Pawtucket tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 1890-189?, 1891-10-26
GREEN GOODS" MEN
Taken in by New York
Detectives.
A LARGE OUTFIT CAPTURED,
Ex-Convicts in Communication With
Thousands of Business Men.

NRw YORK, Oct. 26.--Inspector Byrles
says he is determined II break mp the
green goods industry in this city. Az evil
dence OF his earnestness in carrying put
this Intention he has arrested Frnk
Brooks, alias Pretty Frank" aud Ter
rence Murphy, alias poodle Murphy"
Both men were found at their homes late
on Saturday night by central Office detec-
hves. BROOKS lived at 202 East Eighteenth
street, aud Murphy at 2li East One Hun
dred and Fourteenth street. Both are old
timo crooks. Hitherto their crookedness
has boen principally in the pocket-pcking
and small k-thieviug business.
Murphy once gained some notoriety by
being caught while attempting to steal
Secretary Robeson's gold watch in Phila-
delphia.
Both are ex-Convicts,
and have served sentences for larceny
The inspector has been watching them for
a long tiNe.
On Sauur iay afternoon he gave orders to
arrest the men at tie first opportunity
That night, while the detectives were
watching Brooks house, they saw him ell
ter IL. They followed him in few min.
utes. Brooks was found seated at his
desk addressing batch of green goods
circulars. He had had too much expert.
ence to make any resistance when no was
arrested. When he had been locked up at
police headquarters murphy was rs quietly
arrested.
A search OF the rooms of Brooks and
Murphy revealed n stock of green goods
literature.
Brooks outfit was more extensive than
his associates. In his room were found
fnrf al nEa nj In ha u ,s.o
and addresses of
More Than 10000 Business Mon
scattered throughout the United States.
Most OF the names had the cipher designa-
tion By which the swindlers had classified
their intended or their real victims. The
inspector thinks the list had been made up
mostly from Bradstreets' and Dun's
books, and from lists obtained from post
masters on some pretext.
With these books were two tin boxes. in
which were nearly 5000 letters and tele- :
grams from persons who had received the
circulars aud prospectuses OF the green
goods men. Letters of announcement and
caution, the regular stereotyped circulars
and telegraph forms were found in profu-
sion.
In Murphy's rooms were found COM
eRrams, and hektograph.
Inspector Byrnes says that this gang has
been working for about q year and half.
Unlike some other gangs. this one
Had Money to Start with.
It bought for 1900 a complete little print
ing office Then it printed a stock of cir
culars big enough to last lifetime. They
got out SOC, 600 telegraph forms, letters and
<,fr nth .o
are incident to the trade. A tremendous
supply Of bogus newspaper clippings was
one OF their strongest cards.
When they had printed enough stuff to
run 100 ordinary gangs they sold their
printing Office and began work on big
scale. The first circular the gang sent out
was long one. 1t dealt principally with
the ease with which some agents Of the
gang had accumulated independent for.
tunes, told a great deal about the surpris.
ing merit Of the supposed counterfets,
and including moving appeal to the per-
son receiving the circular not to be a
TRAITOR" and betray the sender, but to
take the circular rs IL was meant-an
earnest. sincere effort to be OF service to
the victim, who had been recommended
to the swinder by
A Warm Personal Acquaintance
The receiver was TO send an inclosed ,oe-
gram, simply giving the correc, name, all
the rest being cipher.
I, the supply of answers from victims
found in Brooks tim box was a telegram
dated at Romer, Ala, Oct %. 1t read:
"Send instructions provided with 404," and
was signed by j. NJ. Talbot, Troy, Ala
This telegram was what is known as the
FIRST" telegram. 1t is one the firm en-
closed in the first circular, and asks for
instructions how to come for the goods.
On receiving { his to legram, these swim
dlers sent ont Second" circular. II en-
clossds "san pie, (which was really good
bill cut in two pieces 1t quotes Scripture
and gives prices Of green goods.