The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1891-08-23
TWO SWINDLERS.
Count MitkieWieZ and Miller Try
to Work Editor O'Brlen,
OF the Birmingham, Ala, Age Herad-They
q Pretended TO Have Valuable Concessions
from the Chinese Government
[specialto THE HERA1D-Examlner Dispatci

[Specialto THE HERALD-Examlner Dispatch.
New YORK, Aug. 22.-Count Eugene
of Washington, who narrowly
death at the hands of young
Mostly a few days ago, and the counts
friend, Shoe Box Miller, of Pittsburg,
tried to play confidence game for stake
of $4,000. The man they selected for
their victim was Frank J. O'Brien, presi-
dent and general manager of the Birming-
ham, Ala, 1Age-Hsrald, who, with his fam
lily, is spending the summer at Ashbury
Park, N. j. O'Brien had befriended Mil
Ter in the south a few years ago
Miller promised O'Brien he would do
him good turn. On July 5,
Miller called at the Guernsey
house, Ash0ury Park, where O'Brien was
staying. lie was accompanied by Count
Mitkiewiez and the two laid before Mr.
O'Brien a scheme that was dazzling. They
had obtained from the Chinese govern
ment, they said, a concession by which
they were to hold the exclusive banking
privileges of the Flowery Kingdom and
were to control the railroads and telegraph
lines. They were to furnish one half the
money necessary to establish banks i'll the
leading cities and TO build certain lines of
railroad. The government was to share
equally in the profits, but ali government
money was to be deposited in the banks.
They were to be controlled absolutely by
an American syndicate and no one could
open bank In any part of the kingdom
without paying well for the privilege. The
concession and gifts to railroad lines were
represented to be worth more than the
cost of building and equipping the road
There were to be diplomatic concessions
on both sides. Count Mitk1eWlez assured
Mr.. O'Brien that he was something of
diplomat as well as a great business man.
The Emperor of China had agreed to re-
ceive ex-senator Blair as United States
minister. Blair was to be a large stock
holder in the syndicate and Colonel Shep-
ard had insisted that he must be recog-
nized as United States minister to China
That was one of the conditions under
which Colonel Shepard had agreed to go
into the enterprise and the count, by
clever diplomatic work, had arranged it.
In return the Emperor of China wanted
the President of the United States to sign
an agreement to allow Chinese subjects to
come to this country at will. His majesty
was finally made to understand that the
President was willing enough to sign such
an agreement, but he had no power to do
So Mltkiewiez, however, assured the EN-
peror, through the Chinese prime minister,
that the great American syndicate would
arrange new treaty between the United
States and China by which Chinese would
be admitted without restrictions.
This is merely brief outline of the con-
cessions Mitkiewiez said he had obtained
from the Chinese government. Then he
explained at length that the Chinese minis
ter at Washington. Tsui Kwo and Lihung
Chang, the prime minister, of China, were
both large stockholders in the syndicate
and had assisted IN arranging the valuable
concessions. Colonel Shepard had agreed
to go into the enterprise; they had his
agreement in writing and he was to inter-
est the Vanderbilts to the extent of So
100000. Then he also showed a batch of
letters purporting to come from the
Chinese legation at Washington Miller
said: "We must now send man to China
with the papers to get them signed over
there, when the deal will be closed and the
millions will soon begin to roll into our
pockets. To pay the expenses of a man to
China and for other incidental expenses,
we need 5000 at once. Now, if you will
let US have that amount We promise you at
least 100000 profit in a year and believe
your profits will be S200,0
Eyes, there's millions in it,n chimed in
Count M1tkiewiez. Mr.. O'Brien agreed to
meet the two men the next day and talk
business with them. They departed and
OBrlen told newspaper friend of the
proposition. The friend advised O'Brlen
to have nothing to do with the scheme.
He said Miller and Mitkiewiez were sharp
ers. The next day Miller called on O'Brien.
With all the eloquence he could command
Miller urged Mr.. O'Brien to let him have
have the $4,000 then and there, telling
him again and again that he would
make millions out of it. O'Bren said
he would invest if convinced of the
truth of all Miller had told him. ''But we
need money now" urged the young man of
shoe box fame. Mr.. O'Brien then called
his newspaper friend who was in an ad-
joining room and they piled Miller with
questions about his scheme. He soon be-
came confused and finally Mcbride said to
him: "You are rascal and your allege
Chinese banking scheme is a fraud" At
this Miller's face flushed and he hurriedly
left the room without word. He took the
first train 10 New York and O'Brien has
heard nothing from him or his friend, the
Count Mitkiewitz, since that time.
Colonel Shepard was seen this afternoon
and of course repudiated all connection
with Mitkiewitz and Miller and their
schemes,