Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1883-04-08

Se rsreived no less than $500 in q
inmn rom him. Druseovich was
bronpbt into the affair by Meiklejohn.
Druseoyich had a brother who either
fell into bad ways or was unlucky
in his business, and 80 m"He
heavy demands for assistance. IN
his difficulties DruscOvich applied l9s
advice to Meiklejohn, who was an oiu
friend of his. Meiklejoin Immediately
afterward introduced him 10 hutr'
Kurr lent DrIscovich $500 without ask.
ing receipt or security, and from that
time forward the detective was IN the
power Of the swindler.
The offices in which the swlndiers
carried On their business was within
two minutes walk of Scotland YARD
police station. In place OF keeping
away from the trap the thieves wanted
to lie as near it as possible, for the SIM
nile reason that i'll place OF having
enemies there, they had friends. In
the correspondence which took place
Scotland Yard was constantly men.
toned as the "shop" or the factory,
and the swindlers knew as well what
was going on there as if they had been
officers in the place.
When the $4,000 was sent them by
Madame Goncourt, the swindlerS had
great difficulties to contend with. Inc
fraud having been detected, the
swindlers had the double difficulty OF
preserving themselves from arrest, ana
of getting rid of the bank notes sellt
by their victim, the numbers of when
were known. The detectives came 10
their aid, and Meiklejoin In particular.
On the 10Th and 9th of September,
1876, Abrahams, the prosecuting attor-
ney, made application for warrants, but
| on the 26th the thieves had already got
warning, and had disappeared from
| their office. Druscovich, who had been
employed by Abrahams, had i'm
rlediately informed Kurr and his friends
| of their danger. Benson and some
others of the swindlers went to Scot
land, and there
Got Rid ofSome Of the Notes.
The matter then rested for a while.
Ahrahams, who suspected that he was
not getting proper assistance from the
| police, offered a reward of s., 900 for in
formation. MeiklejOhn then again
came on the scene. Meiklejohn's
| father lived at the bridge of Allan, in
| Scotland, and Meiklejohn was well
known there, and of course from his
position was regarded as a man Of in
tegrity. Meiklejohn, Benson and Kurr
met at the bridge of Allan, where the
swindlers were introduced to the mana
ger of the bank there as respectable
men. The introduction took place on
a Sunday, the swindlers, Meiklejohn,
Benson and Kurr, and Mr.. Monteith,
the manager, dined together. In the
| midst of the dinner a telegram was
brought in, announcing that the where
abOuts Of the swindlers had been dis
covered, and that DruscOvich was on
his way to arrest them.
This information was sent to them
by Palmer, another of the detectives in
| the swindle. The swindlers Immediately
| decamped. Kurr went to Edinburg,
there met Druscovish by arrangement,
and settled the plan Of operations.
Druscovich having spent the greater
part of the day with Kurr continued on
bis Journey to the bridge of Allan, and,
of course, did not find either Kurr or
Benson there, reporting to that effect.
| Benson, meantime, was sent out OF the
way, to Rotterdam, but on attempting
to change one of the notes was dis
covered, and taken into custody by the
Dutch authorities.
Even at this crisis his friends did
not desert him. An attorney in their
pay, one Froggart, sent forged tele-
| gram purporting to come from the
| English authorities, ordering the release
| of Benson. The Dutch authorities,
| however, were not so easily imposed
| upon, but retained Benson in custody,
| and two detectives were sent over from
| Scotland Yard to procure his eNtradi-
ton. Among the detectives to whom
this task was allotted was DruscOvich,
but Druscovich was watched by others
and could do nothing. The detective
could not help feeling that in bringing
the swindler to justice he was at the
same time marching TO his own doom.
! Finally Kurr was arrested, heSuperin-
tendent taking care nobody but him
self should know the issue Of the war
rant.
The convict Kurr was placed in the
witness box, his head closely cropped,
his dress sack of ugly tweed, and on
his arm the mark of the beast-a broad
arrow, the sign by which is known
everything that belongs to the State,
from the blanket of soldier to the
body of
The Convicted FeIOn.
The look OF Kurr was not unprepos-
sessing. His face bore the double en-
preston of good humOr and determin-
alton. The features were regular, the
forehead high, the mouth firm. He
was about five feet six in height, and
had the appearance of having great
strength. Altogether he had the air of
a man who was determined to make
the most of the world, but who, at the
same time, was philosophical enough
to take misfortune patiently when it
chose to come. He gave his evidence
with great humor, was smiling all the
time, and frequently set the whole
Court in a roar, The account Of his ex-
ploits was given with dry wit, and alto
gether, Kurr spoke like a man who
laughed at the worlds folly, and regard
cd himself as very good joke. He
had preserved every single one of the
letters which the grasping Scotch de.
tective had sent him, had them dock
eted and placed them in the hands of a
trustworthy custodian. When he was
sent to prison the letters still remained
and the agent of the Crown had only to
go and get them.
WheR Benson succeeded to Kurr the
contrast between the two men struck
verybody, and a visible shudder passed
through the Court. Benson's appear
ance was Enthusiastically Jewish, and
Jewish of a bad type. He had a large
nose, and full Nubian lips. His eyes
were, perhaps, the most peculiar feature
OF his face. They were large, very dark,
and usually had what the nOvelists call
a dreamy and far.ofi look. When BEN
SOD spoke sympathetic and inexperi-
enced observer would have begun to
lose the prejudice which the mans APP
pearaifce created. He had full, nusi-
cal voice, and in bis method Of modu-
lating it you saw the marks of his
French training. After the manner Of
Frenchman his voice rose and fell
with the sentence, and so his words had
a melodious cadence that somewhat re-
minded one Of Salvini in "Othello"
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