The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1893-12-05

awake as tney nave always prONeu tuch-
selves, they were completely taken in by
the suave tones and winning
smiles of a young man from New York,
and were trapped into beginning the
building of one of the handsomest and
costliest steam yachts ever projected.
Behind the order for this yacht there was
not one dollar of money nor single days
credit.
Most Remarkable Fraud.
October %, of the present year, the Her
reshofis were the recipients OF tinted
and perfumed letter which read as fol-
lows:
THE WALDORF,
FIFTH AVENUE AND 2SD ST,
NEW YcRK,
Oct 23rd, 90
Messrs. Herrcshoff Bros,
Bristol, II. /.
GENTLEMEN am contemplating buildinga
steam yacht. Win you kindly inform me as
TO the lenp.h OF time you would require TO
build a boat OF the following rough descrip-
ton, Just when you coul1 guarantee to de-
liver her in New York
want q steel boat about lsj feet over all,
which is. I believe, the maximum length of a
into the Great Lakes.
Beam in proportion to length. Draught ac-
cordingly. About six staterooms, bath room
and closets, cabin. small office or library and
pantry for ward of engine roo n and boilers.
Aft OF boiler and engine room have
| chart room, galley. captains and
| engineers room, crews quarters,
| etc. or course this IS rough idea, but
| 7 ~, ff,.fc nj
furnished as fine as she can b.. especially
| cabins and statarooms, and large cabin and
| deck over lower cabin. Best of engines and
| boilers. Electric lights throughout in abuna-
| ance Steam heat. Electric calls and every
1 modern improvement In yachts tp to
| date In short. what want is lSi-
foot boat built in best shane. of steel, combin-
| ing comfort, luxury. speed and safety. WHAT
| want TO know at once is when could you
| guarantee TO deliver her, provided you got
my or Ter between now and Nov. u, and a
rough maximum cost OF such craft. ! en-
close simple sketch OF cabin and statero I'm
| plans which, l think, could be worked in a
boat OF that length. IL you win reply at once,
| stating when could receive her and probable
cost, will run up to Bristol aud consult you
| farther. remain respectfully yours.
HOWARD w. RFAM.
| Care The Waldorf, n. Y.
| The Herrshoff's were somewhat sur
prised at private order of these dimen-
| sions, but it seemed to be oil right and
| they promptly replied. A few days later
| MIR. Ream appeared in person. He is ap-
T, perently about thirty-four years OF cgc,
| wore natty suit of clothes of appropriate
design, sleek new tile, jaunty cane and a
| confident air. He Is black
| eyed and dark-fcatured, wears
| his hair a In football and has
| shiftly uncertain gaze. He wanted the
yacht at once end said he could pay for
! il. He stated that he was in the stock
brolIing business in New York with an
| Office at 1876 Liberty street and that he
was fitting up en- Office at 20 Wall street
to do a general banking business. He
also claimed TO be the owner
| of a residence at Little
| Neck, l.. l., valued at $4,000 and of prop
| erty on One Hundred and Eighty-sixth
| street valued at $4,000. He was willing
to put mp all the money necessary to
| build the finest yacht afcat
Befrlyed ConIiGencr.
II is usual for yacht builders to receive
! ordered, but Ream convinced them that it
was first necessary for him 70 dispose Of
certain securities before he could
make an advance and the payment was
deferred until Nov. 20. When that date
arrived Ream asked moro time, and after
being Systematically put of for some time
the suspicious of the firm were
aroused. Their anxiety was not
relieved when they discovered in old files
of The Times and Daily News of Chicago
that Ream had spent some time in Jail in
that city the year before for various
frauds practiced upon society people. He
posed in that city as the nephew of
Norman B. Rcam, one of Chicago's
millionaires, being always careful to keep
out OF the sight OF his alleged uncle.
After getting out OF Jail in the Western
city he camo back TO New York.
Mr.. Herreshoif became alarmed and tele-
vraphed his New York lawyer TO look
eeGm ~. Work on the yacht was stopped
az once. a detective was put on Ream's
track. but so far he has evaded arrest.
His original method Of guliing the public
is without parallel in the pages OF crimi-