, 1891-03-04
THE PIANO FAKIRS.
Taken to Denver by the PostOfHce
Inspectors.
A Nice Harvest of Remittances
Had Commenced.
Letters From Grateful Recipients
of Winning Numbers.

Postofice Inspector Lawrence arrived
from Denver yesterday morning and
Chief Inspector W. W. Patterson ar
rived in the afternoon to take charge of
the lake piano sellers, the Weeks broth
ers, whose brief engagement IN the city
was cut short by Marshals Rankin and
Carr.
The two men waived a hearing and con-
scented to accompany the inspectors to
Denver without taking any advantage of
any legal rights they might have to delay
matters and went to Denver on the 4
o'clock train.
Inspector Patterson SAID this was one
of the few cases on record where so
clever a plan to swindle was nipped so
quickly that the public suffered
lively no loss. Numerous letters ad-
dressed to the Pierce Patent Piano com
pany and to the Weeks brothers have
been sent to Omaha and forwarded here
and most of them contain crisp $40
notes, express orders. money orders. pos
tai notes or bank drafts. A letter from
Clara Erie of Denver e~ncloses a $40
money order. the ticket upon which she
won her piano and the bogus
Union Pacific shipping recent. Miss
Frie's winning ticket was No. 1906. 1t is
a green cardboard on which is printed:
Rattle for a $500 upright Pierce Patent
Piano which is given away to the people
as an advertisement. This entities the
holder TO a chance in the drawing which
will come off between Feb. 25 and IS,
at Omaha" The shipping receipt is
printed on yellow paper and is a close
copy of the form usually used by the rail-
road company. The blanks are filled out
with the name of the Pierce Patent Piano
company as consignor and Miss Clara Erie
OF Denver as consignee, of one upright
piano. weight 800 pounds. Across the
face Of the receipt is written: This piano
will be held here G days subject to your
orders upon receipt of charges" Miss
Erie was probably informed by the Pierce
Patent Piano company that her piano
would go forward as soon as the freight
was paid, for she writes in sending the
money: PLEASE find $40 to pay freight
charges on piano, Omaha to Denver"
Miss Erie won't get her piano but she will
get her $40 back and will have the pleas
ure of appearing as a witness against the
fakirs.
Miss Daisy Thomas OF Emporia, Kan,
held ticket No. 562. Her letter contained
a $40 bill and she wrote: Il am a music
teacher and Your piano couldn't come into
better hands. 1t Is such a surprise to me
that have been the lucky person 10 this
place to win such a rich prize hat there
are net words enough at my command to
express my gratitude. l will surely do all
| can to advertise your firm in this city,"
Inspector Patterson is of the opinion
that the two men captured here have two
confederates in Denver, one named
Weeks and another named Danforth.
Two, aud possibly three females are also
in the combination. One of the latter is
in Omaha and has at that place attended
to the receipt of the addressed envelopes
at the express office and has mailed them
at the postofice. Officers are on the
track of all the suspected persons and
their arrest will probably take place today.
The Weeks brothers expressed but lit
tie concern and said they would have no
trouble in getting out Of the scraDe. They
are rather shabbily dressed and look more
like Jays than schemers sharp enough to
work successfully the elaborate scheme
they had under yav.