Daily Republican., 1888-12-18
A CONFIDENCE MAN.
A NUMBER OF DOVER PEOPLE
FLEEcEo.
A Man with . High Sounding Name
Starts q mutuRl Detective Agency
ana NAtugAl'y Keeps All the
Money,
X

I
confidence man who has apparently
heeced number OF the good people Of
that town and Kent county oIt OF
small sums OF money, which, slough
not large 10 each indlvidu-l, Amounted
to considerable sum TO him iDdividn.
ally. he goss by the name Of BRUCE"
OhRteaubriand, though his French
title has never been fully explained 10
the Dover people. he gained . stand
ing In the community the more readily
80 hs brought with him his wife and
child. The dets OF his dropping down
Into Dover and taking up quarters at
the State Capital Hotel was gtptem Der
9th.
There wss an air Of mysterloutnees
about all that he did, end as he wss
seen banging around the Peninsula
Conference AOadeny he gave II out in
the striotest COZ oaddsuce, when ones
toned, that he was u oeteo,lve, and
that he had been employed by the
father Of young lGdy enfolled rs =
student at the academy, 20 watch her
movements and prevent an expected
elopement.
Being q detective whose unoyenenis
had to be mysterious, naturally his GO
ceptr!oit.es we're excused and lie was be
ginning to be held In high favor by
teoag who bad bad debts to collect He
the more easily effected this 81 be had
q numb ber Of con- Inun!eAtionu from bust
ness men of Wilmington whose Standing
Was well know n Ut Dover
With such accommodation be had
no serious 0 fl luly in organizing q
Detective AReIcy In Dover on the
1utual Benefit piso, aud though tie
gentlemen whom be proposed to make
Bmbers OF his agency were a liitle
slow In making MP thsir minds, he hrr
rled matters up little by publishing
cliouistB with ex sheriff aud edl or Of
the Dover dex, B. M. Duan, as prssl
den George b. MlllinRtop, proprietor
Of tae State Ospitol Hotel, as eeoretnry
anc treasurer; N. H Hutchin-, the
we'll known detective, as detective for
Delaware and Maryland; himsolf for
general superlD teudsnt, aud Colonel q.
T. Cooper, Etq counsel. The gentle
Enen named, though rather persuaded
aShinst their will, concluded to let mat
tsrs take their ocure ard see what Wss
to oonle Of the moYepeat.
Tee fee fof membership Of all Who
Joined this agency was 10 DO S25 Of
which OhateAubrisnd EEB 10 set OF Q.
nAlf for bis services in huntiUg up mem.
oers. A certain percentaEe was to be
paid to the president and secretary for
signing oertfcstes OF membership ana
she ba.snce WAS TO go into general
essEVe fund to replace possible lds.es.
With thls arran cement business com
nenoed. Twelve certificates Of mem.
barshlp to sign we're Brought to the sec
retsry. No commissions, however
we're paid 70 him for si0niue them hnt
he Let the matter go. The nszs kAsoh
he b o1gl him lie positively 70. us d to
sign, fearing that everything was MOI
strsiRht, and he declined to have sny
thisR further TO 90 with the agency.
Chsteaubrisnd, however, was eoun! 10
the emergency, and appointed smother
seorttAry and went Ahead with his
work until IL is said he had secured 1875
mem bery About this time he had busi-
nees In Norfolk, Va, and has evidently
oeoome 90 interested ia that city that
Dover.
As about S3,125 has heen paid in %
become m M beTs Of the aEeroy, OhAteNu
brland is supposed to have made ; good
httls speculation out OF his Dover ven.
.ure, 10 none Of the other offi sers have
get been able to hpd the reserve furd.
The only net OF real crooked nsss
charged sgainst OhatsAubtiAnd "a
where be accepted S5) nom 90 EnRlieh
hrm which was to be used In collecting
debt from 9 PhiiAdelphlA firm, but
which 1t wEs found was never usei for
shat purpose.
ChaseRubriAnd seems to have gone 50
fer as to bave commenced to levy an
assessment upon the members wh9 had
Joined his concern. Jostph Stoeckle, o.
this oit1, paid his $50 and Joined the
stsnolatlOn and shortly after wards re-
oeive notice Of an assessment of SIS.
SIR. Stosckle thinking that he was pay
log Awsy money too fast wrote to Mr.
Cooper about 1t, and that gentleman
Informed HIM that hs ehould pSy no
more money, All the Dover gsntlemsn
c, .eoted 10 any manner with the con-
Germ have washed their hands of it long
ego and have advised others to 20 sloR
in the matter.