The Arkansaw traveler., 1889-01-26
A Colored Miser.
Boston Corr. New York Trlbu

A few weeks ago an aid colored man
known as Joseph Fowle, who kept a
candy store for many years at the
West End, was arrested on the charge
of obtaining money under false pre-
fences from lawyer, John II. Apple
ton, and also from the Collateral Loan
Bank. Fowle was about eighty years
of age. He had once been a slave. A
peculiar feature of his transactions
was that he protested TO give money
as security. lie accounted for his
eccentric financial transactions ON the
ground that he wanted TO keep the
money received from the different
stores separate and had superstitious
objection TO using certain money of
his own. lie paid at the rate of GO
per cent, and even higher for the tenn
pOrary loans and then in the presence
of his victims deity substituted rub
bish and a small amount of money for
the real article which he had shown
the bank officials and the lawyer
As the lettering form of the COL
ored octogt marian moved from the
prisoners dock to the witness stand
and with tremulous voice tried to
answer the questions of his counsel, il
was hard for spectators 10 farcy that
this man, time after time in the last
year could have outwitted astute
lawyers and bank officials by present
ing them genuine collateral and then
before their eyes, "about foot and a
half away" as testified, make fraud
ulent substitution. He said that he
was a slave before the war, and then
had been engaged in supplying the
army officers with refreshments of
various kinds, and that he came out
of the war with profits amounting to
more than $4,000. When he came
to Boston he opened candy shops in
different parts of the city, One of
these was hired from Mr.. Appleton,
father of Lawyer Appleton.
The unique feature as to security,
which is brought out by all the
testimony except his own thus far, is
that he would deposit cash as security
for cash. For instance he would take
to Mr.. Appleton four 800 bills on
which he wished to borrow $3.50 for a
few days, saying that he had particu-
lar reasons for wishing to retain the
Identical bills. When the bills were
counted he would ask them back for a
moment to roll Them around q piece
Ofipasteboard and deposit them in a
sealed envelope. 1t is claimed, and
the numerous specimens produced in
court as taken from the envelopes tend
ed to show that he had by some sleight
of hand, withdrawn the 800 bills and
substituted roll of So bills, folded
so that two ciphers appeared after the
figure one. This was done so neatly
that only keen observation by a suspic-
ious person would be apt to detect it
without reopening the package
Similar transactions were had with
the Collateral Loan Company, the
total amount being about $1,000. The
old man positively denies all knowl-
edge of this kind of transaction, claim
ing that he cannot read or write, and
that the packages were put up for
him by ticket-seller at one of the
Boston theatres. Another curious
feature is that he would sometimes
deposit, though without obtaining
any additional loan, curious looking
tumblers completely covered with
sealing wax at the top, and showing
from what could be seen through the
sides, bits Of gilt paper, common Ave