The herald., 1894-12-03
A SMOOTH swINDLrK.
DIR. X. @. Flower Captured After . Lon
ChAa,.

/ DIR. X. @. Flower Captured After q Lons
| Chas..
CHICAGO, Dec. 2.-R. G. Flower. ex'
preacher, Christian scientist and land
speculator. was brought to Chicago to-
day from Texas, where he was arrested
last week and locked up in the county
jail charged. in conjunction with Presi.
dent Smith, with obtaining $45. 900 by
false pretenses.
Detectives who have been on his trail
following him to Texas, say he is the
canartest man they ever encountered.
They have traced his history and say he
| is the head OF tie American institute,
having its headquarters at $50 Colum-
bus avenue, Boston, where. it is claimed,
he practiced Christion scisnce. He
lives, when at home. in a pslstial resi-
dence ON Commonwealth avenue, in
this city.
Dr.. Flower, az he is called, was ar.
resnsd Saturday night in East ST
Louis. A detective WAS on his way to
Galveston, Tex, with rec uisition papers
for him when the two met and the doc
tor was arrested. Flower had waived
reQnisition in Galveston and offered to
acca mpany an officer to Chicago. But
he wac disagreeably surprised in St.
Louis when the man from Chicago
appeared. Flower had in his possession
tickets for himself and wifs.
General Manager Sutherland OF the
Mooney and Boisnd agency says his
dealings with Foeter are typical OF the
sort OF business he has been conduct
ing Tor the past few years. 1t ia
claimed Flower and Pascal r.
Smith, who assisted him in
his ventures, met N. O. Fos-
ter, a Wisconsin lumberman,
in Chicago, July s. 1898, in come ection
with land deal If Flowers case comes
TO trial the attempt will be made
20 prove that the doctor then
represented to Foster that the
Deming Land and Water company owned
1900 acree in and near Deming, N. Nj, 4,
valuable franchises for irrigation privi-
leges and an arsesiln we'll, all of which
were worth more than the capital stock
of the company. 100000. The stock
was represented by Flower and Smith
to have been fully paid up, and the
claim is made that they induced Foster
to pay them $45, 900 on q contrac: by
which they agreed to give Foster one
third OF the common stock, onethird of
the preferred stock and one-third OF the
bonds OF the company. Foster is said to
have found the property to be worthless.
1t lie claimed Fowler represented that
he owned 5000 acres of land in Virginia,
that he would give Foster for his inter-
est in the Deming Land and Water COM
paDy. Foster paid $4,000 more on the
strength Of the abstracts, but it is said
su bsequent examination of the records
in Virginia showed the abstract to be
false. Foster then communicated again
with Flower who gave him an abstract
of $1,000 acres of land in Kentucky,
which like tho Virginia paper, proved
to be falEe.
Many other stories are told OF the al
legged sharp practice on Flowers part,
whereby he has gathered up large sums
OF money.
BosToN, Dec. 2.-For over q week past
detectives from Chicago have been in
this city searching for DR.. r. G. Flower
of that city. who was arrested ON
train at Conroe, Tex, yesterday. The
charges against the doctor are that he,
in conjunction with q man named
Psschal R. Smith. sold to N. G. Foster
OF Duluth, Mimi, 100000 worth of
bonds of the Dsming Land and Water
company of New Mexico. for $67 900
asserting them to be first mortgage
bonds. When Mr.. Foster tried to rea-
lize on the paper it ie alleged he found
it practically worthless.