St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-05-14
q. @. Johns, Alias Stahl, Arrested on
Charge of Perpetrating Fraud
Through the Mails.
Citizens Appear Before the Board of
Public Works and Discuss Street
Openings.
Mai. Edwards, the Fat Editor From
Fargo, n Guest in ST. Paul.
Rotunda Gossip.
uon--Boycotters Arrested--Gil-
more Tonight.
COME TO GRIEF.
A Young Man who Dealt In Old
Postage stamps.

a Young Man who Dealt in Old
Postage stamps.
On a warrant for the apprehension OF
Horace c. Jones, Maj. Bracket yesterday
arrested Frederick Stahl Jr.. who has
been employed as clerk in the jewelry
store of Henry Bockstruck. No. IL East
Seventh street. The charge preferred
against the young man, who is only Is
years of age, is ''devising scheme to de-
fraud by the use of United States mails"
The prisoner was brought before United
States Commissioner CORDOBA and his eN-
animation postponed until to-day. Mean
while he languishes in. jail. The modus
operandi OF Stahl or Jones (the former his
correct name) was, if the complaint is not
in error, such as TO prove him an expert
swindler. He carried on traffic in post
age stamps both foreign and domestic and
and dealt not only with other dealers in the
same materials. but also with those people
who have a mania for collecting that use
less sort of truck. Cancelled stamps. He
did dual business also, one being i'll st.
Paul under his true name and as far as as
certained perfectly straight and legitimate
and the other through the Minneapolis
poStof1ice under the name of Horace Z.
Jones and which was fraudulent He Sc
cured stamps from ali the dealers he could
induce tn send them on promise to remit
but never RENTED for any of them. He
advertised i'll all the philatelic publications
of the country Offering to sell all kinds OF
stamps. foreign and domestic at very low
prices. and when remittanceS came to him
pocketed the money and did not send the
stamps He used this method to secure
stamps which he sold in his business carried
on under his own name. He also started
to publish to Minnesota PhilateliSt "a
quarterly journal in the interest of stamp
collections" two numbers of which have
been used the last bearing date of April this
year. In the first column of this paper oc-
ours these words: ''Philatelic publications
are becoming too numerous just now" The
publishers are ''F. Stahl IL Co., II West
States of America The fraudulent use of
the mails was ferreted out by George B.
Kidder. postoffice inspector of Chicago.
Some one who had been Swindled informed
the
POSTOFFICE DEPARTMENT
and Mr.. kidder. to whom the matter was
given. went to Minneapolis to look up Jones.
He found that Jones had a box at the post
office, but invariably got his mail nights so
that no one knew him. However, he
ONE registered letters, for which he
was obliged to go the Office III the day
time. Large quantities of mail came to the
Office for him. and MI. Kidder waited two
days to get sight of him, but was obliged
to return to Chicago without it. This was
three weeks ago, and Mr.. Kidder requested
Postmaster Laraway TO have Jones shad-
owed the next time he came to get money
order cashed and to take good look at him
for subsequent identification. The next
night Jones got his mail, and day or two
afterward applied for the cash on an order.
He was spotted, and all the clerks took a
good look at him. The man appointed to
shadow him was led hard chase of two
hours. and was finally eluded, Jones evil
IDENTIFY having caught on. Mr.. Kidder was
afraid he would have to give him up. but
secured the addresses of many parties who
had been swindled aud also got large
number of letters written by Jones, some
of which are obscene enough to make the
sender guilty of circulating obscene litera-
ture. All the parties who had been swim
died stated that although Jones letters were
dated at Minneapolis they were mailed at
st. Paul. This was new clue. which led
to the discovery of the fact that Stahl was
in the stamp business. Mr.. kidder called
on Stahl to buy stamps. and got his descrip-
ton; then got Postmaster Larraway to come
down and take a look at him. The
letter identified Stahl as Jones. When
arrested yesterday Stahl was taken to the
Minneapolis pOst0fiice, where seven en-
ployes Immediately identified him as Horace
c. Jones, with whom they had either done
business or whom they led looked over the
last time he called on purpose for identifi-
cation. Stahl insisted he never was in
Minneapolis but once in his life, and denied
everything. at the time of his arrest a
quantity of stamps was found and set of
BOOKS of the stamp business, but StahE said
hese books were written up by his partner.
Jones' used very seductive letter head
printed in gilt. as follows:
Published monthly by the rector of the
House of the Good Shepherd. Office of the
Rector's Messenger, Melville c. Jones, pub
Usher, P. o. box $40, Minneapolis, Mimi.
This scheme advertises the Rev. Melville
c, Jones, who is represented as being the
father of Horace G.. Jones. Some of the
letters written by Jones were signed Mel
vile G. Jones, who wrote that he was sick
and unable to write. In some of the letters
ALSO the trusting recipient is given the name
of Rev. Melville G. Jones as a reference
for the good character of Horace C. Jones.
In one of his letters Jones calls some Chi
cago people with whom he has had dealings
all kinds of vile names. and told them that
he was about to invent new scheme and
would bet he would take them in. He also
wrote that he was going to THAT paradise
for cashiers, Canada"