St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1880-10-08
Some Queer Characters They
Thieves or SwindlersP

Thieves or SwindlersP
A couple of young men, of good man
ners and address, calling their names
Brown and Watson, and who have been
boarding at the st. Johnsbury House
for the past month, have turned out
singular characters, to say the least.
They represented that they were going
into trade here, and did actually hire a
store in Wards block on Railroad st.,
and made apparent preparations to get
in furnishing goods, boots, shoes, etc.
After being here a couple of weeks,
Mr.. Drew had his suspicious aroused
that all was not right, and asked them
for pay for their board. They told him
that they agreed with the clerk to pay
monthly. AS the clerk had left town, Mr..
Drew could not prove but that was the
case, and so told them it was all right.
Nevertheless he told the driver of the
coach to watch every night train and
see that these two fellows did not slip
away. About this time a man who was
employed to do some repairs on the
store they were to occupy, presented
his bill for $3.50, and was told that ii
could not be paid then, but that their
goods were shipped from Boston the
day before, and when they came they
would make it all right. They showed
postal card to substantiate their story
about shipping the goods. Mr.. Drew
overheard this talk, and taken together
with the fact that they were hanging
around week after week, and doing
nothing, made him more suspicious thar
ever; so when he went to the Barton
fair last Thursday, he gave another
caution to his clerk about these board
ers. Mr.. Drew returned from Barton
by the nine p. m. train, and on reach
ing his house was told by his clerk, 10
seph Fuller, that there were signs q
the young merchants leaving. Upor
this, Mr.. Drew interviewed Watson an(
Brown in their room, and found they
were intending to go away on the mid
night train, as they said, after thei
goods. When Mr.. Drew asked then
for their board money, he was told tina
they had been trusteed by Mr.. Con
verse of the Avenue House, (who ha,
!, commenced suit against Mr.. Drew TO
breach of contract in leasing the hotel.
| FOL hr thn,
would not have to pay their bill twice
but if they were gentlemen they woult
pay their bill before leaving. 1t wa
then agreed that they should not leav,
until the next night, and the matte
be fixed up the next day. Upon thi
Mr.. Drew left them, but instead of 90
ing to bed, he sat down in the parlo
alone. After awhile Watson and Brow
3 came down the stairs with their valise
in their hands, and when confronted b.
Mr.. Drew, and asked what this meant
they said they did not like the looks Q
things there very well and were goin
down to the Avenue House to board
Mr.. Drew asked them again to pay thei
bill, and was told that they should no
pay it until the court sat and decide
to whom they should pay the money
! Mr.. Drew replied that if that was tn
, case, ''the court would sit in about bal
an hour !" Then directing two of hi
men to accompany his guests to th
Avenue House, Mr.. Drew soon arouse,
, a lawyer, and the sheriff, papers wer
made out, and sheriff Sulloway repair
, ed to the Avenue House. On reaching
the hotel Mr.. Converse advanced tn
money due Mr.. Drew, $50, and the me
were not put under arrest. Soon after
wards, however, they passed out of tn
hotel as though to go to the station
leaving their valises in the house, an
that was the last seen of them, althoug
all the trains that night were watched
, When about to leave the st. Johns
bury House, these men by mistak
passed out baggage check, instead G
coat check, and Mr.. Drew took th