Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1892-04-21
GREEN GOODS GAME.
A Man Who Stopped Here Last
Week Victimized.

Week Victimized.
He Was Met in This City by Swintlier
Who Took Him to New York, where lie
Was Robbed of Several Hundred Dol
lars.
James l.. Willis proprietor of the Hotel
Willis, received Thursday letter, of which
the following is a verbatim copy;
April 1897
SULLIVAN 70
SULLIVAN co INDIANA
To the Manegar of the Hotel WILLIS sir
rite You To in form you of my trip from here 10
your Town Wilmington as thirs has bin n
grade deal OF counter titlne and swindeng
going on from New York Il Philadelphia and
your Town and your house was thire choices IN
your town at Philadelphia they chose the
Columbia house thea men would petend 10 sell
silver-certlilcatcs claiming that they wore IA
good as tho U 5 could make ard they sent
sample which WAS good ~ WAS L S money and
they would take or sell 4,000s for onely 400.
now you hive the start Oh the click and
having plod thirn work woll on some men In
this country they all posed TO make up money
ana have mo 10 work my way thronght tnifp
gain or chanes clear to thlrc thron which did
and would not do II again for all the moncyia
tho stntc of new york
but know all about them ard whore they
arc can recnige Of ihem and know who
thire fathere Is have thre Nombers II ntrcet
and roomes addresses pas word aud all thire
letters OF instructions AZ now when ] got 70
your town went slow n while and Jaw that
some Of you was on 10 thre moove 50 after
while went to the union Telegraph office and
send them Telegram as | was instructed 10
do by them SAW the poless watching very close
aud all SO saw thire pilet wachiug vcry close
10 so took n hnck TO tho oiice aud r0te the
disspantch out give 10 n young lad he read II
and looked az me as ii he did not want 70 send
ii and sad do you know this man snyes per-
haps might II $50 him and told thru ttickea
and on and the was an organised band
OF thos s',sis up m ana , he giye m, me
to him and told him my entcnts md
asked help from the town but he WINS very
busy and to many In the office then 10 your
Hotel and REGISTER my name and ilasc of
| residents as l wa directed to do by them
which was trenton n. y. d mt know whotner
thire Il such plnsc or not but TO Keep UP with
| them ! had 10 follow orders from thcn the
pilot took IL in es inst as tote II stEd q short
timc and thi.o wa4 several reading the name
| by thls tme the piict WAS waniins tDgei u way
| 50 p1d my bill and thought would 70 and
see tho lad IN telagrsm cillce gain but the
| piict was on tho street wlching ana no slips
| up and sad let iis go 10 the tran and got way
| from hero and SAW that must have him to
| got to tho Lyons den 50 went On with him
| did not cntend 10 give them as much as did
4 but give them 80 dollars IN AL thirc and back
4 was 3s0s In all ! saw all the emblomnps Y
the black nag and saw the money aad get the
| box OF money MS the rest did which was box OF
| little blocks ia sticd OF money now read tais to
! the Telegraph operator and ask for tho
\ disspach and then take il to the chnai- poless
/ or the mayer OF your city Hnl toll say road il
| aud he VIII correspond nnd rteme will ask
! MN 10 rite the Nlehi HpleHN oil new YORK and
| nave him rite To me and keep It closo and we
| will get as much rs Of Thorn sure have all
\ thire paprrs letters Sr 20 taken YOU as an
up rite man ask You answer This would Of
Vent % chcaf polcss at NV YORK but NV ife
| was not sure aud was well CARED and watched
| to yours us ever JollS Me MiLIiN
sullivan 10
sullivan 60 Indiana
1 McMillin registered al the Hotel Willis
| Wednesday evening Of last week. lie gave
his residence MS Trenton, and looked, il is
said very "green.n After eating supper he
loitered awhile in the cafe, where he was
approached by Mr. Willis, who attempted
70 engage him i'll conversation. Thinking
he might be Of service Ia the stranger Mr..
! Willis asked him whether he was here on
business, to which inquiry MeMillin re-
Piled that he was prospecting Going out
doors the man called Il cab and was driven
to the Western Union telegraph office,
where ne left a message addressed James
Brown, No, }0S Easl rhirty-ninth street,
New York. Impressed by the rustic APP
A penrance Of McMillm the operator asked
him whether he knew Brown and re-
plying in the negative was warned to be
careful and was told OF the experience Of a
green &c is victim who stopped iii this
city i1onth ago. AlcMilin wired that
he hae arrived here and was on the way
to N"~ York. Returning TO the hotel lie
gave up tnc room he had hired for the
Inc Same evening Of his visit 20 this CITY
two men 81 rustic appearance arrived 1T
the same hotel and registered as ]. ]. BaX-
ter and NJ. u Evans III Lima, Ohio Their
actions We're similar to those of McMilliu,
except that they did not send q telegram
from here.
The story which the operator told Nc
Millin WAS as follows Two men cane
here from Beaufort, \. g., month ago.
Both looked like hay seeds would fall from
them any minute. They went to New
FORK and being taken to dark rooms were
asked To buy 81 900 worth of greenbacks
for 500. One became frightened and
would not purchase. His companion
bought. -Four thousand dollars in genuine
money was counted ont and put ia lin
box. After the box had been locked and
he had paiG $40 for it he was asked to 90
to another desl, and Sign receipt While
he was doing this the box containing tho
money was seized By man whom tht
stranger had not seen and another hos
was put in It's place. Immediately after
wards the victim was let Out and told t.
leave town at once lie 0beyci order.
promptly and reaching this din iopptt
Il the Hotel Merritt. Engaging q room
Ire hastened To it, and opening the hos
which had been given him was dumb
founded On discovering that it eontainet
nothing cNccpt half q brick, which wa.
carefully wrapped III green paper
\ HeculiHily abpu, Tie Victims who
stopped here was that each had handker
CneI Iied around mis- neck. All Wer,
I. ci,9sey followed by what McAlilln terms
pilul.
Mr.. Willis HANDED McNilins letter l.
Chlel Of Police blackburn Friday.