The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-02-05
A NAPOLEON OF FRAUD.
DECISIONS Willy SCHEMES READ
LIKE A ROMANCE.

Eleven Times Indicted, but Always
Escaped TriaI-A Dictator IN Pierce
Oounty-The Way BE Tricked the
BulIe's Experience With Him Il
Trap to XII the Inspector - His
Chance to Amend.
A. J. Dickson is still In jail awaiting bis
removal TO the Ohio penitentiary. He will
probably be taken away in a day or two.
Dickson's life would make an interesting
novel. For the last twenty years. accord
ing to the story Of the government agents
who have had cause to investigate bis
career it has been long continued
romance of rascality. During all that
period he has never been known to work,
but through his willy schemes he succeeded
in making fine living. While creditors
threatened and fumed at him for swindling
them out Of their goods he smiled aud
snapped bis fingers at them. and told them
TO do their best. Eleven times the grand
Jury Of Pierce county returned indictments
against him for his sharp practices, but he
welded powerful influence in his neigh
borhood and got out of the scrapes every
time.
DICTATOR IN PIERCE.
Dickson was virtually dictator 10 Pierce
following. and the men who composed it
thought because Of his shrewduess that he
was the greatest man in Georgia. IL any
one wanted to do anything in Pierce county
Dickson had first to be consulted. IL he APP
proved the scheme it could be carried out
but il be didn't the promoters had 10 let it
drop. II it were forced without the dicta-
tors approval failure was certain TO be the
result.
Dickson has bright mind and IL he had
had the advantage Of an education he would
have been an exceptionally smart man.
he has pleasing face, and
persuasive tongue. A person not ec-
Quainted with him and who would listen TO
his conversation for few minutes would
be impressed. He is endowed with the
talent Of making everything appear favor
able to himself, and to this fact can be at
tributed his wonderfully successful criminal
career. He is man who wouldn't hesitate
to fight when necessity required it, aud this
made him popular with his class.
AFRAID TO EXPRESS THEMSELVES.
Those who didn't like Dickson were afraid
of him and kept their opinions to them
selves In brief, Dickson is a man combin-
ing the courage of lion and the ingenuity
Of fox. He could get out OF
his troubles in the state courts
but when he ran against the United States
face with something different
The crimes which landed Dickson in the
Ohio penitentiary were committed while he
was postmaster at Mershon. While he was
holding that position the government dis
continued the postoffice at Mershon and
decided to establish one at Coffee. Dickson
didn't agree to this state of affairs and be-
fore he turned over the effects of his office
he sent lengthy petition to the de.
DATGsnpDt FpOnnatlnD tho Pa hifah-
ment of the Mershon office and
appointment Of his 15-year-old
son to the postmastership. He didn't state
the age of the candidate and the petition
had such a marked effect on tine department
officials that the office at Mershon was re-
established, young Dickson was made post
master and set of new supplies was sent
on.
DEAD PEOPLE AFTER A PosToFFICE.
Nearly all the names attached to the De-
ttion were signed by Dickson himself, and
hlany OF the people who were down on the
list as asking for continued postof1ce ac-
commotations at Mershon had been dead
nfteen and twenty years. But the govern
ment didn't know oil this at the time.
The appointment of Dickson's son was
just what Dickson wanted. He became
actual postmaster and used bis boy for a
tool 20 carry on his operations. He would
order large bills of goods and ask that the
bills OF lading with drafts attached be sent
to the postmaster at Mershon, aud he would
remit. When the drafts arrived Dickson
would destroy them, take the bill of ladinp
10 the depot and get the goods. OF course
the owners Of the goods could whistle for
their remittance. The Kalamooza Wagon
Company was one of the many concerns
caught by this scheme.
THE INSPECTOR AFTER HIM.
Al.
government against Dickson for fraudu-
lent use of the mail. Inspector BuIla was
ordered TO take charge of the case. He was
told OF Dickson's character and was warned
that be might get into trouble If he wasn't
very careful Inspector Bula isn't a very
large man. but he is full of grit, and he
started in to get evidence against Dickson
right in his stronghold. He didn't hide his
identity when he arrived in Pierce county.
and more than once he was threatened. but
ne wasn's to be scared out of doing his duty.
and never left the place until he had got ali
ne anred in the liue of evidence there.
The firet place Inspector Bulla saw Dick
son was at turkey shoot in which efforts
were made to induce him to participate.
The inspector thought the spirit of friendli-
ness displayed toward him by those engaged
IN the sport was inspired by some other mo-
tive than his amusement and entertainment.
u
A SCHEME TO SETTLE BULLA.
Atterward the inspector learned that
Dickson, who at that time was a Justice of
the peace, had inspired the movement TO
get him into the shoot. The scheme. as un-
folded to Inspector Bulla was that when he
would draw his pistol to fire at the turkey
one of Dckson's officers would arrest
him for carrying concealed weapons.
He would at once be committed
to Jail to await trial and would be ordered
to Blackshear. On the way a chance of
escape would be afforded, aud IL he took
advantage of it he would be shot. The
officers would. of course, be justified in such
shooting under the plea of performance of
duty. The scheme was well plotted, bue it
couldn't work, because the principal actor
couldn't be induced to act.
THE HUNT FOR EVIDENCE,
When Inspector Bulla left Pierce county
after closing the Mershon postoffice, he had
to make tour of many southern
cities to obtain evidence againt Dickson.
30 far reaching were bis practices. In some
instance the government agent had to
threaten legal procedure to compel mer.
chants to turn over letters for evidence.
They hated to have it so out to the world
that they had been taken in By a Georgia
cracker.
When Inspector Bnlla finished the work
assigned to him in the Dickson case, and
laid before District Attorney Erwin the
evidence he secured, the case of the govern
ment was improbable and only one result
could be obtained-the conviction of Geor-
gia's Napoleon of Fraud
A A.