Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-10-21
LACK OF CONFIDENCE
Spoiled the New York Swindlers'
Green Goods and Sawdust Game.
LAMBS WHO PROVED TREACHEROUS
Story of W. E. Harrison, Who Helped to
Capture the Bunkoists.
HOW HE WORKED THEM FOR EVIDENCE

HOW HE WORKED THEM FOR EVIDENCE
| It's the same old racket of selling green
goods and delivering sawdust or some other
equally valuable article.
The special telegram in THE DISPATCH
of Sunday in regard to the arrest of the
New York sharpers who were holding out
| inducements for denizens of Mckeesport
and other towns to buy green goods, caused
| quite an excitement i'll that suburb of Pitts
burg, and from appearances it would not be
/ surprising if some of the people there had
not been so slick as their neighbors, and
were really caught by the scheme. At any
rate, some did not seem surprised when the
story came out, and seemed to know more of
the working of the scheme than others.
This is not the first time that the racket
had Leen tried there, but with what success
no one, of course, will tell. Mr.. William
E. Harrison, who materially aided in cap
turing the swindlers. has received circulars
of this character quite number OF times,
and it was only by accident that he fell
into the idea of pulling the string on the
slick ones. He is Vice President Of the
First National Bank, OF KcKeesport, aud
also proprietor of a boot and shoe store.
Mr.. A. w. Smith, carriage manufacturer,
also received letter on the same day as did
Mr.. Harrison, and that added to its little
mite in the tricking of the swindiers
HOW Mr.. HARRISON WASH T CAUGHT.
A DISPATCH reporter went to McKees-
port yesterday and secured Mr.. Harrison's s
story OF how he assisted in the capture of the
New Workers. 1t was in September that
he received the first letter, and it was signed
by "B G. Warwick" of 404 West Forty-third
street, New York. This letter offered induce
ments to a man who wanted to make fortune
out of a small investment, and suggested that
81, 81, IS and $40 bills were about the denomina-
tion to catch the McKeesporters The letter
also contained a clipping from a paper giving
an account of the robbery of some United
States Treasury Department plates, and gave
the impression that the money was made from
these plates, and could be handled without
great danger.
MIR. Harrison was told to telegraph for
further information. if he meant business.
He showed this letter to Mr.. ]. L. Devinney,
and as the latter was going to New York that
day. he took with him the missiye and the one
received by Mr. Smith, and thus the bali was
started rolling that finally put the bars up be-
Soon after this Mr.. Harrison was requested
to telegraph to the address ABOVE mentioned.
aud a detective was at the office ready to watch
the message go out. But the address had been
changed, and the message was lost track of.
However, Warwick soon answered in a let
ter, with new name and address. telling Mr..
Harrison the price of their money, and giving
other information. He closed by conjuring
him to go to New York Immediately and close
negotiations, or some other McKeesporter
would get the gold mine, This letter was also
sent to the New York authorities.
ALL THE EVIDENCE NECESSARY.
Saturday a letter was received from Anthony
Comstock asking that the next letter received
from Warwick be sent to him unopened. to
save the trouble of needing other witnesses.
Everything was in readiness for the raid, but
Mr.. Comstock wanted full evidence in his
hands. However. it became necessary to make
the raid immediately, and no other letters were
received. Mr.. Harrison did not know that the
arrest had been made until he saw The DIS
PATCH of Sunday He said yesterday that he
deal in the matter he would have received
counterfeit money. He had had no idea that
it was sawdust that was to be delivered, but it
was all the same to him, as he didn't care to
purchase either
Mr.. Smith says that the money thev Of
fered him was a little higher than that they
wanted to sell Mr.. Harrison. The former
offered fine collection of S., $40 aud $40 bills.
but as they were of no use i'll the carriage bus
mess, he decided not 10 invest
1t is the opinion among MckeeSporterS that
when another confidence game is worked the
bunkoists will look for people with more con-
fdng natures.
NOT IN THE BUSINESS FOR PROFIT.
Mort May, of New Castle, denies that he was
in the green goods business for profit, but says
he went into it to trap the men up. He is
Canadian shoemaker and has resided in New
Castle. Yesterday he made the following state
ment:
'In September l received letter addressed to
NJ. Z. May. New Castle. Pa. When opened the
letter found our crisp new D With St mote stat
Rogers, and gave his address as No. 6S2 Ninth
s1 s1oen from The United states GoSernment Print.
ing Office, from which the sample bill had been
struck, and that the note was SO perfect that 1t
could not fail to pass even before the eyes of an
EXPERT
The letter also stated that the company repre-
sented by the writer had been engaged in fur
nishing paper to the Government, and, although
a counterfeit, there was no possible way by
which the bill could be detected as such, as
both plates and paper were genuine. Rogers
also stated that they coald furnish me with
SIC 900 in bills similar to the one in the letter
for Sl00.''
The 81 bill he received in the letter is still in
his possession. 1t is of the series of 1890 and is
numbered 1,l97.375. 1t is undoubtedly genuine
bill, and was sent out simply as an inducement
to get people TO correspond. May says he an
swered the letter and arranged the interview
Simply 10 trap Lne green 8OOus men, anu, nav
Ing had business in Philadelphia, he arranged
that Rogers, or some other member of the gang,
should meet him there. At Philadelphia he
put II d at the Eagle Hotel. and was introduced
to one of the swIndlers. who took hun to an
other hotel some distance away, and up to a
third story room, where other samples of the
green goods were shown to him. He says the
money was put up IN 500 packages, and there
were 81 and 81 bills.
DISTURBED AT A CRITICAL TIME.
May opened one of the packages and ex-
amined its contents, and asked for other pack
ages to look at. Just then there was knock
at the door, and the man who was exhibiting
the goods showed signs of agitation and whIs-
pered to May to take what he wanted and run.
He did not take the goods, but came home, and
afterward wrote for the gang to meet him in
Pittsburg, where. he says, he intended to have
them arrested. May denies that he ever wrote
the letters which appeared in the papers, and
he says he never came from Philadelphia to
Pittsburg with any such persons or had any
thing to do with the satchel.
Tuesday
Is always children's day at our store. We
have placed 1000 boys suits on sale at the
following bargain prices, one day only:
You save money on any boys suit bought
to-day.
Boys two-piece suits, neat patterns. 81 90
Rovs' fine cashmere and cheviot snits