Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1884-1886, 1885-08-23
BOGUS Cattle Kft,o
Who Rode the High Horse in Wichita .
Whole Week, but did not get away
With Much Doodle.

When q city becomes noted abroad ~
booming red hot town every imaginable
species of frauds select it as good field for
their operations The past week or two has
been rich in incident Of this kind. There
vas McIntire the bogus artist and painter
who skipped out when the EAGLE exposed
him, but the boss fraud was the fellow who
sailed under the cognomen of Benjamin
Bradley, the miilionair Cattle King Of the
Chino Valley, Arizona, who has been flying
high the past two weeks, but who skipped
yesterday morning leaving his name good
for amounts variously estimated at $500,
but careful investigation discovers only
about $500 actually got away with.
The alleged Brady is rather gentleman
ly appearing man, about IS years old, of
good address, and as one man expresses it,
.'oil finish" He kept rather quiet in town a
few days, catching onto the lay of the land
and then started out to buy all the cattle in
the county; all the fine teams and carriages
in town. He represented himself to be big
cattle king of the Chino Valley, Arizona,and
the owner of big ranch with thousands of
cattle not far from Prescott, that territory.
He said he had been sick some time and had
run out of cash. He employed physician
and report SAYS borrowed, some say SOS
and some say 500 from him. He went to
one of our jewelry stores and bought
fine gold watch and chain and en-
gagged other jewellery to the amount Of about
5000. At least, this jeweler told brother
in the trade that he had sold that amonnt to
one man. The racket he gave the jeweler
and all his prospective victims was that his
son had sold cattle that had brought in $780,
900, and he was to send on draft for $780,
900, then he would pay everything and buy
more. 1t is needless to say the draft never
came. Following is list of his purchases
on this racket, as far as our reporter could
gather:
W. p. Popenoe, fine pair of black horses,
$500; Harry Hill, pair spotted ponies, 500,
Parkinson, Glount & Kelly, three fine rigs,
5000; Bush & Rodgers, fine team, $500; all
John Reeses cattle, Major Burr's cattle,
and almost everything Mr.. AL
ley, brother of j. II. Alley,
had on his place, SO that he was about to
discharge his help and suspend business
altogether From this he was deferred, how
ever, by the advice of friends, until tho cash
showed up. The jeweler who made the big
sale was the principal looser, but his loss
was not near what it would have been had
he not become little suspicious and taken
back the fine gold watch and gave him
cheaper one The chain and watch he got
away with were worth about 500. He got
$25 suit at Biting Bros, and was to make
them present of SIS COW. 1t is said that
he got SIS, and others say 500, from DR..
Furley, and was to make him present Of
fine team. DR.. Kirkland, at Bush &
Rogers, who is acquainted in the
country he hailed from, was taken
in because the fellow named several men he
knew in that country. Doc stood good for
his board for which small favor he was to
be taken to the Chino valley and set up in
the ranch business to be converted into a
| millionaire. He also contemplated mar
| riage and in enc of Parkinson, Glunt i
Kelley's fine carriages and Bush & Rodger;
high stcppers was figuring for wife.
His woman scheme. Mt least III one family
was frustrated BY friend Of the family who
was satisfied he Was fIaud. John Kelly
of the Southwestern carriage repository
bough, him at $3.50 whip. 1t is impossible
to ascertain just how much he got away
with because the victims are ashamed o.
it and claim they got everything back. The
list of transactions named is not all, but the
rest are comparatively small. He showed
letters and dispatches alleged to have beer
received from his son. 1t is generally sup
posed he intended to work in some heavy
draft in these transactions and get the excess
of his purchases in cash, then skip, but hs
probably saw that his prospective dupe
were getting suspicious and he skipped, yes
terday morning. The last seen Of him wa
at II o'clock the night before. He then sait
he was going out in the country to look a
some more cattle.