, 1892-10-24

How He Obtained Money ON Notes
and Finally Beat Those VINO
OOnfided ia HIm-mr. SnIyeIy,s
straightforward Reply.
Yesterday the Tacoma Ledger published
the record Of John H. MeGraw, candidate
for governor on the republican ticket, side
by side with that of Henry ]. Sniveiy, DEM
ocratic candidate for the esame Office, briefly
printed in Saturdays TRIBUNE.
McGraw's record in Washington county,
Maine, is shown up with considerable de-
tail by the Tacoma Ledger from which ex-
tracts are taken. Instead Of swindling one
he swindled many. While yet a young
man he swindled his guardian and bene-
factor, old Francis Butterfeld, now eighty
years of age, who still resides in the coun-
ty where much of MeGraw's early life was
spent.
McGraw the boy, as McGraw the man,
seems to have had the faculty Of making
friends and enlisting confidence. So far as
could be learned by close inquiry, cover
ing some ten days OF time, and many miles
driving over the roads and through the
woods, every soul who trusted him, save
one-and he because he did not trust him
far enough-liyes to lament it, or has died
lamenting it.
Interviews with citizens Of Washington
county show that many of McGraw's VIC
TINS are alive and still curse his memory.
John H. McGraw and his older brother
Tim operated a store together. Elphat
Morse endorsed a note for them for $500
which afterWard, with costs of suit,
amounted to over $500. They failed owing
him $3.50 for produce over and above the
note. A son of Mr.. Morse also endorsed a
note for 5000. Mr.. Morse, sr., was forced
through bankruptcy by his inability to
meet the note
The McGraw Bros. were closed out by
their creditors and according to the state
ment of Tim McGraW, John McGraw,
borrowed 800 from the widow Snow and
went to California"
Francis Butterfield was swindled out of
5000 by John McGTaw on a note and the
illegal sale of property. MeGraw borrowed
a warranty deed to some property from
Joseph Butterfield and placed it among
the assets of the firm. James X. Butter
field was also swlndled out of $4O0 by en-
dOrsing notes for the McGraw Bros. In
order to secure this endorsement McGraw
gave him mortgage on real estate that he
didn't own. David Gilpatrick signed
note for 1858 for McGraW and paid $l40 of
it. He claims that McGraw borrowed $500
nom Mary Grove and up to few years
ago he had not repaid the loan. John
Carson was tricked into signing two notes,
one for 5000 and one for $654, for McGraw,
both of which be was compelled to pay.
He was also led into giving a bill of sale
for thirty-five tons of hay to a creditor of
the firm of McGraw Bros, merely to help
them out Of difficulty. He got no pay
for his hay.
Barney Fiiro7tr;ck. h.rd qrcrking
farmer, was caught on notes amounting
to $1,000. He was stripped of everything.
Mrs. Joel Faulkner worked in John Nc
Graw's family for a whole year as a domes-
tic and was never paid.
John II. McGraw is blamed with much
of the adYersity that befell the farmers in
Washington county through his wholesale
swindling operations. He was a "high
liverr and very "keen." He attended to
the outside business of the firm while his
brother Tim was the plodder. The Ledger
gives the details OF McGraw's dealings
with the above named gentleman in the
form of personal interviews, which show
exactly how the swindling operations were
carried out and the most of the people he
swindled make affidavit to the truth of the
statements