P. Frank
Strout g. Gage, Sheriff Dresser and many 9TH
ers.
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