The daily Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1878-1???, 1882-01-31
AN EVIDENT FRAUD.

In Saturdays Springfield Register APP
pears the following account of cruel
joke perpetrated upon several of the citi-
zens of Pittsfeld, Ills, by man claiming
to be patient in the Cairo pest-house -
1.-THE Pike County Democrat gives an &C.
count of Il cowardly attempt at startling
sensation attempted in Pittsfeld within the
past few weeks. 1t appears that on Sum
day, January 9Th, about dozen persons in
Pittsfeld received through the mail, cards,
on one side of which was glued small bit
Of cloth surrounded by large ring, above
which was the word Garfield and below
'Memento;' on the reverse, "A piece of the
coat worn by president Garfield when shot
July 2, 1881. Garfield Monument Asso-
ciation.' The envelope in which the cards
were enclosed bore the postmark of some
Ohio railroad, but not distinguishable.
There was very little attention paid to the
cards rs their authenticity was doubted.
On Tuesday, January 2Sth, however, let
ter dated January 2lst, was received by the
editor of the Old Flag, directed TO Edi-
tor of Paper Pitts6eld,' from Cairo, Ills,
fIom man signing himself p PALMER, M.
d., which stated, in substance, that party
whose name he was not at liberty to give
was under his care and dying, who confess
ed that some few weeks ago he got vest
from a corpse who died of smallpox and
sent pieces of it to number Of people in
Pittsfield who had injured him and made
him leave there, putting them on cards as
Garfield mementos. He told the doctor if
he felt so disposed to write to the banker
at Pittsfeld, and tell him things were now
even. The doctor goes on in the letter to
say that the statements of the patient may
be the rawlings OF delirium, but as he is
dying with the disease there may be some
foundation for it, as he thought from what
he had seen of the man he was capable OF
the Infamous idea, etc, etc. The letter bore
no postmark and the three cent stamp was
cancelled by lead pencil marks For short
time the exhibition of the letter created
some excitement in Pittsfeld, the Democrat
says il soon died out as the entire COM
munity regard it as villainous attempt at
a hoax, and treat it accordingly. AS nearly
three weeks have elapsed since the cards
with the alleged infected clothing attached
to them were received, and no one hos yet
taken the disease, the people of Pttsfeld
have no reason for alarm"
From some portions of the above one
would be led to believe that the person
who perpetrated the joke was himself af-
flicted with the smallpox or some other
fatal disease and was lying in the Cairo
pest-house or some other house under the
care of "P. Palmer, NJ. Dr. But such be-
lief would be wrong. No person or ply.
stefan of that name is known in this city
The Cairo pest-house is now in charge Of
DR.. Garter, the marine surgeon; it was, FOL
short time, in charge of Dr. Wood, thu
county overseer of the poor; the patients
are nursed by negro named Charley
Johnson, and neither one of these know
anything about patient who made the
death-bed confession referred to in the
above item. Nor has any patient of the ma
rine hospital station, nor of the st. Mary's
hospital made any such confession. The
whole affair seems to be All ingeniousiy con-
ceived scheme to terrorize the little town
of Pittsfeld That the pieces of cloth
were sent seems to be fact, and it il
probable that up. Palmer, NJ. d." and the
are one and the same person.