Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1885-04-21
AN OLYMPIA Aso TACOMA Blk M
san RRAstHsce.
is. 2. Chronicls.I

Is. 2. Chronicla.1
One day d, the early part of has,
February 8. " Snith, the patent law
yer. bfonRht a stranger up into
sxJudRe Z. d. Wheelsr's Law cffcs, At
% AontRonery street, and introdueed
him a. krederiek Van Norman, broth
ef lawyer from Washington Territ1 ~.
In taking a mental inventory of the
callers appearance, Judge Wheeler iot-
ted down as items: Age. about 80; com
pAexion, blonde; hair getting thin and
noustache rether imposing; hight I'VE
feet ten inches weight close on to 2OU
POUNDS; clothes verging toward the
shaboy gentsei; general appearance nos
ait0kether prepossessinQ. Van Norman
talked hnently, however, pr0duced q
letter of introduction, or rec3mmenda-
ton. rather, IRON Governor Squire of
Washington, and said be vas DESTROYS
Of getting an sffice in which he could
pursue his calling. Here Smith chimed
in and said te told Van Norman that he
tho1ght Judge Wheelsr's Office would be
just the place for him. Somewhat
aesinst his vii Jndge wheeler took IN
Van Norman as sub-tenant. pot up
partition In the front Office and made
Van Nsrman Comfortable. The agree
nnent was that the newcomer vas 10 pay
one third ths expenses and rent, 70 do
what copying there vas aud to receive
whatever rfaetiee the judge couid
throv in bis way. tn alterations were
oomplsted by the 1st of March. when
Van Norman, after turning np his nose
at the osrpet and desk, settled down.
but made no move toward paying bis
share Of the outlay.
A few days after bis installation Van
Merriam tame hurriediy into tie
Judge's room to ask for go for day or
two. Whsn the day or two were over
be came bustliug up once more and
asked the Judge 10 indorse note for
so, which he would 90 out and cash,
and then pay back the so. Iu the ex
the Judge put his name 20 the paper,
but Il will not be risking the denoue-
ment TO state that the go was not paid
and that the note went 70 protest. Be-
fore this had occurred, however, q card
had bssn left one day from q clerk in
Hawiey Brothers hardware store, oa
Market street addressed to Van Nor
man. Having done business with the
Hawieys and thinking there might be
some mistake, Judge Whealer walked
dewn TO the store and in a very few
minutes learned that tho clerk wanted
20 zee Van Norman to have the satisfac-
ton Of calling him beat. It appeared
that the1sierk was recently married and
having q room TO spare in the house
which be- rented. on Van Ness avenue.
he let IL ont and had the satisfaction Of
securing +. Van Norman as tenant. He
had not, however, had the good luck tn
see any OF Van Norman's money, and
when be made rather pressing demand
for rent Van Norman walked out, trunk
and all. between two days.
This set Judge Wheeler thinking, ard
he weut around to Smith, the introdus-
or. Smith b I'd bean let In for $50, and
knew iiothinR of the man outside of
Sqnires letter of introdu ,tion. Then
j j. Evans. the stationer, kept calling
around with $50 bill for tier heads,
cards, etc. Then the janitor OF the
building came up to get b ick dollar
be had loaned Van Norman. Tnen q
man called Mitchell was q frequent yis-
itor 10 quest of loaned SO, and then
q perfIect string Of creditors. BY this
time NanNOrman was staying away all
the daytime, but was making use OF the
office at night. To stop that, Judge
WheeIsr took of the old lock from the
door, and put on q new one with a
sprinK. Then came the Judges son
With story. Van Norman had sp
proaehed him 10 borEos money and had
shown q 5000 mortgage on a
lumber mill IN Warrington Terri
tory. bat Wheeler iunier telegraph
cd 10 the Recorder a. Tacoma, and
received the briefly energetic answer that
the mortgage was not worth q dash.
Among she stories which Van Norman
had been telliEg and which came TO the
Judges ears was that he had been
robbed In the Palace Hotel and that
sharon bad paid him $50 10 keep the
matter quiet, while another vas that he
had been intFnsted with the oImmis.
si0n to collect an estate Of $4,000 In
Calcutta and wanted the parssr Of a
sfsemer 10 put 40 the price of ticket
on promise Of being paid 3 percentage
on the collection fee.
The interesting advcnturer has also
been throwing his bait In matrimonial
ventures, but up 10 last accoaRts be had
uot snccsedsd In hooking anything.
Van Norman Is ssili in town--l0tter OF
Introduction, mortgage, nanstaehe aud
all bat after this plain statement of
facts Il is question II all thess astrae-
tions will succeed In Disgusting the
fraud