The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1889-09-22
AN ENGLISH KNAVE.
Accomplished and COurtly, He
BilkS Everybody.
NEW YoRk's OUR FoURHUNDRED-'
Has Entertained Him to Large Extent
Names of the Hosts Are Not Given
His Business Methods.

New YORK, Sept. 21-At precisely
o'clock yesterday afternoon, Judge Van
Brunt, of the supreme court, issued an
order of arrest against Sydney S. Lande-
schut, alias Edgerton, on account of fraud.
He was nabbed by deputy sheriff at the
Union Square hotel at in the evening and
conducted to the house of Mr.. Charles H.
Phelps, formerly editor of the Overland
Monthly, in San Francisco. He there paid
in full claim against him, principal, inter-
est and costs. The events which led up to
this prosiac announcement are of more
than usual interest, especially to Cali
fornians
William A Byler, the complainant, was
formerly a salesman in Shreeve's jewelry
store in San Francisco. He is a cousin of
the late Ex-Governor John Byler, of Cali
fornia, and of Ex-Governor Bigler, of
Pennsylvania, who was president Of the
Centennial exposition at Philadelphia. He
is resolute, determined little man with
strong sense of humor, and has proved as
perfect Jonah as that apparently irrepres-
sible gentleman. 1t appears from his story
that Landeschut has been making Il sort of
DR.. Jeckyl and Mr. Hyde tour of the world.
Thanks to Mr.. Bigler, there are sufficient
data to construct quite detailed account of
his travels Mr.. Landeschut's social
success in New York has been re
markable. Had it not been for the tact and
decision of Mr. Barker, the British
consul here, no one knows to what extent
he might have gone. He represented him
self at the consulate as being on furlough
HI 10 hn1 LOFT
of introduction from the most prominent
people in England under the name OF Edg-
ertOn. With these letters and in his capa
city as a distinguished railroad man from
India, he was, with great consideration,
shown through the offices of the New York
Central and Hudson River roads. Mr..
Landeschut in merely giving an account OF
his reception, expressed himself delighted
with the system OF organization and prom
ised himself the pleasure of introducing
some of its details into the Indian roads
with which he was connected. Stranger
than this, however Mr.. Reynolds, the dis
tinguished English scientist who came here
with letters from Lord Salisbury, recog
niZed in I.andeschut a Mr. Edgerton and
cordially shook hands with him in the pres
ence of the British consul, recalling at the
same time pleasant dinner they engaged
in together in London.
OF course this is not a 1.-THE of the glOri-
Gus circumstance which has boen sur
rounding this man since he left San Fran
cisco in 1882 for Australia, and was re
ported dead in the far east
1t is now impossible to get at the names |
of the people whom he has taken in. They {
naturally avoid disagreeable publicity, but /
Mr. Byler at least is not taciturn at any /
rate and concerning his former friend Mr. /
Landeschut, he reels off yarn of con +!
siderable spirit and interest.
II made Mr.. Landeschut's acquaini !
ance,', said Mr.. Byler, upon the indian /!
ocean. He boarded the steamer Caledonia /
at the island of Mauritius, having come /
from Madagascar where, according to his /
story, he had bought three cargoeS of sugar
for his firm in Melbourne. He was Ian
deschut then and carried with him excel
lent letters of introduction from prominent
people in Australia We all liked him eX-
ceedingly, l among the rest, barring one
habit of his with which ! did not sympa-
thize.
Landeschut never tired of playing bac
caret He always dealt, and the first night
he cleaned everybody out; but curiously
enough. he always was the poorest kind of
gambler, and before he left the steamer
he had been relieved of all the money he
had won and more TOO He left US in Alden,
Arabia.
He had with him different kinds of sea
grass cloths. He was taking these differ
emit designs with him to India to have them
made up with cheap labor: 81 month, by
the way and the laborer to find and clOthe
himself, is the labor scale in India, and he
was quite convinced ne could have this ma
terial woven in India cheaper than in the
archipelago. At any rate he left the ship,
and | did not see again until last year,
when l met him in England returning from
the Newmarket race. He still had the grass
cloths with him in Bombay, so he said. He
explained TO me that he had only spent
day or two in Bombay, as he discovered he
would have to seek improved machinery in
Manchester He did in fact, take the
train for Manchester and we separated.
Returning to this country and after a
short stay, sailed March % last for France.
Whom should | meet but the ubiquitous
Landeschut Well, to make long story
short, we renewed our acquaintance upon
the same terms of old friendship One
day, however, as we were about to go to
the races, ne said to me: My dear fellow,
if we go there you will have to put up for
me. I've got draft here on London and
can't get it cashed because it is d holiday
| let him have 600 francs that time He
always had plenty of money, and besides
| he told me he expected g, 900 from Aus
tralia shortly.
''Well, we went to the races together,
and the next day when l naturally expected
".
not cash the drafts in Paris and would be
obliged to send them to London, and he
showed me a telegram from firm of Eng
| lish bankers which read: When you send
down draft we will send money 1 told
him l thought his bankers were scarcely
| polite, but l supposed it was business.
| While we were waiting for the money to
come from England, he contidedsto me that
he had wife in Tasmania who was coming
| in q week or go to Paris with her sister
Maud. Maud was charming girl, he in
formed me, and 1 would like her so much.
| When she arrived in Paris she would take
French lessons and he would arrange it so
| that / would have the benefit of the in
struction at the same time | thought the
arrangement charming, and was quite pre-
pared to accede to it 1t was in this connec-
! ton that Lande schut added casually, My
wife is bringing $4,000 with her for me
which will help things out considerably
On this showing Landeschut got the other
700 francs.
'While waiting for the money to come
from England and the wife and pretty
sister to come from Tasmania we passed
our time merrily enough. One evening l
received note from Landeschut inviting
me to dinner and telling me that his money
had arrived and he would pay it to me over
the coffee. l accepted his invitation and
very sumptuous repast was ordered. Sud
denly my host left me for moment, telling
me he would return Immediately. That
was the last l saw of him. l had to pay
for the beautiful dinner, and reconciled
myself as best could to the loss of my
LOO francs. was quite surpr sed there
fore to receive telegram from him dated
London, saying: Will write and explain
sudden departure in due time.n
81 soon received the promised letter. 1t