Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1882-09-25
A Sneaking Swindling Scheme.

A Sneaking Swindling Scheme.
The following is an account of the swind
ling scheme charged against Jas. w. Harris
of Boston, who was arrested in Portland,
Sunday:
Several weeks ago the following advertise
ment appeared in the Bangor Commercial:
WANTED..,An out of town lady to do four
Nv hours Of copying at home; % per week.
Work sent. 1. A. CAMPBELL,
Box 796, Portland. Maine.
This advertisement was also published in
Belfast, Rutland, VT. and New London,
Conn.,, and probably in other places.
Answers soon began to come in to box 1916,
in Portland pOstoffice. Then 1T. A. Camp
bell" sent to each of the applicants for work
the following circular:
Office of Thomas A. Campbells Female Bureau of
Employment, No. l70 Middle street, Room 5, Oppo.
site Post Office. All kinds of female help procured
at short notice.
PORTLAND. Maine. Sept. 4. 1882.
Dear Madame,-I have secured you the situation
as copyist and you can 60 TO work immediately at
% per week, as soon as my fee of 81 IL received,
which must be before any work can be obtained.
have great many who ask if the fee be taken
from the first weeks wages. 1t cannot, for after
get you the situation have nothing to do with it,
The work is for responsible parties and If sat
i:factory will be returned by me. If you wish the
many applicants. Yours truly,
THOMAS A. CAMPBELL,
Box 796, Portland, Me.
T. S.-Please use the enclosed envelope I'D there
will be need OF going to the expense of register
ing or sending money order, and all losses will be
borne by me. ia. CAMPBELL.
As soon as the applicant received this cir
cular, in nine cases out of ten, she sent the
dollar demanded, and of course heard no more
from IT. A. Campbell"
Thus matters were going on, until the at
tention of the authorities was called to the
swindle in the following manner. Abont a
week ago Postmaster Goddard received let
ter from lady in Rutland, Vermont. asking
if 'T. A. Campbell was a reliable man etc,
and enclosing copy of the advertisement
and circular. She had probably been
swindled, and proposed very justly, to sift
the matter to the bottom.
Postmaster Goddard called the attention of
the United States District Attorney and Mar
shall to the fact that large mails were con-
stantly coming to Campbell directed to the
above box. They Immediately took steps to
apprehend the man engaged in this sneaking
swindle.
1t was ascertained that there W as no occu-
pied room at 10 Middle street, and that no
one had occupied it for some time. No man
by the name of Campbell had ever had an
Office there.
Mail was taken from the box Saturday.
Sunday the number of letters in the box was
about $50. These were of three kinds
First there were applications for situation;
second, there were the letters containing the
money; and third, there were anxious and
urgent inquiries as to where the situation wa.
and demanding the return Of the money if
the work was not to be forth coming.
Sunday forenoon James w. Harris was ar
rested by United States Deputy Marshals
Marble and Smith, as has been previously
published. The T. A. Campbell and James
w. Harris are supposed to be the same.
On Thursday Harris was before Commits
sioner Rand in Portland. on charge of max
ing use of the United States mails to swindle
people. Eta NJ. Eddy, Susie P. Spratt,
Belle Y. Parsons, Alice J. Cummings and
Annie L. Buzzey of Bangor, testified that
they had answered the advertisement. They
identified the letterswritten by them as part
ofthe mail taken from the post office by Harris.
Postmaster Goddard and Assistant Postmas-
ter Emery testified to a knowledge of the
swindle, and gave the result of their investi-
cations. Deputy Marshal Marble and l..
Clifford Wade testified in relation to con-
versations which they had with the prisoner
Harris employed no COUNSEL and contented
himself with simply affirming his innocence.
He was bound over for his appearance before
the United States grand jury, and in default
Of S2500 bail was recommitted to Jail.