Waterbury evening Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1887-1895, 1892-07-23
REACHES THE END OF HIS TETHEF

Bogus Pension Alphabetically Fined
and Jailed BY Judge COwell.
Detective Egan made an arrest last
night which reflects great credit both
on himself and the Waterbury police
force. A slick stranger has been work
ing Waterbury and vicinity for the past
week, claiming to be commissioner of
pensions and son of General Raum.
His victims have been mostly aged
widows. 1t was thought yesterday that
he had skipped the city, fearing cap
ture, but a telephone message came
from Waterville in the afternoon that
the pension agent had been working his
little game there. Messages were sent
to Hartford and various places to be on
the lookout for the fraud. The trains
into this city were closely watched, but
no person answering the description
arrived.
Detective Egan suspected that
"Raum" might have walked from Wa
terville and he therefore made a tour of
the hotels. AS the detective entered the
Earle house last night, he saw a man
answering the description of the bogus
agent coming from the bar room to the
office. He stepped up to him and
asked: els this Mr. Raum, the pension
agent?" mo sir" the man replied, 81
am not" 81 think you are the man,
however" replied the detective, land
you will please accompany me to the
police station" The stranger indig-
nantly protested, but it was of no avail.
| On the way to the station he asked who
made the charge against him and when
told he admitted taking money from
several persons, but said he was allowed
to do SO by the law.
Arrived at the station he gave the
name of Albert III. Ruhl. The follow.
ing description, which may be of interest
to authorities of other cities, was then
/ taken of him: He is 50 years of age,
born in New York, now resident Of
Washington, ID. g., a pension agent by
| Occupation. He has dark complexion,
blue eyes and dark brown hair, light
mustache and long side whiskers. He
has full face and is feet 81 inches in
height. He was dressed in a dark suit
of clothes, sack coat, and Wore an
evening sun hat of large shape.
| The first witness called this morning
was Mrs Mary Hills of 900 South Nam
street. She said that Ruhl came to her
house on Thurday. He represented him
self to be a son of General Raum, the
pension officer, and claimed that he was
seeking out widows of deceased soldiers
who were over 60 years of age, in order
to secure them the increase of pension,
as ordered by law. He asked her if she
would take oath that she was over 60.
She said she would. He then told her
that it might be two years, three years
or five years before she would receive
the increase through the ordinary chan
nels, but if she would give him So he
would place her application on file and
recover it quicker. She gave him the So
and he left.
The next witnesses were Julius Cam
anski and wife, who live at % West
Porter street. At their house he intro
duced himself as before and asked to see
the discharge papers of the former. He
took a copy of the papers and then told
the story that it would cost So to receive
the necessary increase. After receiving
the money he started for the next
victim.
Mrs Nancy Castle lives in Waterville.
Yesterday the pension officer called on
her. He represented himself as before
and told her that under the new law
widows over 60 were to receive $24 per
month instead of $12. He also took a
copy of her husbands discharge papers.
Mrs Castle told HIM that she thought he
was a fraud. He talked so glibly, how
ever, and told such an apparently
straight story, that she gave him So.
Bertha Adams was the next witness.
She was present when Mrs Hills gave
Ruhl the s. and was brought there at
his suggestion that two witnesses should
sign paper that he had.
RuhI when asked if he had anything
to say to the charges replied: II don't
think it is necessary to speak against
such overwhelming evidence. I dis
tinctly told those ladies that they need
not give the So unless they SO desired;
that the increase would come just the
same and the United States government
says So" He would not disclose who
his accomplices were, if he had any.
He would not, he said, draw anyone else
into the matter. In all his transactions
with the women he defrauded he
always rolled the So inside sheet of
paper, enclosed it IN an envelope and
directed it to New Haven. Judge Cowell,
after hearing the evidence, proceeded to
give Ruhl sentence which will be a
| warning to other fraudulent pension
agents to steer clear of Waterbury. He
fined him 800 and costs In the case Of
Mrs Hills, 1926 and costs and six months
in Jail in the case of Czamanski, and a
Casilar sentence in the case of Mrs.