Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1882-06-03
CONFIDENCE GAME.
A Swindler Captures the Entire Fortune
of Sacramento Lady.

A swindler Captures the Entire Fortune
of Sacramento Lady.
Mrs. Eliza L. Berry recently had a very
strong confidence game played upon her, and
but for the timely interposition OF brother
in-lsw would have lost some 81, 600. The
facts are as follows On the 18Th of May an
advertisement appeared in a San Francisco
paper stating that a lady was wanted to take
care of orphan children and to do light house
/ work, This came to the attention of Mrs.
Berry, whose husband committed suicide at
{ Joe Goddard's saloon on X street, in this city,
/ about the lst Of last February. be will be
remembered as the proprietor OF what was
known as the Baby Racket on X street,
/ between Fourth and Fifth. His wife was
| the possessor of about 81, 900, which mad been
/ paid her by the Ancient Order Of United
/ Workingmen OF this city as an in
! surance upon her husbands life. She
/ answered the advertisement, and about
/ two weeks ago she received let
| Ter from Lincoln, from one Il. NJ. Saun-
ders, stating that the writer was the party
advertising, and that he would soon be re.
turning to his home at San Francisco and
would call on her here. Saunders mas sew
ersl aliases, and has resided here, and also at
Yountville, Lincoln and San Francisco.
Before calling Saunders made inquiry of the
antecedents of the lady, and learned that she
was possessed of the money above mentioned,
and set himself about to possess 1t. lie
called upon Mrs. Berry, represented to her
that ne was a bookbinder, with place OF
business on Sansome street, San Francisco
thst he was widower with two children, and
owned city residence, also ranch near
Haywards. She engaged oH promise of $50
per month to take charge of the country
place, He assured her that he had Ger
man gardener and woman to do the
cooking, and that she would only be
required to keep house. On these
representations the lady broke up housekeep-
ing here and went to San Francisco with
Saunders. Last Wednesday Saunders
claimed to be temporarily short of money,
and asked the lady for a loan OF $500. Wien
the newly-engaged housekeeper stated that
the money was in bank in this city, Saund-
ers offered to go for it, and prevailed on her
to give him an order for 81, 100. The swindler
procured the money and sent it, for some un
known reason, per Wells, Fargo Il Co. to San
Francisco, in the name OF Charles Holman,
returning to that city himself the same day.
Upon going into the express office here to
transmit the coin, he Unexpectedly met
person whom he had known at Yountville
This disconnected him considersblY-so much
so that mis- hand trembled violently while
counting the money. This agitation was
DOUBTLESS caused from q fear that this person,
seeing him so flush of funds, might be led to
INQUIRE of his manner of becoming possessed
of them. While at the express Office here
he sent some small sums to parties at
Lincoln, whom it is supposed he owed
He also inquired if he would have
any difficulty in getting the money
from the express Office at San Francisco.
mis- return, he obtained the coin from
the express office and deposited 81, 600 with
the clerk of the Russ House and S160 with
the saloon-keeper there, under the name of
Holman. On Thursday the lady met him on
the street and asked him for money. He
told her he had drawn it from the express
Office. Later in the day she visited her
law, who, after hearing the circum-
stances, concluded that his relative had been
swindlea, and informed Captain Lees of the
affair. Lees, with detective John Coffey,
soon found Saunders trail and located the
money ne had deposited, and at 2 o'clock
yesterday morning captured the swindler in
saloon on Montgomery street and placed him
in the City Prison, charged with embezzle
ment They recovered 81, go deposited at
the Russ House, which. with S56 30 found on
Saunders, made 81 SIG 80 recovered. The coz
fdence operator is OF prepessessing appear
snce, AZ years of age and claims to have two
children. Saunders aliases are Miller, CAT
field, S. p. Danforth and Charles Holman.
He is the son of deceased newspaper CORE
spondent named Miller. who several years
ago wrote from Tuolumne county under the
nom de plume of "Sluice Hog" The pris-
oner some months ago tried to obtain $500
IA rf iviu
them situations in Mendocino county.
MERCHANDISE REPORT. The following
freight passed Ogden for Sacramento on the
30th: For A. A. Van VOORHEES, & Co., 2
crates wooden stirrups; Lindley & Co, 20
boxes tobacco, 70 boxes soap, cask prunes,
l box cigars, 10 barrels hams /. Elkus &
Co., case shirts Huntington, Hopkins 4
Co., . cases sledges, 8 cases axes, cases
hinges, I box saws, 235 bundles carriage
springs, 6 boxes hardware, Sc pieces and
bundles iron pipe, 16l bundles iron, 81 bun
dies shovels, boxes door handles, 3 crates
bowls, 600 kegs and boxes Lsils. drums
iron pipe fittings; Adams, Mcneil & Co.,
bales tobacco I. Harper, l box shoes \.
S. Arnold l. Co.. bundles iron; Locke &
Lavenson, , boxes oilcloth Booth Il Co., 80
boxes goldfish; Hall, Luhrs x Co., 20 boxes
Goldfish; Hale Bros. & Co., 3 boxes and 2
bales cotton goods; Continental Oil Com
pauy, 600 cases coal oil; w. d. Comstock,
II boxes chairs; L. L. Lewis & Co., box
stove castings G. II. Gilman, l box dry
goods; A. Meister, box carriage springs, 6
bundles shafts; Neubourg & Lagos, bales
cork; John Breuner, boxes chairs, 2 boxes
brackets, boxes easels, boxes frames w.
A. & c. S. Houghton, 3 cases paper; Kirk,
Geary & Co., Ia boxes medicine Billingsley
& Co., bales broom-corn; Q. 2. r. r.
Company, 80 barrels engine oil, 30 pieces
walnut lumber, box car seals, ! car lnmber;
Capital Soda Works, l box hardware, l
treadle; Holman, Stanton & Co., l box hard
shoes; H. Sulers & Co., case pipes Aitken
Il Fish, boxes slate.
SIGNAL-SERvICE OFFICE REMovED.-The
United States Signal Office has been removed
by order of General W. B. Hazsn, Chief Sig
nal Officer at Washington. from Second and
K streets to the building now occupied by NJ.
7. Brewer & Co. The office was moved on
the LIST of June, without the loss of single
observation Sergeant Barwick was greatly
assisted in his search for information of the
elevations of different points by Mr. Bassett,
the City Surveyor, MIR. Cosby of the State
Engineers office, and Mr. Shearer, train
dispatcher. From the information obtained
from the several parties, it is ascertained that
the city of Sacramento is about 80 feet above
the mean low tide at San Francisco the bot
tom of the river gauge is 05 feet above the
sea level. and the stone stills in Brewer & Co.'s
store is 2S % feet above the bottom or zero
point of the gauge. The cistern of the
signal-service barometer is 67 "a feet above
sea level that is, there is about 81 feet less
atmosphere in vertical line pressing on the
barometer here than there would be on one
placed at the sea level at San Francisco
Parties who may have desire to see an OBJ
servation taken will be admitted if they call
at the signal-service Office at any time from
10:30A NJ to II NJ, or from P N. to 4:30
P. NJ, on any day. The Office is not yet COM
pletely in order, but will be in few days.
ODD FELLOWS BANK CASES The Odd Eel
lows Bank cases have drawn their weary
length along now for two weeks, and still the
end is not yet. On the adjournment of the
Court yesterday the cases were continued I'M
til Judge Williams could go to his own
county, lei Doradol and disnose of q rnurdar