Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1889-01-19
A BOGUS COUNT.
Doings Of One Smith. Alias
Schoppe, Alias Schulenberg.
Private Secretary, Physician. Forger and
Newspaper Reporter-His Crimes in
the East and West-How He Was
Discovered and Unmarked.

N. Y. Special Chicago Inter Ocean.l
a couple Of months ago syndicate was
formed in this city under the name of the
National Telegram Company for the pur-
pose OF furnishing German cable news to q
| number of Western newspapers. The APP
parent head Of this concern was one j. P.
6. Smith, gentleman of rather prepos-
| sessing appearance, who spoke English
with marked German accent The
syndicate had not been in operation very
long before the Staats-Zessnng, the leading
German newspaper of this city, denounced
Mr. Smith as swindler and adventurer.
Smith immediately began a suit for libel
against the paper, and the case came up in
court the other day. Mr.. Ottendorfer, the
proprietor Of the StGats-Zeitung, had all the
documents ready to prove his charge, and
they were SO convincing that Smiths
counsel advised him to abandon the case
and leave the courtroom as quickly as pos
sibla
From all that can be learned it appears
that Smith is the notorious Paul Schoppe,
alias the Count Won Schulenberg, vino is
known all over the country as forger and
swindler. Years ago Schoppe came to this
country from Germany, where he had been
the secretary Of the Count Schulenberg,
from whom it is said he had stolen large
sum of money. Under the name Of DR..
Paul ochoppe, he became notorious as the
principal IN the famous murder trial at
Carlisle, Pa. This case was one OF the most
sepsational ia tie criminal annals of the
country DR." Schoppe he'd been practic-
ing medicine at Carlisle, Pa. on q bogus
diploma, and among lis patients was an
Old lady VINO was worth al least $50 ,03.
She died suddenly was buried, ard would
have been forgotten bad NOS the "doctcr9'
produced 6 viii Inakn g hiln her heir. She
crested 20 much comment that her body
wa eXhumed aai a post-moTte,n examine
ton developed @he fact ;hat she had beea
poisoned Schoppe Yas arrested, tried,
convicted OF the murder and sentenced To
be hanged He thau made AT appeal 70
fellow countrymen OF his throughout TIE
country for money to aid in securing new
trial, claiming that he was being porse-
cuted on account of his nationality.
Among those to whom Scboppe wrote at
the time was the present editor OF the
Staats-Zeitung and bis letters formed a link
In the chain OF evidence produced against
him to-day. His appea! succeeded in inter-
esting number of influential Germans in
his case, and the Pennsylvania Legislature
passed what was known as the Schoppe
act, by which the doctor" secured a new
trial and was acquitted.
Schoppe was next heard of in the West
under the names of Count Won Schulen-
berg and the Count Schoppe. He selected
Chicago as the field Of his operations, and
secured seven thousand dollars on forged
checks which were drawn on the Chicago
& Northwestern road. For this he was ar
rested and convicted and sentenced to
term Of three years in the penitentiary at
Joliet. While in prison his conduct was so
good that he became favorite of the
chaplain, and he served only two years Of
his sentence when the then Governor par
doned him at the request of the prison au-
thorities. After his release he went to Gin
cinnati, st. Louis and Kansas City, and re-
NAMED a considerable time.
Schoppe or Smith was next heard from as
the secretary of German society in New
York. Here he forged the name of the +
president of the society to checks for four
thousand dollars but as the crime was dis
covered before he could secure the money
he was not punished.
He subsequently became book-keeper for
q lumber firm in Port Jervis n Y, and for
two or three thousand dollars
Of their money he was sent to Sing Sing /
for three years, under the name of P. L. G.
Schmidt His good conduct in prison again
drew the goodwill of his keepers, and he
was pardoned in less than two years He
then appears to have turned his attention
10 newspaper work, and was employed as
4 reporter on certain morning newspaper
1nder the name of Smith. When Ferd Ward
was sent to Sing Sing, Smith was detailed
oy his paper to accompany Ward TO the
3enitentiary. His nerve did not desert
him on this occasion, and he attempted to
walk into the prison of which he had been
in inmate, with group of reporters for
he other New York papers but the keeper
stopped him abruptly at the door. Moth
ng more was heard of him until the estab-
of the National Telegram Com
'any- Here be made the great mistake Of
bringing the libel suit which has resulted
n an expose of his true character. The
herman cable news syndicate is no more.