Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1886-10-24
AK,sSrn,s nEoosu OF carMs.
wor derful stery Of the NE" NO" o'
der Arrest IN London.
49,, vnrr World.l

der Arrest 10
New York World.
D,,,r,c,. Attorney MARITIME yesterday tele-
,,,a,,had 10 The officials OF Clerkenwcll lni',
1pso, ,nst,,,etions 10 held Orrin Nj. skin.
NO. under arrest there for passing iorgen
pank. o,. England notes. II he cannot o.
cnny,c,ed there he will be extradIted to TINS
con,,,ry % here he Is wanted for forgeries
anil other transactions which In the aggfe'
oate rracb nearly ei.o00,000
orrin 81. skinner, alias Dickson, dllaS
c,uddcr. and a dozen other names, has
made every State in the Union, Can 'dt'
Enoland.. France, Germany, spain. Au'-
TIA. and Portugal suffer from his propen'
sit, for using oihcr peoples names OF
assuming a wealth that he had not bui was
moi long IN getting. lie first Distinguish d
hin s,lf In Springfield, Mass his naive
place, by forging the names OF ~ leis' nan
n dozen reputable gentlemen 70 c1''Ns'
The locsltS becoming too hot TOT hin' -
i'm 1873 went to Chicago, whore ne married
the daughter OF Orville III. BroWning' Sec-
rotary Of The Interior under Abrihim LIN
coin. and became q member OF the IA" nrh
of Goudy, Chandler Il skinner.
HIS residence IN Chicago became Tue re-
,o,t ~ all The capitalists and well-Snown
bnsincss.n en- Of that city. He hobnobDed
with m,iljonaires. and discussed schemes
involving millions with the smartest msn
in lie country. His brain tened Win
brilliant ideas, and finally, towards the end
Of 1878. he formed " bat was called the
Allied Mines Company, becoming presl-
dent thereof, and practically running us
Affairs. This was his most glgantic scheme
for his fraudulent practices he hadlnNented'
and into the net he drew many OF the
smartest men OF the country. Inc Board
Of Trustees was formed OF Senator Preston
II Plumb. president OF the Emporii Ma
tional Bank, Of Emporia, Kan; Senator
Blair, Of New Hampshire; ex-senator
Cragin, friend Of Blair, aud also OF New
Ha,D,shire; ex-Congressman General Tho
mas Ewing, Of ohio, cousin OF James q.
Blaine. aud a member, by marriage, OF the
Sh,rman family; bis father-in-law, cX-
Senator and x.Secretary-of-the-ln
o. II. Browning, OF Quincy, ILL.,; Harvey
NJ. Munsell, general agent and attorney IN
this city for the Northwestern Mutual Life
Insurance Company, who lost $4,000;
James A. Cowing. then secretary ana
treasurer OF the Elevated railroad; Thomas
Wentworth, secretary OF the Rochester aud
Pittsburgh railroad.
Mr.. Browning was made treasurer oil the
concern and his entire estate, valued al
S250, 900, was swallowed up by the ln>ati-
able Skinner. James G. Blaine was heavy
stakeholder. "a also was David Bows.
Every bank IN Quincy and many banks in
Chicago and st. Louis were victimiZed.
Then Skinner, not being able to get enough
money out OF the concern. began 10 forge
promissory notes, which he had taken 10
Senator Browning. who Endorsed them.
These amounted to Sl30,000. Thomas
Sanders, Of Haverbill, Mass, worth 81
600, 900, lost 9150,000. In fact every one
who invested lost ev6ry cent they put into
the concern. Having MIXED his influential
and rich friends dry in this country he
went to London to sell the mines for 3d.
coo, 900, and the character OF the concern
was discovered in his absence.
