Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1886-12-19

knows TO be a tissue of lies and which may
cause the recipients untold anxiety, grief
and misery until they find out the untruth-
fulnesS of the statements. Why, such no
ticeS are net untrequently the cause of
death itself, in the case of persons who
are subject to heart disease and nervous
troubles. If an eXcitable man or nervous
woman had received one Of these letters
and had fallen over dead from the shock.
| what could have prevented the arrest of A.
Barclay as a murderer? His crime is one
of the meaneSt and most deteStable that
can be imagined. He is said to be feet
inches tall. Morally he must be about
one-sixteenth of al inch high. He is want
ed on the technical charge of using the L.
5. mails to eXtort money fraudulently and
it is likely that he can be tried on this
charge. He should be given the full eX-
tent of the law.
There is a funny side to the scheme,
however. Think of Barclay describing
Springfield in the style of first-class
Michigan lumber camp, aud telling at
length, with narrowing details, how this
mythical cousin, or long-lost brother, or
dear friend of the one hundred persons
whom he addressed. had fallen into the
river while rafting logs. It's a wonder he
did not send lumber schedule and price
list for building ships in the great dry-dOcks
of Springfield, so as to give an air of sin
cerity to the whole affair. His letter was
masterpiece, but-in Iamlet's wOrdS-the
/ letter doth protest too much" He knew
too well the value of those breach-lOading
revOlvers and OvercoatS of the unfortunate
drowned man. Then the statement that
the Miami Lumber Co. had engaged the
man without inquiring his name would
not wash in any kind of water. The idea
of having a printed bill-head of the Miami
/ Lumber Co." shows careful foresight and
a genius for swindling. The scheme was a
masterpiece and, Notwithstanding the few
faulty points, there is little doubt that Bar
clay made considerable money by it. Still,
the same ingenuity and business ability ex-
ercised in legitimate channels would have
brought much larger return. Considered
as a whole, however, the scheme entities
Barclay to enduring fame among the
. Knights of Industry.
The above swindIing scheme took advan-
tage of the same general trait of human ma
ture as that played on bv that shrewd
Frenchman chirdlier d'indiLstriG who ad-
dressed letters to prominent and wealthy
residents of Paris, something like the fol-
, lowing: ''MOnsieuT-I have found out your
secret in a certain unlOOked-fOr way, and
swear to you that will reveal all unless
you come down handsomely. You may ar
rest me for black-nail. but that will not
profit you, for will tell all at the trial
| yours truly -" In many cases the par
ties addressed were afraid that the fellow
had actually found out their family skeleton
| in the closet, and would find some way to
blab it, unless paid, so they would weakly
send him a certain sum to buy his silence.
TINS was the worst possible thing to do,
since the fellow. who really knew nothing,
Immediately became aware that the citizen
really had skeleton in the family closet,
and left no stone unturned until he found
what it was. Possessed of this knowledge
| he could bleed his victim at his leisure.
Another story is told of a Chicago man,
and his receipt for getting new umbrella.
He would stand in the doorway of block
on downtown street on rainy day. Sud