Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1883-06-07
THE KING OF sWINDIERs
The Organizer of Bogus Corporations
A Career of Fraud CheeIrad

A Career of Fraud Checked.
James III. Langley, alias DIR. Langley,
alias }. Henry Langley, who is known
throughout the country as the skiing of
Peter Funks," whose arrest at Boston on
the Sd inst. has been announced. for wears
operated in leading cities as a promoter
OF stock-jobbing, corporations" organ
lzed ON paper for swindling purposes.
some weeks ago complaints were made
to Chief Ham, of the Detective Corps. to
the effect that Langley and others were
engaged In huge swindling scheme there.
pretending to be officials of the s'United
states Construction and Investment Com
pany." The complainants asserted that
the company was fraud, and that they
had been feeced of amounts VARYING from
$2OO to $1,000 each. The officers found
that the company had no existence and
that Langley was the same person who
several years ago fled from Boston after
detrauding many people.
The 'cOmpany's" headquarters We're
elegantly fitted up and occupied by a
large number of clerks, mostly victims of
Langley, who had been induced to invest
their savings in order to get situations
and who received no salary, all being
secured" by blocks of stock in the COM
pany. The company sent out a beauti-
fully printed prospectus. setting out that
the concern had 100000 capital stock.
was authorized by charter to buy. sell
and deal in new inventions for railway
service, to secure patents and organize
corporations to develop improvements and
enterprises connected with railway SER
vice, to negotiate for capital to promote
such enterprises; to buy and sell railway
STOCKS and securities, and own real and
personal property necessary or convenient
for the business of the corporation.
The prospectus stated that the company
had correspondents in all railway cities
throughout the world, and the capital
stock was fully paid, with large surplus
IN the treasury. The company was or
ganized under New York laws last year.
the names of the incOrpOratOrs being
given as Alfred FL. Boyd, Alfred II. Ack-
ert and .. ii. JOslyn, of New York. and
John f. Langley and one Martin. The
existence of the three alleged New York
ers could not be ascertained. John f.
Langley was found to be an uncle of
James Henry Langley. Martin saws his
name was forged. Among the assets
claimed bv the company was the whole
town known as Bridgeport, Texas. With
this town the company claimed to hold at
its disposal 100000 200 acres, the value
of which was represented as fabulous.
Inc victims were many, especially among
investors and young men having cash
and seeking employment.
A ''limited live stock express COM
pany," intended to dupe live stock raisers
OF the western States, was also organized
and run by Langley, but how much he
realized from this source is not known.
In addition the officers find that during
the last five years Langley has organ
lied score of bogus concerns.
In 1879 he opened an office here under
the firm name of d. 7. Langley 81 Son, of
New York. The office was to be used as
a N u N no ca1 Of, fo,,
lie advertised for ''Men of capital" many
of whom, it is alleged, he swindled. The
stock at the Agency" was found to con-
sist of square blocks of wood, so labeled
as to convey the impression that they
were packages containing medicines.
Later on he organized the "Anti-Fat and
Anti-Lean Company" under the laws of
New Hampshire; the "The West India
GuanO Company" at Portsmouth: the
Mexican GuanO Company" in Maine; the
Chaplain Anti-FrictiOn Car Box COmpa-
NY" in New York, and the "National
Anti-Friction Car Box Company" at Chi
cagO.
"The Continental Construction Com
pany," which had many victims in Boston.
was another of his schemes In con-
nectiOn with the latter concern was a
Boston gentleman named MOrrell. Later
on the mortgage of the company on the
N
H., was fOreclOsed, and Mr.. MOrrell found
himself held responsible for debts con-
tracted by Langley. Mr.. MOrrell came
out of the investment with loss of fully
100000. After the continental"
Langley started the "Franklin
Foundry Company" in Maine; the
''Anti-FrictiOn Communicating Com
pany, of New York." and the "Jewett
Wrecking Company" at Portland. He
IL Gn1nnGnn To hnxv Fol
crates i'll various parts of the country,
two of whom, it is alleged, are j. Monroe
Hunter and JAS, De Vaudeville, who, last
September, opened an office at Boston and
sWindled many people, and who are under
Indictment at Northampton for sWindling
farmers by raising notes given by them
for moving machines. Langley is said to
have served a term in the New York
Penitentiary, and also to have several in
dictments standing against him in the
West.
The costly furniture and trappings of
the office of the "COnstructiOn Company
were mOrtgaged by him some time ago.
Some weeks ago John II. Langley wrote
to the doctor" who was stopping in
New York, that he was impoverished, and
asking that his stock be turned into
money, adding that if he was not cared
for he would expose the who'd party.
The Doctor replied, telling the uncle he
would see him in Boston this week. The
reply fell into the hands of the police and
led to DIR. Langley's arrest. He is now in
Jail under bonds of $4,000, which will
probably be increased to 100000. During
the past few weeks he has been in New
York making arrangements to establish
the headquarters of his land syndicate
there. He recently opened an office on
Broadway, and it is understood that many
sharp New Workers were associated with
him i'm the pnternriSp