Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1888-12-20
NJ. CHATEAUBRIAND AGAIN
PUBLf0LY OUsED OF BEING 4
SHIHDLHR.
The "Detectivo'' Hns n Short Career
An This City-hfis House Near Lrn-
caster Suspected oi Being n Pence,
aud Searched by Officers,

October 29th the GzETrE AND Jouan
warned prudent people against taking
any stock In the schemes Of one Bruo,
Ohe,eaubriand or Ohautibrand vitboni
frat making o searching Investigation. AZ
that time Ohateaubriand was ORGANISING
his Southern Detective Agencvb n
Dover. He has q penchant for formino
detective associations In various plaoea
which do not live any longer than during
tho timo that the money comes In freely.
He has good address, pleasant manners,
md has q way Of ingrstiating himself
into the condolences Of business men with
his plausible methods, after which he
uses them "a dgure-heads for the forma.
tion OF his detective" and ''proteetiye''
associations and other schemes. The
names OF his hgure-heads and other bust.
ness men whose names he uses often
without authority or permission arc then
literally paraded and advertised until he
scoops In another batch Of dupes.
In oil OF these associations Ohateau-
briand was the life and soul Of the con.
cern. He secured the subscriptions or
fees, grandiloquently Issued certificates
of membership and atrutted about like a
man of great and wolghty business cares.
IL any one Of the officers Of the various
associations which he has formed has re-.
ceived any OF the money that he ool.
lacted, or received any practical benefits
from their connection with the affair, the
fact hes not vet been asoertained.
ChRteaubriand came here In the sum-
mer of 1887. He 10 man OF 35 or 20
years, small in stature and has SANDY
moustache and hair. He always dressed
neatly, was well. spoken, breezy in style
md had snap and vim about him which
was sufficient to attract some people. He
first secured work as collector Of bad
debfs and In such capacity received con-
siderable work TO do from some Of the
largest business houses in the city. His
methods Of collecting by means of threats
and bull-dozing were very effective al
though they sometimes brought him in
very near contact to eome irate mems fists.
After he had secured the condolences
OF those employing him, he organized his
Mercantile Detective Association of Del.
awaro aud Mary lsnd.n This was de-
scribed as being part Of system reach.
ing from Dolaware to New Orleans. Will
miugton members were hattcrod by
having the "home" office placed In this
city. The other offices are still to be
heard from, w. II. hobInaon was made
president, B Chateaubriand superin-
tendent, and Willard Saulsbury, Jr., was
made attorney. The object of the asso
ciation was stated 10 be: ''po unite the
business men Of the country In one COM
mon secret service; TO investigate sll
classes OF crime committed; to detect and
bfing 10 Justice criminals; to aScertain
the character and oredibility Of witnesses;
10 investigate and detect frauds perps-
frated upon insurance companies; to in
Ve9tigate and detect entertainments from
railroad, es. ress and transportation COM
panies, Sorporations, banks and indi-
.asAis; to ascertsin the habits and asso-
oiates Of employees; to Investigate mys-
terious murders, blackmailing schemes,
incendiary hres; particularly, to furnish
attorneys with evidence In divorce cases,
fraudulent sales, &c." This and many
other glowing promises are set forth.
Upon the payment Of S15 fee, each
member received big certificate of men,
bership for one year, during which time
ne could employ any of the associations
detectives at one-half rates and he would
be furnished, free CT charge, written
opinions on commercial law, coming
within the ordinary range Of business.
Mr.. Salisbury no sooner asoertained the
character OF the association than he re-
pudiated any further official connection
with 1t. He says that Chateaubriand en-.
tered his Office one day Just aa he WAS
leaving and asked MIR. Saulsbury IL the
latter would aot as counsel OF an organi.
cation. Mr.. Salisbury was in hurry to
get ewey and replied that he would trans
act business for Mr.. Ohateaubriand as he
would for any other client. The willy de-
tective then gave retaining fee and LETT.
A few days afterwArd the circulars were
issued parading Mr.. Saulsbury's name as
the attorney OF the association. Tho lat.
ter Immediately severed all connection
with the concern, and wrote personal let.
tors to Bradstreets and business men
whose names were used es references,
explaining the matter. He notified ali
local business men who had procured
certiheates OF membership, however, that
he held himself bound in honor as ooun-
seior for them for the balance Of the
year.
Before the end OF that time the officers
OF the association, excepting Chateau
BRAND had all resigned and new
officers were announced as follows: "W,
4. vosheD, president; DIR. Charles o.
Funk, treasurer; B. Ohautibriand, score
tary and superintendent" He gave
strong list of references every one Of !
which were found TO be unauthorized |
wherever investigation was made. Adsms |
a Brother, Reese i Brother, Sanl Iel j. |
White and e. H. Williamson Of this city, |
whose names were used, pronounced |
them unauthorized, and they saw their
names on these circulars for the first |
time when circular was shown to them
by reporter.
During last summer, he went to London,
EnRlnnd, on the ostensible errand Of
securing the extradition OF M. Il Liohten-
stein. He claims TO have eeen the latter
10 London. While there he was notified
that his house had been searched by an
oflicer for stolen goods. The following
brief dispatch dated Reading, August 18th,
1883, to the Philadelphia Times, tells the
story:
Recently Jefferson Keiffer, constable
Of Mannheim, Lancaster county, informed
odlcers In this city that man named
Bruce Chautibrand, who lived about
Ihree miles from that town, and who
,iailned to be the secretary and supsrin-
'endent of detective agency, was prob
ably fence for an expert gang OF rob
bers. Acting upon this information Ds.
'eotive Kramer and Sergeant Matz, after
comforting with Detective johnson
,f Eaaton, took out search warrants and
vent over to Lancaster county to search
he alleged detective'a residence, accom-.
panied by Constable Keiffer. They found
nothing and Ohautibraind has now
brought suit against Keiifer for $4,000
Chateaubriaud remained hero until Sep
ember last when his patrons having
allen off one by one, he no longer had
uificient funds to keep Sin the swim"