The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1890-08-04

veaie0 the fact that the c0Ffiding public
has for some time been the victim OF q
scheming and clever brace Of young SWIM
d,ers, and, as was evidenced from the tes-
umony. their defrauding operations we're
proving very successful The team seem
TO have chosen as their victims people who
were not accustomed to the handling of q
great deal of money. and who would not
pay such particular attention to small
transaction is would one of business
training.
The two defendants were arraigned on
three separate charges, in the first of which
Mrs. V. Z. Chambers, the keeper of
small cigar store on Pike street, appeared
rs chief prosecutrix The testimony In
this case was given Thursday, resume of
which appeared in the Posr- INTEILIGEScER
and Friday the matter was passed upon by
Justic Miller. who found Thomas Buell., the
younger brother, guilty of the crime OF
petty larceny and fined him $50 and costs.
The accounts of the swindling game, as
published in the papers, caused the APP
Dearance in court OF other shop-keepers,
who had been victims of like transaction.
and who recognized the Buell brothers as
the persons who had defrauded them, and
complaints we're Immediately filed. As the
result, scarcely had the first case been dis
posed OF when the two young men were ar
raigned on complaint of Mrs. Annie Bar
ney, the proprietress of notion store on
Commercial street. on a charge of obtain
ing money under false pretenses -
The prosecutrix stated that the older
brother in the prisoners dock came into
her place few days before and asked for
an Estrella cigar. He was furnished 10
cent weed and said, "Can you change s.
bili?" at the same time tossing on the glass
showcase a $1-note folded in such q man
ner as 10 conceal the denomination.
At this juncture the younger brother,
acting the confederate, rushed in and in a
great hurry wanted some chewing-gum.
Mrs. Barney quickly gave the buyer of the
cigar his change-S4 9l-and without ex-
aiming the note placed it in her satchel,
at her side, and waited upon her hurried
customer. 1t was not until some little time
afterward that she discovered she had been
taken in for $500.
On their argument the defense as much
as admitted that the crime was committed,
by maintaining that the young men could
not be found guilty OF obtaining the money
under false pretenses, as the plaintiff in the
case was of sound eyesight and good hear
ing, and moreover that the young man
who perpetrated the swindle did not say
This is q S. bill. but instead said, ..Can
you change IS bill?"
Passing upon the case at some length,
Judge Miller said that the law on the SUBJ
ject was Every peculiar. and while he be-
iieved the defendants were guilty of falsely
obtaining the money, still he could not con-
vict them on the charge in the complaint,
and he discharged them.
Closing this case, the young fellows were
Immediately confronted with another
charge of a like nature. the complainant
this time being Albert Sapp, Jackson
street grocery man. The swindlers' tao
tics, with the exception of q slight devia-
ton, was the same as played on the other
victims. The deviation was enough how
ever, to cause the justice 10 see his way
clear to place the two 'fiim-fammersn under
bonds OF $3.50 to appear before the superior
court for trial. The city attorney says the
young men will undoubtedly be convicted.
as the case against them is very strong
one, but the matter will probably not come
up for hearing until the latter part of Sep
tember.