The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-01-03
CHEATED THE POOR.
Seattle Timber Swindlers De
fraud San Franciscans.
An OLD GAME IN 4 NEW FIELD.
Do1udsd People Pawned Household
Deeds 70 secure Timber Claim
Worfh u 900, for se5.

sag FnAscIsco, Jan. 1--fspeciaii-I turns
cat inst ssweaver d Co.. the land brokers
whose eight wss reported yesterday, have TOT
abous month conducted one OF the most ex-
this state. Tbs principals have fed in ssfcsys
taking with them thousands Of dollars contri-
buted In sums Of rs By many people 10 san
Francisco and throughout the state. The three
or four men who made up the company ap-
pear to have doomed up here abont month sgo,
and evidently came from Seattle or Tacoma
The yourg man who went By the name OF
wcsver was smooth talker, as was Charlie
Reid. his main partner. About the
1sf of December this pair rented
room IN q Kcsrney street lodging house They
soon got into the landIady's graces and Dor
rOwed two of her husbands valuable scarf-p.Bss
one Of which left town with Weaver They then
rented desk-room at 81 Montgomery street, and
paid so 20 safe company on a big new safe to
give their once . business appearance They
had some circulars printed and put brief adj
vcrtisemenfs In the local papers, calling fer
people to take MP timber claims When they got
twoor three agents or csppers at work In the
city they were in full operation, and then the
money began 70 roll.
Part Of their business purportci 20 be locating
people % any sort of public land anywhere in
the state, and, - told yesterday, their main
business was TO get people TO act as dummies In
o0taininx government timber land in sksgis
county, wash, for the Michigan and Maine
Lumber snd Milling Company, about which the
hare name was the only information they ever
prefended 70 give. Their offers contained
Usny great promises, and In response to their
advertisements and circulars letters began TO
pour in from al parts of the state
They also sent operators ont through the
state, and from them and directly through the
nail money was obtained from hundreds of
people The most extensive operations were IN
This city. In spite of the fact that they bad
been briefly spoken Of O. frauds in the papers.
they went night along xnd managed 70 inspire
~ people with simple and firm faith IN their
scheme. Three o. four csppers were At work.
but their most valuable agents were honest peo-
pie who paid their Us, had firm faith in the Ger
tatnty Of the promised 81 600. aud ct once went
20 work TO kindly get all their relatives and
friends into the bonanza
How the Grand Army took hold OF II wss told
yesterday. The contsgson spread among the
Market street cable road employees. and three
fourths Of the conductors bit and put up their
rs apiece Whole families went IN together,
and friends rushed In after them with IS
epkece- few paid Is or SO In advance, and
the faith thus inspired brought in dozens more.
One simple Swede was going about telling peo-
pie thss be had already been 20 Washington and
received his n 600 and wss going up again The
people who paid their Is and received their
%S@s>ss< SSs< t>f1<< W &C tc4-<f W ~ ~ tOA
: lev days, expenses paid. on various dates In
this month, and they plsnked accordingly.
The hardship In this ssindle comes from the
fnct that scores Of the dupes were very poor,
and with faith In their hearts and golden
dSuams Of 81 90 so easily made before their i'm
eg1natsons they made desperate Efforts to get
together the Is, borrowing on touching pleas,
paxning or selling personal effects and making
I'll sorts Of sacrifices They took their con-
01bufionB 90 Weaver, telling how they had
missed TIE money, and he smiiingiy pocketed 10,
md assured them that they would soon b out
Of ths reach Of poverty's pinching fingers
Something frightened the scoundrels into van
thing on New Years eve. and there 10 not the
elighecs3 cline 70 their whereabouts. Early this
morning two OF the local agents we're at the
once While there four people dropped in TO
pay up. The agents took the money, but soon
concluded that they had better skip. TOO. By 10
O'Clock there were nearly 100 people crowdinx
Into the ofzce or about the entrance.
BIZ noon there were twice a. many Some Of
The scenes were iudicrous and some were touch
ing. Wei dressed young men out OF yohs and
Others who had left jobs were there. s25 poorer
Old men. foreigners of several natsonalifies, and
horny handed laborers, some locking very pow
erfystrickcn, were mixed mp together Little
crowds eagerly discussed the situation here and
fhere, and excited men swore that II anybody
connecfcd with the scheme appeared he would
not LAST long. Threats we're expressed on ell
sdcss but ali any Of the dnped ones 10 apt to get
prt Of his speculation Is little valuable exps-
rzence.