The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1894-05-18
The Hartford National Victimizcd.
he Total Loss About So, 100,
A CAREFULLY LAID PLAN THAT
WORKED SUCCESSFULLY.
A HypOcriticaI Rogue Who Pretend
ed to be In Search ola Farm.
HOW HE WORKED THE SCHEME.
His Unsuccessful Operations i'll Snow HiiI.
PROBABILITY OE HIS CAPTURE.

| The HarfOrd National Bank, OF Bel AR, mas
| been made the victim of one of the cleverest
and best worked swindles in the police records
of the country. Although the scheme was
| consummated last Friday, it was not discovered
until the following Monday evening and was
not generally known until Tuesday morning.
This is how it was done:
On February IL last the Deer Creek Farmers
| Club met at "Westwood,'' the home of Mr..
James F. Kenly and discussed the question,
rs Hartford county desirable place in which
to live?" The proceedings were published in
The IEgiS of February 2S Shortly afterward,
Mr.. D. C. Wharton Smith, President of the
club, received letter protesting to be from
George p. Sage, of Waterbury Conn.,, which
was published i'll The IEgiS of March g. making
enquiries about Hartford county lands. About
the middle of March, Sage wrote Mr.. p. f.
Ball, of Bel Air, stating that Mr.. Balls name
had been given him by Mr.. l.. Hastings, of
Snow Hill, Md, as IL prohibitionist and first
rate fellow. He stated that he and a number
of his neghbOrs, thirtyone i'll all, had sold their
FARMS near Waterbury, to wealthy New Y ork-
ers for summer homes at good prices and had
commissioned him to look into the deSiraDility
of some of the more Southern States as future
homes, which subject he had already been
corresponding with Mr.. ID. c. w. Smith. He
said he felt like giving Mr.. Ball Il shake, but
Connecticut was a long way off to clasp hands,
However, he hoped to be i'll Hartford soon and
would be glad to call.
Ill ABOUT USIl uuyS, Mr. DILL TcCcNcu dHOIHeT
letter from him, saying that he had been travel
ling in New Jersey and Pennsylvania looking
for farms, and in his moving about had not
kept pace with his mail and supposed that was
the reason he had not heard from Mr.. Ball.
He stated that he expected to be i'll Bel Air
shortly. He arrived in Bel Air on April 18th
and stopped at Mrs. Hanna's boarding house.
He looked up Mr.. Bail and was introduced by
him, on the morning of April ID. to Mr.. S. a.
Williams, President of the Hartford National
Bank, with whom he had few moments con-
versation. On leaving he said to Mr.. Williams,
by the way met friend of yours at Snow
Hill, the other day, Mr.; Barnes, lawyer there,
his best regards"
He then went from Mr.. Williams Office to the
bank, where he deposited S16o, of which s150
in check of Mr.. Williams to L. F. Maggie
which Mr.. Maggie had cashed mt Mr.. Balls store.
He stated to the bank officers that he was
looking for dairy farms and would be back
i'll two weeks.
On April &c he again appeared at the bank
and deposited draft on New York for 81 900
and drew $500 in cash. In the meantime the
$3.50 draft had been heard from and was good.
He remained in Hartford for several days.
On Sunday, April %, he attended Sunday
School ut the Presbyterian church, in Bel Air.
in the morning, and at night he made an elo-
quent address to the Christian Endeavor meet
peared at the bank again. The New York draft
had been paid and he drew $500.
last Friday, May ii. In the meantime he had
paid visit to Mr.. ID. c. Wharton Smith, of
Darlington. and Mr.. Smiths son, Mr.. c. W.
G d%th f ta Mr. Joseph Eo o. of BATE
more, well-known in Hartford, who has the |
management Of Indian Spring Farm" belong
ing to the estate of the late Johns III. Janncy, |
and with whom he was negotiating for the
purchase of the property.
He deposited two drafts. one for 5000 pro-
Tossing to be drawn by the Farmers and Me- |
chanics' Bank of Tama, Iowa, on the National |
Bank of the Republic, in New York. and one |
for $1,906, apparently drawn by the First
National Bank of Pawtuckct, K. l., Oh the |
He got from the Hartford National on these |
drafts, SLIGO in cash, a check for 81 900 on
the Central National Bank of Philadelphia, Pa, |
payable TO the order of Il. II. Alexander who |
he said was one of his friends at Snow Hill, |
but is now supposed to be an accomplice and
Il check for 81 800 on the Mechanics Bank of |
Baltimore, payable to the order of Mr.. J. P.
Elliott. He then secured Il fast team from the |
livery stable of Herbert 5. Flowers and was |
driven by Mr.. Ball to Magnolia, on the p, w.
and Is. Railroad, where he caught Il fast train |
for Baltimore. Mr.. Elliott had left Bel Air on |
the 1880 2. NJ. train and was in Baltimore |
when Sage arrived The latter went to Mr.. |
Elliott's Office and offered to close the deal on |
the Janney property at once. He had made |
Mr.. Elliott an offer of S45 per acre, which Mr.. |
Elliott was inclined to accept but told him he |
had not been able to see Mr.. Anderson Kelly, |
the tenant on the place, and could not close |
without seeing him. Sage seemed disappointed, |
saying he had had his check made payable to |
Mr.. Elliott, expecting to close the matter ut
once; He then requested Mr.. Elliott to get the
Sage the money.
The bank heard nothing more of the matter |
until last Monday afternoon, when they re-
ceived telegram notifying them that the New
York drafts were forgeries. They at once
wired to Baltimore and Philadelphia to stop
of the checks and succeeded in stop
ping the one on Philadelphia.
1t will be seen that the bank has lost 81, 100,
with possibility of having trouble over the
S. 900 draft on Philadelphia. The matter has
been placed in the hands of detectives in Balti-
more and Philadelphia. Detective Todd Hall,
of Baltimore, was in Bel Air, Wednesday, and
was closeted for some hours with the bank
officers.
Sage is Il well-built man of about forty years
of age. He is about five feet eight inches in
height and weighs 175 pounds He wears IL
black moustache, cropped side-whiSkers and
has Il conspicuous gold filling i'll one of his front
teeth While in Bel Air his whole bearing was
that of Il devout Christian, and was calculated to
deceive the most sophisticated While at Mrs.
Hannas he read his Bible i'll the public parlor
and on one occasion he sent number of tracts
to Mr.. Ball for distribution.
Apparently Sage has been working the same
looking for farms and made good impression
on the citizens. He appeared much interested
i'll religious work and made an address ut
Christian Endeavor meeting. He finally Sc
lected farm belonging to Mr.. George Hay
nard and agreed upon price. He then left
and Snow Hill has not seen him since.
Late reports state that important clues as to
Sage's whereabouts have been discovered and
Marshal Frey, of Baltimore, is confident he will
capture the man in short order.