Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1884-03-26
A Pension Swindler.

For three years past the Special
Examiners of the United States Pen
sion Office have been engaged in a
futile chase of an elusive ubiquitous
counterfeit of themselves, who under
half hundred aliases, the most worn
of which are Captain j. W. jerks,
Captain Thomas, A. C. Webb and
Rev. James Andrews, has swindled
the veterans of the country out of
over $4,000 He was run to earth
at Marietta in November last by Ex-
amiper Sprague, of this city, and
clapped in Lancaster Jail, on e make
shift charge of carrying concealed
Weapons clasp knife and two re-
volvers. His term expired on Thurs
day and yesterday he was brought to
this city, and, waving hearing, was
committed in default of $1,000 bail
by United States Commissioner Phil
ips.
Such weight Of aliases conceal
jerks identity that his true name
has not yet been discovered, nor has
his original residence been brought
to light He is about fifty years old,
a little man about FIVE feet six inches
in height, with kinky yellow hair and
a corn silk moustache There is a
peculiar droop in the lids of his shifty
eyes.
WHERE HE HAS OPERATED.
He began his work in Indiana three
years ago. He has worked there and
in Pennsylvania, New York and Ohio
since. He has married two wives in
this State in the meantime and one
in Ohio. All were wealthy widows,
whose property he appropriated
Two instances of his regular work
and one of wanton and proftless de-
ception will illustrate his methods
and make clear his recent history
1t was in September that he visited
State Line Bridge and found Grip
pied veteran there who wanted his
pension Of 81 month increased.
"Only seven dollars a month ?"
said jerks. I'VE never pay seven
dollars a month it should be eight
dollars, at least. I'll fix that for you
now"
He calmly took the pensioners GER
tifcate and voucher and altered the
amounts. He charged the veteran
five dollars for it and the bare faced
fraud was not discovered until the
veteran came to draw his quarter
pension at the agency in this city -
1t is for this, the least crafty of his
tricks, that jerks is held.
HIS LONG LOST DAUGHTER.
In October he went to Washing
ton, n. j., and perpetrated IL fraud
which caused great excitement at the
time and which looks like practical
joke. There was a girl commander
of boat on the canal at Washington
all of whose family but herself and
her father had been drowned in a
flood in 1863. The father had been
the penitentiary at Buffalo, N. Y, at
the time of the catastrophe and had
never returned. jerks personated
the father and reclaimed his long
lost daughter. The fact was herald
ed throughout the country. The
next phase of jerks masquerade was
a proposition to buy the girl house
and mill for $4,000. He went so far
as to have the title searched and then
disappeared on the day transfer was
to have been made, with nothing to
show for the two weeks time he had
lost but an overcoat and pair of rub
Der boots.
1t was Just before last falls cleo
ton that jerks landed, one rainy ev-
ening, on the dock at Burlington, N
J. He was then the Reverend james
Andrews, but still special examiner,
with United States detectives STAR
He met a man on the wharf to whom
he explained his bogus mission and
said that he wanted to get board in
the private house of some pious vet
eran. He was sent to a Methodist
exhorter named Bowen, who was a
Grand Army man. jerks duped this
man and through him got at the vet
Grams. He said that he was specially
directed to adjust claims for increas-
ed pensions, and that on account of
the expense attendant on the search
of the records in such cases the gov
ernment exacted from $3.50 to S5 on
each claim, according to its nature.
He collected ST between Thursday
night and Tuesday morning, when he
was obliged to decamp.
ON HIS TRACK.
Claim Agent Reeves, of Burling
ton, had heard of the examiner who
charged for his services and sent
word to Washington Examiner
Sprague, of this city, was detailed on
the case, but jerks got wind of
Reeves action and fled before the ex-
aminer's arrival The latter trailed
him to Marietta and there pounced
on him. He was just completing az
rangements to extract twenty four
dollars from Marietta pensioners. As
he had not consummated the offense
by receiving the money and the ex-
aminer had no requisition in the New
Jersey case, the latter was at first at
loss. Unluckily for himself, jerks
was armed to the teeth and on the
trivial charge of carrying concealed
weapons he has lain in jail since No
vember 10, while day by day the ex
aminers have gathered further de-
tails of the criminal history of their