The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1886-03-23
A MOTHER swINDLED
Believing In Her Sons Sickness and
Death.
George Lyons Arrested and Brought
to This City.

Last November, Mrs. Abigail Dykes Of
Dennysville received letter dated at
Machias, November 18th and purporting to
have been written by her son, Charles B.
Dykes. Mrs. Dykes was told in this letter
that her son, who is a sailor, had been Ship
wrecked and was in destitute condition at
Machias having neither clothes or money.
The mother, believing her son to be in
need, sent $12 to the address named in the
letter.
Mrs Dykes apparently received no further
calls for assistance until January, when a
letter dated Portland, January 18th, was re-
ceiyed by her. This letter was signed Charles
B. Dikes,' and contained the inform
alton tAAt SggFAil1feC Charles was coming from
New York to Portland on the schooner May,
Capt. Howard, he was severely hurt in the
side, so severely, in fact, that he was repre-
sented in the letter as being too sick to write
himself and the captain was accordingly do
ing that service for HIM. The letter stated
that Dykes did not want to go to the hospital
and did want money.
Again deceived, Mrs. Dykes sent $lo TO
Portland in care of Capt. Howard. On
January 22d another letter was written from
Portland, this time by the mythical captain
Howard and informed Mrs. Dykes that her
son was dead. She was also written that
the cost of sending the body home would be
1926. The reply was promptly telegraphed,
giving instructions that the body be proper
ly prepared and sent home and asking for
full particulars of the sickness and death
The S25 was sent and the mother received
in reply telegram stating that the body
would be sent on Mondays boat, referring to
the Eastport boat which left Portland on
Monday, January oath.
At Dennysville, arrangements were made
for the funeral, the grave was prepared and
Mrs. Dykes went to Eastport to be there
when the boat arrived. But the boat did
not bring the body Of her son and she then
telegraphed to the supposed Capt. Howard
asking why there was delay. To this last
message no answer was sent and Mrs. Dykes
was left to realize the truth that the letters
she believed to have been written by her
son and the captain of his vessel had, in fact,
been the work of some scamp who had sue
ceeded in swindling her out of some $50.
The matter was not allowed to rest, how
ever, and the clergyman of the church at
tended by Mrs. Dykes communicated the
facts to Mr.. G. A. Woodbury. of this city,
Mr.. Woodbury. having some knowledge of
the vicinity where the Dykes live, Mrs.
Dykes has for some time boarded in the
family of Stephen Lyons at Dennysyille and
suspicion pointed to George Lyons, young
man-27 years of age, as the person guilty of
swindling Mrs. Dykes. Mr.. Woodbury. went
to work on the case and after some time
| spent in hunting up particulars, notified the
Portland police department of the facts. At
the request of City Marshal Hawkes., George
Lyons was arrested in Rowell Mass, and
| Officer Stevens went to that place and
brought him to this city on the Pullman
train Sunday night. Lyons denies being the
| guilty party.
| A letter written by Lyons when compared
with those sent to Mrs. Dykes, shows the
handwriting to be similar and the letter
signed with Lyons name closes with the
words $50 good day." which phrase also is
used in the letters written to Mrs. Dykes
Dykes is known to have been at sea, fa1
away from Maine at the time the letters
were written. Lyons has been sea farine
| man.