The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1882-04-15
THE SAME OLD GAME.
Boston Banco Thieves Who Tackled a
Down-Easter.

Since the publication of the extraordinary
revelations concerning the swindle by banco
thieves of the Hon. Charles Francis Adams OF
Boston, the Hon. Samuel Blake OF Bangor has
related to several friends similar experience.
wherein the same parties, as he supposes, were
the actors The story liz told by the New York
SUM- Mr.. eBlake. who is man 70 years OF
age, tall, thin, keen looking and OF command
ing presence, Is rich money lender, and Is
we'll known in financial circles in Boston. MIR.
Blake says:
81 was in Boston two years ago this month,
and while walking down Washington street
was accosted by young man, timely dressed,
suave in manner, who called me by name, and
asked if I had recently come from Bangor.
He introduced himself as a Mr.. Shaw, son of
Charles Shaw ESQ.,, of Dexter, Me-, prom
inent gentleman with whom / was personally
acquainted. The young man said that he had
just returned from Europe, and, among other
valuable curiosities, he had brought home
spendidly illustrated encyclopedia, and re-
quested me TO step into his room, which was
on the second floor in the rear of Sears build
ing, at the head of State street, and examine
it, l readily accompanied him to his room,
where another man was sitting at table en-
gagged in writing on slips of paper. Shaw i'm
mediately asked his companion, have they
arrived? and the reply was Not yet The
man at the table was making figures on
piece of paper, and asked me to guess the
number of one of them. / declined; but as he
pressed the matter. guessed the number 40,
and he said it was 60 guessed the number
80, when he said it was 30. Shaw was standing
close by me during the proceeding, and from
that moment knew nothing more until was
informed by these parties that I had been
gambling. l protested that l had not, as L
knew no game of chance, nor hardly knew one
card from another. They still persisted that /
had been gambling, and as evidence produced
certain checks, drawn on the Merchants
bank. One was for $500 and one other was
for $4,000. The signatures appeared to be in
my own hand, but the body was in another
hand seized the 800 check and tore it to
pieces, which / threw on the floor. The $4,-
900 check they refused to give up, although
/ made repeated demands for it. Thereapen
left the room, and as soon as recovered from
my bewilderment 1 laid the case before the
chief of police, who found the man, obtained
the check, gave it to me, and destroyed IT.
Not desiring public notoriety, and having, as
supposed, secured my checks, l returned to
Bangor and kept silence"
About month ago, aperson came from bos-
ton to Bangor, with check for $4,000, drawn
on the Merchants National Bank, of which
Mr. Blake is president, of even date with the
former check for the same amount hich Mr..
Blake supposed he had destroyed. 1t bore the
signature of Samuel III. Blake. The man did
not present it to the bank or Mr.. Blake, but at
tempted to negotiate it with third parties. In
this he failed, and after leaving it with law
yer for collection, left the city. 1t is said that
one of the same gang of rascals once met an
other prominent and very wealthy citizen of
Bangor in one Of the depots in this city, and
having noticed his name on the handle of an
umbrella which he carried, accosted him, en-
quired for fall the folks at home" etc, etc.,
and finally induced the old gentleman to &C
company him to an upper room in building
on fremont Row. An attempt to fleece the
old gentleman is raid to have been failure,
but there are those who think that such is not
the case, and that, to avoid publicity, the mat
ter was hushed M