Omaha daily bee., 1893-12-10
WHERE HAS The MONEY CONE?
Question Now Asked by Those Who Bought
Newsboy Banquet Tickets.
ANIToR KEPT BUSY TURNING BOYS AWAY
Mr.. shepherd, tho Author OF tho Enter
prise, Not Present to Make an ES-
pianatIon-HIs career in Omaha
Big Profits Made.

The postponed newsboy's banquet was to
have been given last evening at Washington
hall, according TO published schedule, but
"de feed was not visible TO any of the 2f5
"kidsn who escorted full-grown appetltes to
the designated rendezvous.
But that is not the worst feature of the
affair, as the indications are that no such
banquet will be given, and that the iudivid-
ual who has been posing in the capacity of
prime pusher in the matter has not been
acting in good faith at any time since the
inception of the scheme. On the contrary,
there is ample ground for a lusty suspicion
that the whole thing has been engineered
fer the sole purpose of placing money in the
pockets of designing parties, and that those
who have generously purchased tickets for
the purpose of helping the boys nave been
grossly imposed upon.
! There is still quite n mantle OF mystery
developing the affair, but facts are coming
TO light that do not tend to inspire conf
dence in the philanthropy of Mr.: John
Shepherd, who has been acting as chief en-
ginecr of the undertaking. The tickets that
were gotten out by Mr.. Shepherd read as
follows:
ITO Help the News and Messenger Boys
A Grand Banquet and Musical Entertain
ment Will BE Given at Washington Hall
Thursday evening, November %. Rev.
Charles w. Savidge Will Preside. Promi-
nent and Well Known Speakers viii De-
liver Short Addresses. Exercises Begin at
SO'Clock. Admission 80 Cents"
The boys were induced to call at the office
of Mr.. Shepherd in the New York Life
building, and were there given the tickets,
/ which they were urged to sell in as large
numbers as possible, as each boy was al
I lowed 10 cents on each ticket he sold.
Good Profits wcro Made.
! According to the statements of n number
nf tho hnyG tho Snlp pf Tickets VaS large. "a
! the object was one to readily enlist the SYM
pathies of the public. One youngster stated
that he sold forty -ono tickets, and he claimed
that he turned over Sl4. 30, keeping So. 10 as
his commission on sales. Others told OF
their success, ana il the stories told were
true, there seems TO be little excuse for fail
ure on the part of Nh. Shepherd to come to
time.
The ianitor at Washington hall was kept
busy during the entire evening turning the
boys away, and to n reporter for The BEE he
stated that nothing had ever been said
about renting the hall, either for last night
DC for the date that was first advertised on
the tickets. He said he knew nothing
about Mir. Shepherd, who had never put in
an appearance there.
A call was then made on Rev. G. W. Saw
idgc, who sad that he knew nothing about
| Shepherd, except that the man had called or
him ana solicited his assistance. He said
he had not the time to devote TO it, and was
then told that the use of his name was al
4 that would be necessary, if he would be pres
ent at the banquet and preside. Mr.. Savidge
suggested that the mayor would be the proper
party, but Shepherd wanted it the Other
way, and was finally given n conditional
promise. He had been seen once or twice
since and had claimed that the sale of tickets
was not sufficient to warrant the giving o.
the banquet. Mr.. Savidge said he knew
nothing of the responsibility of Shepherd
who had claimed to have gotten up similar
Aft airs in other cities. He said SHEPHERD
told HIM he had rented the hall, and wa
much surprised to hear the contradiction.
statement of the ~janitor.
SOMETHING OF shepherds Career.
Shepherd has been in the city for SOM
time, and figured prominently in police cour
'some months ago in a robbery case that wa
tho result of n holdup in a cheap hotel witt
which he was connected at Thirteenth ant
Capitol avenue. He also attempted to &c
in his graft during the recent campaign, an
,arrayed himself with the leg-pullers VIII
tried to get within reach of DR.. Mercer
pedal extremities. He wanted to give tn
banquet under the auspices of the doctor
but the retired medical practitioner wa
short OH auspices and declined to lend an
for the occasion.
There is little doubt that several hundre
tickets were sold, and even if it is true, a
Shepherd is said to have alleged, that som
of the boys failed to make returns, it Is quit
certain that he has collected n nice bunch {
money for which he has not yet rendere
value received.
In the absence OF another postponed dat'
the banquet seems to be off, and the boy
arc at u loss to know what to do with tn
appetitos they have been so buSlly Cultlva
ing for the past month.