Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1882-04-11
AN IMMENSE sWINDLE.
A Large Consignment of Hemp Proves
to be Only Mating.

BOSTON, April III.
special from New York to the Journal
says; The ship Richard Robinson arrived
from Hong Kong and had cargo of what
was supposed to be hemp shipped by Vogel
Brothers of that place. Since the vessel
began to discharge a big swindle has been
discovered. Instead of being hemp large
portion of the cargo was nothing but mating,
done up in bales, represented and made out
in bills of lading as hemp. The cargo was
for New York and Boston parties, the names
of whom have not been learned. Messrs. J.
Waterbury & Co., of this city, ordered two
thousand bales through Rechnagel & Co, As
Beaver street, who also acted as agents for
other merchants.
About five thousand bales of the cargo
proved to be mating, worth S. per bale,
which had been paid for as hemp at $50 per
bale. Vogel Brothers obtained letters of
credit from representatives of American
bankers in Hong Kong who paid the money,
supposing the cargo was all hemp. The
loser is doubtless Rechnagel & Co. Ship
containing the cargo is owned by Snow &
Burgess, &c South street. The vessel was
chartered by Z. Vogel, of this city. brother
of the Hong Kong firm.
The house of Vogel { Co., Hong Kong, has
done large business in hemp, silk and other
goods between China and America and
Europe. Very recently English and French
consignees of the firm received several car
goes of cheap fourth rate silks in place of
first class goods ordered and paid for Hardly
had the investigation been begun when the
arrival of the ship Richard Robinson, in
New York, for the same house, exposed an
extensive fraud of the same nature In the
meantime steps to apprehend the head of the
house at Hong Kong by means of cable, or
ders to arrest him resulted in the receipt of a
dispatch saying he had sailed on the last
steamer, probably for France.
Detectives endeavoring to find him at the
time he was expected to arrive. but he has
been traced, it is believed, to Italy. His
captured is well nigh disposed Of, though the
pursuit is being made as rapidly as possible.
The silk shipped to Europe by Vogel Co.,
is worth not much more than $40 per bail.
1t was paid for at the rate of nearly $500
The losses Of the consignees reported amount
to about $4,000.
NEW YORK. April 10.
L. Rechnagel, of the firm of Rechnagel &
Co., said to be swindled in the cargo of the
vessel ''Richard Robinson" said. this after
noon: "We are disinclined to talk of this
matter until some step is decided upon by
the several firms interested in the matter.
and this cannot be done for two or three DAYS
vet. VI course there is some irregularity.
but the entire amount cannot be ascertained
until the cargo is all out We never pur-
chased goods for Waterbury & Co. We i'm
port for our firm alone and sell here. We
have some hemp on the vessel, because that
appears on the mates book. The captain
fSmith) signed for hemp and mating. part
of the cargo, under the general head of mer
chandise, something think he ought not to
have done. What we will lose l do not
know but of court we will lose
The firm of Burgess & Co., owners of the
vessel, refused to say anything about the mat
ter further than that they knew vogel L Co..
to have been engaged in somewhat similar
crooked transactions last December and that
they were satisied that this last business
vas fraudulent.