The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1894-12-05
THE ARREST OF DR.. FLOWER
HE Is CHARGED WITH FRAUDU-
LENTLY OBTAINING $4,000.
One of the smOOthest Men on Record
Played i'm the Role of Ex-Preacher,
Christian Scientist and Land Specu-
latOr--Arrested I'm East st. Louis.

CHICAGO, Dec. ar. c. Flower, ex-
preacher, Christian scientist and land spec
ulator was brought to Chicago from Texas
today where he was arrested last week
and locked up in the county Jail charged
with, in conjunction with p r. Smith,
with obtaining $4,000 by false pretenses
Detectives, who have been on his trail,
following him from Maine to Texas, say
he is the smartest man they ever en-
countered. They have traced his history
and say he is the head of n medical insti-
tute having its headquarters at $50 CO.
lumbus-ave., Boston. where, it is claimed,
he practices Christian science. He lives,
when at home, in a nalatial residence in
Commonwealth-ave. in that city.
DR.. Flower, as he is called, was ar
rested Saturday night in East St. Louis.
A detective was on his way to Galveston.
Tex, with requisition papers for him when
the two met and the doctor was arrested.
Flower had waived requisitlon in Calves
ton and offered to accompany an officer
to Chicago. But he was disagreeably sur
prised in East St. Louis when the man
from Chicago appeared. Flower had in
his possession tickets for himself and his
wife and the officer from indianapolis. and
was on train for that city when taken.
General Manager Sutherland. of the
Mooney & Boland agency, says that his
dealings with Foster are typical Of the
sort OF business he has been conducting
for the past few years. 1t is claimed that
Flower and Paschal r. Smith, who as
sisted him in his ventures, met n. c.
Foster. a Wisconsin lumberman, in Chi
cage, July s. 1898, in connection with a
land deal. If Flowers case comes to trial
the attempt will be made to prove that
the doctor then represented to Foster that
the Deming land and water company
owned 15O0 acres OF land in and near
Deming, New Mexico, valuable fran
chises for irrigation privileges and an
artesian we'll all OF which were worth
more than the capital stock of the COM
pany, 100000.
The capital stock was represented by
Flower and Smith, it is said, to have been
fully paid up, and the claim is made that
they induced Foster to pay them $45, 600
on a contract in which they agreed to give
Foster one-third Of the common stock,
one-third of the preferred stock and one
third of the bonds of the company. Eos
ter is said TO have found the property TO
be worthless.
Then. it is claimed, Flower represented
that he owned 5000 acres of land in Nir-
GINA that he would give Foster for his
interest in the Deming land and water
company. Foster paid $4,000 more on the
strength of the above facts, but. it IS said
a subsequent examination Of the records
in Virginia showed the abstract to be false
Foster then communicated again with
Flower, who gave him an abstract Of 1900
acres of land in Kentucky, which, like the
Virginia paper, it is said. proved TO make
false representations. Many other stories
are told of alleged sharp practice on Flow
er's part. whereby lie has gathered up a
large sum of money.