The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1894-12-26


spoilS. Bringing 4 lot of postage
stamps to Barrett was characterized by
the postmastess as bringing a possum
to town.
The department was aware that Bar.
rett was selling stamps at less than
cost, but could not locate the source o!
his supply until Fred Peers shrevd
detective work began to throw some
light on the subject 1t was q case oi
diamond cut diamond" but the post.
office inspector proved to be Barrett
peer and therefore the cunning juris'
now languishes in Jail. Inspector
Peer. who is now operating il South
Carolina, is we'll known throughout
the United States. I;e was formerly
employed in the postotIice &t Clacln'
nati. @. Peer hes the air OF a clergy
man and is rs basl!fu! as & girl. but Is
keener and has more nerve than hall
dozen ordinary Hawl;ShawS.
The band of swiud!ers mentioned
above, Of which Barrett appears to
| have been the bright, shining star,
have been working their fraudulent
schemes for number of years and the
many firms that have been vlctlmlzed
have been mentioned IN former issue
OF The State.
The gang was versatile in its tastes
and ordered through the mails with,
out hope or intention OF paying for ii
merchandise OF all descriptions. from
saw mills and steam engines down to
furniture, typewriters, safes, dishes,
edibles, soaps and law books. They
seemed to have an especial weakness
for pianos, organs and safes and in
more than one little log hut out in the
backwoods can be found fine otfic;
safes and grand mahogany pianos,
ranging in price from $3.50 to $500.
This band Of robbers flourished. They
managed to get themselves rated II
BraGstreet' or Dans.
The scheme to defraud business
houses was this: Using conspicuous
letter heads with United States postof-
fee printed thereon. one OF the con
spirators would order goods On the IN
stalment plan and upon their arrival
would mortgage them to another OF
the gang. In order to give the transac-
ton a semblance of being bona fde and
legal. Barrett would see that money
which he furnished was actually
passed in the presence of an innocent
witness when the mortgage was given.
The money, however, would be re-
turned to Barrett as soon as the mort
gage was recorded in the clerks Office.
When the owners would endeavor to
recover their goods they would find
them sold to some supposed innocent
purchaser and under the laws Of the
State of South Carolina they would
have to whistle for their money. Ii
was smooth sailing on summer sea
for the swin6lers and everything
seemed lovely ill they struck Snag,
a tagging, probing snag in the person
of Postoffice Inspector Peer. The plans
of Barrett and his regularly organized
band of robbers have been fully ventl-
lated in the United States Court room.
Many witnesses We're examined and
the evidence adduced was of the most
damaging and convincing character
and showed scheme almost unexcell,
ed in the history of fraud in its bold
ness and artistic rascality.
At Spartanburg, Barrett had lot OF
law books in his cell in the Jail, which
he converted into sort of law Office.
He also had a typewriter in his cell.
on which he was typewritlng all OF
the evidence in the various cases
against him. But Inspector Peer traced
it up by its number through the Ham
mond Typewriter Company of New
York city, and discovered that it was
also ATTAINED by the fraudulent use OF
the mails. J. H. Nunally, the South
ern agent Of the Hannlalda Typewriter
Company at Atlanta, Ga, was sent io'
and he at once identified the machine
and fine cabinet desk that went with
it as the same property he had been
defrauded out of over two years ago
He claimed his goods and took them
away from Barrett by regular process
of law, Carson & Evins acting as his
attorneys.
Attempts have been made by the
Barrett gang to victimlze a number o1
firms all over the United States which
are the Robt, Mitchell Furniture Com
| pany, Dodd, Werner & Co., Mosler
Bahman & Co., and the Herring Hal
Marvin Safe Company. \ Herring
Hall safe. which has never been palc
for, was in Barrett's Office when he
was arrested. Certain circulars which
have been sent to various merchant:
ordering goods. givea very curious IN
sight into some Of the methods of Bar
rett's gang and show the ingenuity ol
Barrett who originated them. They
are well printed on good paper ant
dated at the United States postofiice a
Walker, S. G. They direct that the
goods ordered be put in packages no
heavier than four pounds, technical
IL sealed" and mailed with My two
cent stamp thereon. This would leave
s1.26 to be collected at the office O
destination on each pakage and \. +
Mcdowell, who was postmaster al
Walkers. as he explained in the clrcu
lar, got the transportion of the pack
age practically for nothing, as he
was allowed 100 per cent. on the
| stamps he was supposed to put on these
packages and cancel. Mcdowell was
convicted at Greenville.
The residence of. ". Owens, who
| was postmaster at Owens, was destroy
ed by fire recently by some of the gang
in order to get rid of certain docu'
mentry evidence which he had in his
trunk. Owens turned States evidence
and his life was threatened several
times. The Windsor Hotel at Spartan,
burg, it is said. was also burned in the
| hope of cremating Postoftice Inspector
Peer and al the forged bonds in his
possession. Peer has since been called
the Phoenix. Lawyer Barrett stood
| well with the present Cleveland ad
| ministration, until his crooked transac'
tions came to light. He was in fair
way of being appointed chief clerk in
tba Attorney Generals office.