Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-11-11
A swINDLER IDENTIFIED.
II 10 Doubtful. However, II He WIN He
Brought Back.


Brought Back.
A dispatch from Wheeling W. Va. says thai
Detective Wheeler of this city, who arrived
there Monday. had identified the prisoner
McGrann. as the man wanted in this city on q
charge OF forgery and false pretenses. Nc
Cram. IS the prisoner gave his name there,
was arrested on q charge Of having in his pos
session checks suspected to be forgeries. He
was arrested, it is charged, while in the act Of
attempting to defraud Bishop Kahn Of Wheel
ing. When the prisoner was identified by De
tective Wheeler he signifed q willingness to
return without the formglity Of -equisition
papers. but as he is wanted in 90 many other
places it Is doubtful whether be will be turned
over.
LoNo CAREER OF CRIME
The prisoner 10 by no means a stranger in
police circles in various parts Of the country,
as HIS picture adorns many rogues' galleries,
while he has graced at least two state prisons. He
Is now about sixty-one years old and has tray
eled under many aliases, among them being
Col Beltzhoover Of Pennsylvania, Col. W. j.
Ford Of Virginia, ". NJ. l.. Law and ". Fl.
Swallow. Swallow, as he is known by the off,
GERS here, began his criminal career many
years ago and as a swiudler he has proved a
decided success. although his operations never
u
victims we're chiefly principals Of educational
or religious institutions. and, being an elderly
man of good address he never had much trou-
bic in convincing his victims that he was gen.
teman in good standing. His scheme was TO
go to the principal OF private school or col
lcge, mako arrangements for . torn for his
daughter and then settle the bill in advance.
He invariably gives checks for amount
iarger than the price charged and secures the
change. usually about S25 and skips. In deal
ing with religious institutions lis scheme is
different.
now HE WORKED RELIGIOUS INSTITUTIONS.
He invariably selects Catholic institutions
which bestow charity upon the poor and unfor-
tunate, and to the person in charge be tells Of
legacy left the institution. A check for the
amount il shown and Of course it is always an
acceptable present From the person to whom
he delivers the check no secures 50 or $10 for
expenses. and that is the last seen of him. Per-
son after person parted with small sums in the
manner stated. but when he called upon Father
Bcbrens OF Buffalo and presented him a check
;or $40, 200 and wanted 80 for expenses the
father suspected something wrong and
said he would give him the money
when he got the check cashed.
When near Fredericksburg, Va. several years
ago he swindled Catholic priest and from
there he went to Ellicott City, Nd, where he
succeeded In decreasing the cash capital Of
Chaplin Maupin, principal of a school He was
arrested and taken to Fredericksburg for trial
and was given two years in the Richmond peni-
Tertiary. At the expiration Of the sentence be
was sent to Ellicott City. where he received a
similar sentence, going that time to Baltimore.
HIS LAST CRIME HERE.
These terms Of imprisonment did not appear
TO do the old man much good, for after leaving
the Baltimore prison he was again heard from.
This time he had letter OF recommendation
bearing the forged signature of the Rev. Father
Glaab of st. Mary's Church in this city.
The colonel finally made his way back to
this city and addressed a letter to Prof 2. ].
dies Garennes of No. 1928 N street. who teaches
the French language. TO this letter he signed
his name as DIR. Merfeld." He claimed that
he lived in fayetteville and had two daughters,
whom be wanted to take a course IN French,
and the price agreed upon was $3.50. The
doctor soon afterward appeared with check
for S275 on the Farmers and Mechanics Bank
Of Philadelphia, which the professor accepted,
giving him the S25 change.
This is the charge on which he is now wanted
in this city.
The prisoner is sixty-one years old, five feet
six inches tall, mixed gray hair, blue eyes, light
complexion and weighs 40 pounds He has
bullet hole in his left breast and has chin
whiskers and mustache.
Policeman Golway arrested him here in 1886
on a charge Of forgery and it was then that be
was sent to Fredericksburg, Va