The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1883-09-03
THE sCHAMER CRAMER.
The Rock Island Partner III Crime of Fred
Conway, Once of this City, Comes to
Tribulation by Turpitude


From the Dea Moines Register Aug 10th.
A Davenport telegram brings the intel
ligence that Fred A. Cramer, for several
years Superintendent of the water works
of Rock ISLAND, Ill.,, which position lac
held till superseded last April had been
discovered to be an embeZzler to the
extent of 1000 or more, and that he
was arrested and compelled to go to jail
on failure to provide $4,000 bail And
hereby hangs a Renaissance which will
bring to mind the connection of Mr..
Cramer with Fred Conway. formerly of
this city, in a little sensation in Des
Moines in the spring of 1880, and which
led to the ordinance passed by the council
for the purchase of the Works here by
the city. Cramer's action at the time
was rather under a cloud, and some of
the alderman, notably Mr.. Brady, were
under the impression that ''Ihe schamer
Cramer" was as deep in tie mire as
Conway. 1t will be remembered that
previous to the purchase of the water
works the members of the council made
a tour OF leading cities and investigated
various water works. Among the cities
visited was Rock Island, and MIR. F. A.
Cramer, the superintendent there, an
engineer of hitherto excellent reputation,
and who had impressed most of the
members as an honest man and courteous
gentleman, was solicited to make min
ute examination of the water works and
get up an estimate of their money value,
their capacity, etc, and he came on here
for that purpose, the city to pay him $50
for his trouble. Mr.. Cramer went to
work, and spent several days in an ex-
haustive examination. Before writing
out his notes, Cramer went back to Rock
Island, and said he would send his
report here by mail AT this point Of his
story, our readers will probably begin TO
recall the circumstances, especially when
we bring in the name of Fred. Conway,
who appeared at Polk and HubbelPs office
in the latter part of April, and claimed
to have two reports from Mr.. Cramer
and had them for sale. Mr. Hubbell,
suspecting the game, told him to call an
other time, which he did and, at a time
when the firm had short hand reporter
concealed in an adjoining room to. take
down Conway's proposition Mr. Conway
soon unbosomed himself, and did it
rather unblushingly His two reports he
said were somewhat similar, except in
the amount which the city was recon
mended to pay for the works; if Polk and
Hubbell would pay him Conway So, 500
and 50, 500 for Cramer, the one recommen
ding payment of S305. 900 would be sent
to the council; in case p. & H. did no
"come down" then the report recon-
mending the price to be paid at 5000, 00C
would be sent in. When Conway go'
thrOgh talking the short hand man, Mr. c
A. Mosier, was brought in from the adioin
ing room, ard Conway informed thai
what he had said was done in black and
white. The blackmailer wilted plead fol
mercy, was allowed to get out, and has
never returned to the city since. On
hearing of Gonway's failure to extort tht
So, 900 from the Water Company officer
Cramer wrote to Aid Williams, claimin.
to have been victimlzed by Conway, wht
said, had represented to him that he wa
an agent of the water company, ant
that if Cramer would permit him to taxi
a copy of his report previous to sending
it to the council, the company woult
make him liberal present; that he gave
his report to Conway, who not onl,
copied it and changed the amount $500
900 to 1906, 000 but also forged his nam
to the changed report. This charge o
forgery against Conway it was safe fo
him to make, as his whereabouts thel
were and since then have been unknown
But this latest news, as to Cramer's embe2
element of funds, will probably dissipat
any doubts that some might have ha,
that he was fully as culpable as Conwa,
in the scheme to extort SIS, 900 from Poll
and Hubbell and swindle the city out o
$105, 900.
p. S.-Since the above was written, i
has been asGertaned that Conway wa
seen by a gentleman of this city few
weeks ago ''roughing it in Winnipeg
will he remembered that one Seymore
who kept the Quiet Place" afterwar
the Marble Hall Saloon, and who dis
appeared under financial fog, leaving
mistress here in bad circumstances. ha
been partner with Conway in the COT
business. Seymore went from here /
Cedar Rapids, and is now said to b
tending bar in Chicago. The two Will
here had at one time plenty money, BIT
fast women and whiskey made them per
niless and unscrupulcus.