The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1894-02-12
He Skipped With $o4,0O i'm
Negotiable Bonds.
ARRESTED IN GUATEMALA CITY.
Clever Work by Captain Forsee OF
PinkertOn's Agency-The Thief
i'm the City Prison.

negotiable bonds and $4,000 worth of
Jewelry from his sister-in-law, Mrs. Susan
Schwartz, was brought to the City Prison
yesterday morning from Guatemala by
Captain William +. Forsee of Pinkertcns
National Detective Agency.
The case has created a great sensation
in the State Of Mississippi. where the par
ties are well known, and it was also of
International importance from the fact
that there is no treaty in existence between
Guatemala and the United States, and the
assistance of the Government had to be
invoked with the object of getting the
Guatemalan Government to offer no obsta-
Giles to the extradition of Hahn.
Hahn went to Natchez when he was IS
years Of age. and secured position in a
store as porter, and gradually worked
himself up to the position of chief clerk.
he was reckless with his money, made
many friends. and soon launched into
business on his own account as commission
merchant
He married lady, whose sister, Mrs.
Schwartz, was the wife of one of the
wealthest men in Natchez. Mr.. Schwartz
died about three years ago, and Hahn was
considerably disappointed that he did not
leave him in charge of his estate, but be
claimed that Schwartz had told him before
his death that If he saw that his widow
was spending her fortune foolishly. he
was to assume the control of the estate.
Mrs. Schwartz did all her business
through Britton 81 Coutts, bankers.
NatcheZ, and when Hahn made overtures
TO her 10 get control of it she told him she
was satisfied TO allow 1t to remain in their
hands.
Ahout .xrn ,,.oro $50 Hob. -. 4.
Mrs. Schwartz and told her that man,
whose note she held for 500, wanted to
pay it off. She replied that the note was
10 her box at her bankers, and he asked
her 10 give him the key and an order upon
the bankers and he would get the note.
He went to the bank, but did not present
the order, as 1t did not serve his purpose
then to do so. Instead he got the box and
carried ii TO her house, returning it to the
bank after Mrs. Schwartz had taken out
the note.
Nothing more was done till about the
end of August last, when Hahn went to
COutts & britton and presented the order
he had obtained from Mrs. Schw artz over
year previous, with the date altered. He
got access to the box and took out Sol, 900 of
negotiable bonds and the jewelry. and left
a handbook instead to make il appear as If
the bonds were still there.
On September Mrs. Schwartz had ar
G
in Chicago and sent her adopted daughter.
a girl about II years of age. to the bank to
put some papers in Der box giving her an
order, that being her invariaDle rule.
When the girl entered the bank Hahn
was there. AS the girl opened the box and
inserted the papers he ran toward her and
asked in an excited manner what she was
doing there as he was apparently afraid
she would discover that the bonds were
missing. His question disconnected the
girl and she did not take the trouble to
look into the box.
Hahn was particularly attentive to his
Sister-n-law that day. He walked to the
train with her and her adopted daughter,
purchased tn cir tickets Tor them ana sat
in the car beside them until the car
started.
That night he left for Vicksburg, taking
the bonds and jewelry with him, and
stopped for DAY or two with his sister.
Then he went to ST. Louis, where he paid
some bills. and then to Chicago. Then he
wrote 20 Washington for information as
the foreign countries with which the
United States had no treaty regarding the
extradition of criminals, and was fur
nished with copy of the only treaty
with Guatemala that is extant. Hahn has
a nephew named EssiR in Chicago. and
while visiting his uncle he saw the copy OF
the Qua temala treaty.
whats this. Uncle Joe?" asked Essig
"Oh. said Hahn. some Congressman
has sent it to me-"
leans, where he negotiated six of the
bonds, which placed him in funds. Then
he went to BeleiZe, British Honduras
While there be sent letter to Frank A
winchester, prominent lawyer of
NatcheZ, and an intimate friend of his and
Mrs. Schwartz, which was the firsu heard
of him.
From Beleize he went to Guatemala, ar
irving in Guatemala City on September 26.
He wrote letter to Mrs. Schwartz. in
which he claimed that he bad taken the
bonds because her husband, before his
death. had told him to take them if he saw
that things were going wrong. He subse-
quently wrote that if she would send him
letter In her own handwriting he would
turn over S34, 900 worth of the bonds to
her. so as to compromise the case.
Mrs. Schwartz, the bankers and Attor-
ney Winchester had a consultation, and it
was decided that Winchester would go 10
Guatemala to endeay0r to get back the
bonds. He got there about the middle of
October. and died the night after his ar
rival. When news of his death reached
Natchez there was great excitement. a.
the general belief was that he had met
with foul play at Hahn's hands. But it
at Antigua at the time and did not reach
Guatemala City till the day following
Winchester's death.
The case was then put into the Pinker-
toms hands, aud after some correspond
ence with the Senator for Mississippi and
the Secretary of the Department of Foreign
Affairs extradition papers we're issued in
accordance with the comfy of nations.
Captain Forsee was placed in possession
of the papers and left for Guatemala on
December %. arriving in Guatemala City
on January 10. He talked with Hahn for
i've days to get him TO confess what he had
done with Inc bonds. but he lied to him all
the time. Finally Hahn told him that a
broker named Rosenberg had S34, 900
worth of the bonds, and he had kept
$4,000 worth. all that remained.
Captain FOrsee called upon Rosenberg.
accompanied by the American Consul, and
demanded the bonds. but he denied hav-
ing them and laughed In their faces.
Rosenburg had been bleeding Hahn freely
and wanted to hold on to the bonds.
The captain consulted President Barrios.
who treated him with the greatest courtesy
and kindness and gave him n letter of in
PRODUCTION to the Minister of Justice, who
advised him to secure the services of a
leading lawyer favorable TO the Govern
mept as Rosenberg, who was a German
subject. Womb like nothing better than 10
have the case taken before the courts, be-