St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-05-30
WHO GOT The STUFF?
Alleged Conspiracy by which
Jay Gould has been
SWindled.
Western Union Officers Are
Charged With Misappro-
priating Cash.
Clay CountygAllianee Has No
Use. for the Mckinley
Bill.
Crossed in Love, a Young
Scandinavian Blows His
Brains Out.
snecial to the Globe.

SIOUX FALLS, S. D.. May 29.-The
officers of the Western Union Tele-
graph company claim to have unearthed
a gigantic fraud by which the company
has been robbed upwards Of $4,000.
There are forty South Dakota towns in
the deal, and the stealings have been
going on for years. E. j. Nally, assist
ant superintendent for the North
wester division, which includes South
Dakota, states that while the
eompany's officers have no means of as
certaining the exact amount, they be-
lieve it is very large, for it has been
carried on at Sioux Falls, Pierre, Aber-
deem, Mitchell, Redield, Milbank and
all the leading towns in the state, as
we'll as many smaller ones. The com
pany proposes to prosecute every
one who has had anything to
do with the wholesale stealing.
The two leaders, according to the West
ern Union people, are E. ManniX, of
Sioux Falls, and Blood, of Aberdeen.
who have been indicted, and the courts
will now decide their guilt or innocence.
The grand jury last evening indicted
eX-Ald. ManniX for embezzlement. Man
nix was discharged by the Western
Union Telegraph company month or
so ago after having held the position of
manager of the company s Office in this
city for nine years. He is a young man,
and several years ago married a Miss
Broker, daughter OF one Of the leading
grocers in this city. He has considera-
bic property here, having a handsome
l,c
real estate investments in Yankton and
South Sioux Falls. His salary has been
$50 a month. He halls from New York,
and is charged by the Western Union
company with working up the scheme
by which it has been defrauded.
The company CLAIMS to have first
discovered the widespread conspiracy
when Assistant Supt. Nally made
an examination Of ManniX'S accounts
about month ago. 1t is alleged that
his cash was short about $500. Previous
to the inspection of ManniX's books
Supt. Nally inspected the offices at
Aberdeen, Pierre, Redfeld, Mitchell
and other places and by close scrutiny
of the books in each office it was dis
covered that the company had been
robbed Systematically for long period.
At each Office, particularly Aber-
deem and Sioux Falls, the plan
adopted was to act IN collusion
with the managers of the Offices in the
small towns around that had cOnsidera-
bic business with them. In the case of
Aberdeen the Office was conducted by
Manager Blood, who, since the arrival
of Nally in that section, has been in
dicted and placed under bonds. Blood,
it is alleged, was in conspiracy with
the cOmpany's agents at a dozen other
towns within fifty miles of Aberdeen.
A dispatch sent from Aberdeen to one
of these points would not be checked
up while the cash would be pOcketed.
In one month it is alleged that Blood
had rake off Of $3.50. The agent in the
small town would, when sending. dis
patch, act in a similar way. In Sioux
Falls, ManniX, it is claimed, did thriv-
ing busineSS-more than any one else.
Towns for miles around contributed to
his pocketboOk. The leading conspira-
tors were not satisfied with what they
could rake off from the small towns
around and entered into a
combination amongst themselves
to do up the small fry, thus getting an
additional field to work in. Mr.. Mannix
appeared before Judge Atkins and was
arraigned. He pleaded not guilty and
HIS UOuuS WClC IACu tlG ClsUUU, HlllCil
were easily furnished. He has en-
ployed an attorney and refuses
to make any statements whatever.
Superintendent Nally said this evening
that the scheme was detected by his
finding a note written by Manager
Blood, of Aberdeen, to the operator at
Webster requesting him not to check up
certain dispatches and promising to re-
nit half of the receipts by draft.
"Further than this" said Superintend-
ent Nally, 'Blood has to me confessed
the scheme by which he and others
robbed the company. twas well done,
and the wonder is that the company did
not detect it before. Blood not only ex-
posed the plan, but gave me the names
of forty operators who were in the habit
Of knocking down. OF course no
operator can knock down any money
nnless he is collusion with some other
operator. The company have laid plans
to prosecute the two managers now
nnder bonds to the limit OF the law.
There is no other state in the union
where the knocking down" system
has been so universal, or where the
company has suffered so severely
Every man IN the South Dakota scheme
has been discharged and we are collect
ing evidence for the purpose of securing
tie Indictment Of the eulprits."