The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1889-05-16
WESTERN DISTILLERS SwINDLED.
A Young Chemist Reaps a Fortune with
a Trick Refrigerator.

A Young Chemist Reaps a Fortune with
"a Trick Refrigerator.
CHICAGO, May 10, 1s89.-One of the big
gest swindles of the year has just been
brought to light. Western liquor men
have been mulcted to the tune of $500, 900,
and a bright young chemist named Comp
is now living in luxury far ava
Mr.. John Archibald Comp came to Chi
cago fifteen months ago and put up at the
Cosmopolitan Hotel. Among his effetts
were two large trunks and a small refrig-
orator. He seemed to have plenty of
money. He claimed to have discovered a
compound which, when mixed with new
whiskey, would give it the odor, taste and
appearance of from foul to six-year-old
high wine.
Mr.. Comp wished to establish a stock
company, with a paid up capital of 81 ,000,-
600. His methods of swindling was simple.
The victim would be given a bottle, told
to go out and have it filed with poor quail
ity of whiskey, and return. When this had
been done, Mr.. Comp would pour out
ohe-half, put in a t~easpoonful of his com
pound, fill the bottle with water, and then
place it in the refrigerator. All of this
was done with the victim carefully OBJ
serving every move. He looked into the
icebox and saw that it was empty, save
the bottle just placed in it.
4hCh An1. OOhiP NOalNl SIOoC IL LII LIN
in five or ten minutes would raise it and
there was what appeared to be the same
bottle, filled with liquor, which withstood
every test applied to rare old high wines.
1t was wonderful. Whiskey, which
could be purchased at $3.50 per gallon, in
ten minutes time became six years
old and worth SO per gallon. The
electric sugar refining process dwindled
into insigniticance compared with Mr..
Comps scheme. Many prominent dealers
invested and plans were drawn up for the
erection of a laboratory.
Finally one prominent distiller engaged
a detective to investigate MI. Comps
methods. Not long age the detective
entered Mr.. Comps room while
the latter was asleep and found
there what looked like a tin arnor. 1t
would reach from the waist to the arm
pits. At the bottom wa a small faucet.
The armor was hollow and contained d
high grade of whiskey. The detective
awakened Comp and taxed him with the
fraud. He owned up and offered to take
the detective into partnership with him.
1t wa agreed to and then Comp e
planned the whole trick. The refrigerator
had a false bottom and an ingeniously ar
ranged trap. When a bottle of poor
Whiskey was set in on the trap, by press
ing a spring a bottle of the best whisky
would be substituted, and the mechanism
of the affair was SO perfect that there was
little chance of detection.
The use of the armor was to provide
whiskey for an exchange when he
did the trick without the aid of the box.
Mr.. Comp informed the detective that he
worked Kansas City for $4,000 in three
weeks, and that nothing could be done to
him, because those who invested in his
scheme knew it was a case of defrauding
the government.
1t is also stated that the enterprising
young mar has sold more than $300,0 0O
worth of stock in Cincinnati, st. Louis,
Kansas City and Chicago.
The detective reported his discovery to
his employers and they to the Federal au-
thorities. Comp, however, must have got
a tip, for he disappeared, leaving his APP
paratus behind, where it is now at the
Cosmopolitan.