The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1881-05-19

Rascais who were at Raleigh
tReCentIy

Recently.
Two Young men were committed I
the Westchester County Jail in the lat
ter part of las: week under the name
OF j. W. Miller and O. +. Turner
They were committed hy Justice OF tn
Peace Cole on a charge OF obtai min!
goods up, false pretences. preferreo
by the Meriden Britannia Ware Com
I pany, That company, however is on
4 ly one Of number of manufacturer
I that have been defrauded, as is allec
\ ed, BY the two men. Nearly every
\ silverW are company in the country ha
a complaint to make, and the aggre-
gate loss y the operations attributed
to the two men is estimated TO be not
less than S25, 900. Their method oil
operating has been to visit town and
represent themselves as travelling agen,
for one of the large silverware compan
les, and, assuming the name OF some
dealer in silver goods in the town, or.
der wares on credit from some one OF
the companies. Their field of opera
lions has heen principally in Pennsyl-
vania and through the South They
began last November and were arres
ted in Cleveland, Tenn about ten
days ago by Detective Lodsr of Pink
erton's agency Turner and Miller
are net their real names. Detective
Pinkerton said last night that he knew
the names Of the persons but that con-
sideration for their families, which are
Of good social position, and other rea
InHnappad hi tn hhnII hor
Both men are we'll educated, and of
pleasing address. Turner belongs in
Rochester, is 33 years old, ard col
'ege graduate Miller belongs in To
rontO.
Turner has made a confession, which
is believed to be complete. He says
that he and Miller, both travelling
statesmen, met last Fall when both were
on: of money, and walked 500 miles
back to New York. Then they began
another tramp, and got to Peekskill
with 40 cents left. While lettering
about the town they observed the sign
Of hardware dealer named Warren
Jordan. The idea suggested itself that t
they might order some valuable goods
in Jordan name and sell them The,
wrote to the Meriden Britannia Ware
Company for a bill of knives, forks,
ard spoons, valued at $l35, which the
company was directed to send to Jor
dan AID draw on him fnr ;he amount
thirty days after date. The latter was
signed Warren Jordan"
Then they made friends with the ex-
agent and at the Post office, remarked
IN each instance on the similarity OF
Turner assumed name to that Of the
hardware merchant, and giving the i'm
preston that they were acquainted
with Mr.. Jordan. They got the goods
at the express office and sold them
Then they came to this city, bought
good clothes, to Philadelphia, and Sc
Iected Reading, Pa, for another Ope-
ration. They ordered goods from sev
eral companies in the name Of +, w.
Lands, a hardware dealer in that city,
for the hol day trade The same tao
tics were adopted as at PeekskIll They
received the goods ordered from all
the companies except the Mcriden Com
pany After waiting several days they
inquired ut the Post Office to see ieany
mistake had been made about their
letters. Then, according to the confes-
sion, one of them went to Landis's
store, and represented himself as an
other f. w, Lands, salesman for the
Meriden Company, and said he feared
some of his letters had been received
by his namesake, the genuine Lands
The merchant ran over his yet unopen-
ed mail and handed the swindler a let
ter bearing the letter stamp Of the
Meriden Company. Turner opened it,
and found it to contain letter from
the company asking if he [Landis had
ordered such bill of goods as enclos
ed. Turner remarked upon the ncces-
sity of an immediate answer. The mel
chant off, red him the use of his desk.
He picket up a sheet of paper bearing
Landis's letter head and wrote over
l. ndis's name that it was all right
that his bookkceper had ordered the
goods The good. came few days
after.
The pair operated in this way in Har-
risburg, Baltimore, Washington, Nor
folk, Raleigh, Atlanta, Chattanooga,
and other Southern towns They even
managed to get rating in one of the
commercial agencies bv sending alleged
packages of greenbacks to themselves
by express An inquiry from Balti-
more house at Norfolk brou ught the an
swer that $1,000 awaited them in the
express Office pending their opening a
bank account. They hired a store in
Norfolk, and did considerable bust
ness. The confession says incidentally
that they got lost in the Dismal Swamp,
and wandered in it for several days