In London he lived among the nobility,
but after swindling bali-dozen titled
Spectators he was arrested, but his victims
not caring to appear against him he was
released on the condition That that he would
return TO America, He then went to Paris,
where he again got in Jail, and was re-
leased on condition that he would leave Tor
America. This he did, arriving in New
York December, 1884, on the Auranla. He
yoy Munsell with borrowing s., 600 on some
horses and carriages and then selling the
security. From Ludow-Street Jail he was
released through the efforts OF Charles Ii.
Reed. Guiteau's counsel, whom he after.
wards swindlcd by means OF worthless
check. and while In custody OF deputy
sheriff swindlcd that official ont OF S3j.
He drove from the jail TO the Brunswick,
gave a forged check when bis bill was pre-
scented, and within a week was back in
Ludlow. street Jail, was free again in Few
DAYS, aud then went to the Fifth Avenue
Hotel. While in Washington skinner had
made the acquaintance OF John Jay Knox,
COMPTROLLER Of the Currency, who after
wards resigned to become president OF the
National Bank Of the Republic, in this city.
To him Skinner went with draft for
g. 900 on the firm OF Joseph w.
Wood g. Co., OF Boston, drawing
checks against the deposit until the
amount was exhausted. Then he presented
a check for $4,000 on the Fist National
Bank Of Chicago, but being suspected he
was arrested by Pinkerton's detective,
John NJ. Cornish, now superintendent OF
Pinkerton's Boston agency, and taken to
the bank, where he asked the detective 20
accompany him to Nernam IL Co.'S, the
brokers, IN New street.
There he ordered a purchase OF Western
Union, gave worthless check for $4,000
on the Chicago Bank, left $1,000 as margin,
and returned 10 the Bank OF the Republic
with a certified check for $4,000 TO make
good what the bank officials were pretty sure
was WORTHLESS check.
lie was Swallowed and arrested two days
later while getting a check cashed on u
forged telegraph dispatch from the Chicago
bank saving that il would honor his check.
With these forged telegraph blanks he had
victimizod the Bank OF California, the
Bank OF British North America, the Ne.
yada Bank. the Pacific Bank, President
BRYANT, OF the State Investment Insurance
Company Of San Francisco; f. q.
Newland, Wells, Fargo Il Co., III.
Il. slaycn & Co., and Bullock Il Jones.
The Colorado National Bank. owned by
KountZe Brothers, was his first victim
then came Millionaire Converse, president
Of the First National Bank OF Cheyenne
| the Bank OF Georgetown and the Mer.
chants Bank OF Georgetown, Col; William
| Heath Il Co.'s house in Paris; Jesse lleille,
| Of the Park-AYenue Hotel; the Kendall
| Bank-Note Company; Judge Cowell, oi
| Waterbury, Conn.,; Or. Hooper, OF Mas
| sacbuselts, and his own sister, whom he
got to forge note with Judge C0well':
name.
Charles A. Plat, keeper of a Chatham
street dive, became his bondsmau fol
1920, and skinner jumped his bail. Hi
| own nephew got left for $3.50: AID ther
| transferring his operations to Canada, hC
| got into the Golfers Of John G.. Emo. the de
faulting president Of the Second Nationa
Bank, for considerable amount, will
which he proceeded to London, where HI
has been arrested for giving another checl
on the FIRST National Bank Of Chicago.
There is not large city from Maine tC
California, from British Columbia TO TIKI
Gulf OF Mexico, in which Skinner has no
conducted his operations, and every clpl
tai OF Europe at one time or another In
suffered from his oily tongue, fine address
and wonderful self-aSSurance. But, rs In
spector Byrnes said last night, he is not
professional " within the full meaning o
the term. He is smart fool, who
il he had a little OF the cunning
or discretion OF the professional forger
would be the most dangerous crimi
nal in the world. He takes m
pains TO cover up his tracks, nor does h
pursue bis operations with ordinary eau
lion, principally depending upon wonder
ful nerve and an astonishing fertility OF re
sources for cXtriclting himself. Detective
Sergeant Phil. Reilly will probably he dele
gated to 20 TO London TO bring him bacl
in case the English authorities decide tina
be would receive better punishment her