The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1881-04-23

How New York Dealers Tackled 10 the
Racket OF a Plausible ChcavaIier d. Indus
trie-Thc Clever Operator, Treated Like n
Prince, Dined, and Wined, Skips Oppor-
tuneiy Before His Identity IL Disclosed
Gotham Dealers Mourn and Refuse TO bo
| Comforted Because "The Beautiful IL Van
| ished 20 Return No More "-Anxious In.
auiry as 20 His Whereabouts-The Modus
Operandi OF the Proceeding How the Little
Game Was Notwithstanding of His His.
tory In the Various Roles Of Editor, Tenn
perance Lecturer. and a Good Young Man,
| etc, etc.
| During the past week several Of our mer.
chants have received notifications, bills,
and invoices Of goods from firms in New
York and Philadelphia Of goods bought by
them or their agents OF which they have
no knowledge. In consequence much tele-
graphing and correspondence has ensued,
and in some cases The goods have actually
been shipped and received by parties to
whom they were consigned. Ii being evi-
! dent, therefore, that some sharper ac-
quln;ed with this locality has teen opera
ting in the North by false representation.
representative OF the Dispatch visited
Yesterday the several concerns for whom it
seems this unknown party had been act
ing as
AN UNSOLICITED PURCHASING AGENT,
and the investiga, ion leads TO facts that dis
cover beyond peradyenture the identity OF
the man who has been so operating. The
principal persons reported to have had
their names used by this unknown person
were Me.srs. &. y. Stokes d Co, Mr. Ii. G.
BoSchen. and Mr.. /. II Scltcs, general man
ager for Joseph Davis & Co. at the State
penicntiary.
We visited Mr.. Henry Boschen. at 2ij
Broad street, and acquanlng him with our
business he Informed Us that some one had
been using his name IN New York. and eX
hlbited the following letter be had received
referring TO an order he knew nothing
about:
New YORK, March 90. 1881.
H. {. BoSchen. Esq, Richmond, Va.:
Dear Sir,-Ypurs OF 22d received. The
leather was bought on the 18th bv man
who gave his name as II. B"schen, OF Rich.
mOnd, Va. He asked that the bill be made
out at once, that he might call in two hours
and pay il. AS be failed to call we mlied
the bill to the address he gave. That is all
we know about The mIttcr. He spelled the
name fjr us, so we thought We were right.
Truly, SCHULTZ. SOUTHwICK 4 Co.
Mr.. Boschen Immediately wrote to the
firm. stating that the man purp0rlinG to be
II. G. Bo>Chen must be an impOStor, and
they withheld the leather which had been
packed for shipment.
Me,srs. c. P. Stokes q Co. had been re-
ceivng
LARGE QUANTITIES OF GOODS
from New York OF which they knew abso-
lutely nothing. Mr.. Stokes said: "The
first ntmatiOn had about the afiiir was q
letter from Mcssrs. Thurber d Co., Of New
York, stating that they had received letter
from Messrs. Schultz d Co., OF Philadel-
phia, with an order from {. p. Stokes
Co and that thev would ship at once the
canned goods, coffee, sweet and olive oils,
ETC., amounting 10 $1,000. ] wrote at once
that we had ordered no such goods, and it
must be a mistake. The next morning re.
ceived telegram from Thurber &C.
knowledging the receipt Of my letter and
requesting Inc to hold goods subject TO his
order, and to reply. l telegraphed
SOME FRAUD
has been buying goods for us, and wrote.
On THURSDAY | received a letter from the
firm thanking me for what | bad done, and
stating that the goods had been purchased
from 5. 4 Co, OF Philadelphia and the party
buying represented himself TO be Charles L.
Stokes"
Mr.. Stokes received letter from another
New York house respecting his order Tor
900 barrels of kerosene oil at 50 900, and
1000 boxes Of soap at cost OF $1,000. 1t
now being evident that the unknown party
was going extensively into his frauds, Mr..
Stokes set to work to find ont who the scamp
could be. He discovered that after purchas-
ing large amount Of goods from Messrs.
Thurber the swinder induced the house to
cash draft, which was TO be included in
the bill.
on THE WRONG TRACK.
From all that he could learn the sharper
had purchased goods in his name to the
amount Of $4,000, and from the descrip-
ton given OF him Mr.. Stokes was satisfied
that this bold operator was none other than
young clerk who was at one time en-
pIoyed in well.knOWn drugstore on Main
street. Our investigations subsequently.
however, discovered that this was the
wrong track, and the case was developed as
follows:
Mr.. |. Ii. ScltoS, manager Of the shoe
establishment OF Joseph Davis N Co., at the
another victim Of this busy purchaser In
the North, was next visited, and IN answer
TO inouiries, said that some one had been
operating on his name at the North, ana ne
felt confident
He KNEW THE MAN.
He said they had received some time since
letter from the Weed Sewing Machine Com |
many. Of New York, stating that their
4. ~ af
mas purchased from them twelve machines |
and several machine parts; that the goods !
were ready for shipment. They slid, fur |
tber. Mr.. Scates had given them no refer
ence, but inimated that be intended p1ylng |
cash, and they desired to know their (Dayls
Il CO.'s) wishes in the matter.
Mr.. Scates knew at once from the receipt
of this that some one had been operating
with bis name, and wrote accordingly, en-
closing 4 description OF
An EX.COXvICT HE SUSPECTED.
He was still further convinced that the
fraud he suspected was at work when he
subsequently, received private letter from
q friend in Philadelphia stating that party
him had visited Messrs. Dii-
sinner Brothers, OF that city, and trled 10
borrow money. A description OF tie suS-
pected party was sent OH ny MI. Scd'cs W
the firm in Philadelphia, and also TO Mr..
George Aubiu, OF the same city, from whom
the fraud had purchased glue in Scates's
name.
Yesterday letter from Mr.. Aubin, which,
taken with the amount Of circumstantla!
evidence collected. leaves no doubt as 10 the
tact that
&c, VIRTUE IS THE GUILTY PARTY.
Mr.. Aubin's letter reads: Your de:crip-
ton of the man who claimed to be Mr.