Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1882-03-30
MOSES, THE SWINDLER.
Swindiing People by Forged Checks aud
Other Methods of Common VII
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swindiinG People by Forged Checks aud
Other Methods of Common VII
iiany-CAptured by the Police.
Franklin J. Moses, Ex-Governor of
South Carolina and for years a professional
swindler, was a prisoner at police head
quarters. in New York. ON the charge of
swindling Freeborn G. Smith. a piano
manufacturer, out of s175. There are
quite number Of similar charges against
Moses, and during the day he was identi-
fed by a number of his victims, who will
appear against him at the Tombs police
court. He was arrested by detectives,
who had been searching for him for two
weeks.
On March II Moses called on Mr. Smith
and, representing himself rs Richard H..
Colquitt, brother of Governor CO!Quitt,
of Georgia, succeeded in inducing Mr..
Smith to cash q check for S115. The
check, which was drawn on a Southern
bank, was returned protested.
E. w. Crowell, of the Phoenix insurance
company, also entertained Moses under
the lame Of Anthony White, Of Green
vile. 5. c., and cashed his cheek for
$3.50.
Howard II. Stewart, of No. G1 Wal
street, also cashed two $50 checks for
Moses, who represented himself to be Gen.
Curtis, state commissioner of North Car
olina, accidentally left without money in
this city after banking hours. Mr.. Stew
art also informed the police that number
of Wall street men had been similarly VIC
timized by the ex-governor. and he prom
ised to produce the victims in court.
B. H. Hassell, Of the Charleston steam
ship company, of Boston, also writes that
he lost $500 by the check operations of the
prisoner.
Charles r. Flint, partner of Mayor
Grace, wisely declined to cash the checks
presented.
Ex-Governor Moses career has during
Jail, but each time he has succeeded in
escaping punishment. Son Of 4 judge in
South Carolina, personally of undoubted
talents, in turn speaker of the House in
his native state and Republican governor
during the reconstruction period, he was
forced to leave the state on account Of
being mixed up in extensive swindlcs and
evaded going back on the reIuisition sent
for him.
Since then he has lived by his wits, and
when :" Plin' White, the king Of conf
dence men, swindled Major William Hall
by protesting repentance for former sins
in the same line, Moses followed him up
and On the pretence Of procuring for him
revenge on White succeeded in swindling
the confiding major once more.
When the struggle between Tammany
hall and its opponents was hottest last
year Moses, offered to John d. Townsend,
the lawyer, papers damaging to Mr.. Til
den, which he professed to have ut his
home, and the lawyer advanced him
money to go and get them. Leaving Mr..
Townsend he took with him the latter's
best overcoat, but nevertheless had the
cheek to return and ask for more money to
redeem his trunks with the promised
papers at the railroad Office. He failed on
this attempt.
Finally, when the recent scare about
Fenian explosives in steamships prevailed,
he imposed upon one of the great transat-
lantic companies by pretending to have
discovered a plot to blow up their steamers.
He was paid for his secret, and when tho
company found itself swindled it pre-
vailed on the police to drop the matter,
and Moses avoided arrest. His victims,
however, will hardly allow him to escape
this time.