The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1894-01-18
DETECTIVE ARMsrRoNG's sroRY

The aIrchlld bond robbery" said
Detective Armstrong, was the finest
piece Of work that [ ever heard Of
and indicates how far a knowledge Of
human nature aids a confidence man
in carrying out his schemes. There
are few men who heard of this rob
berry who did not pat themselves on
the back and say that they could not
be made such dupes Of as Mr.. Fair
child had been, and wish for the OPP
portunity to show how easily they
would have frustrated the scheme.
But | Will acknowledge that, with the
experience that [ have had with hui
man nature. the same trick could have
been worked upon me, and [ believe
that ninety nine ont of one hundred
persons would have been fooled in
precisely the same way that Mr..
falrchIld was. 1t seemed almost Il
shame that the police should have
been called upon to interfere with
such a clever rogue as Arthur Gun
nlngham, which was the name the
thief went by during his meteoric
flight through Wall street
Everybody said that Cunningham
was a good fellow, and many stood
ready to make good for the bonds if lie
should not turn up, as they believed
the wrong he had done was only the
sudden outburst of a man who had
lost fortune and had been so dazed
that he hardly knew what he was
doing. No ono believed that he was
a professional thief, and | did not
myself until | made the investigation.
[ got from Sloate Il Co, who had
done business for Mr. Cunningham
for several months, all they knew
about him, which was very little, ex-
cept from a business standpoint. |
found that he had always paid his
debts and seemed to be over honest
that is to say, when in debt he seemed
to be worried and anxious until he
had settled up everything
Mr. Sloate had a very profound re .
gard for Mr.. Cunningham and sym
pathized with him in what he termed
his misfortune, until he found check
for Sl9,3OO, payable to the order of
Arthur Cunningham, signed by the
firm, among his vouchers, which none
of the members of the firm knew any
thing about The check was pro
nounced a forgery, although it was a
perfect fac simile of the genuine
check. and even an expert could not
determine wherein there was anything
to indicate that there was a forgery in
the handwriting.
In the the publication of the story
in the newspapers | kept ont the fact
that the forgery had been discovered,
and gave publicity to the statement
that the friends of Mr.. Cunningham
did not believe that he was a thief.
would gladly pay for the bonds if he
would return, and would give him
capital to start in business. After
several days l put a personal in the
newspapers IN several cities, thinking
to get reply. The personal was
signed by Sloate x Co, and offered to
guarantee that he would not be prose
cuted on the bond business if he would
return. The trick worked in very
good shape, and an answer came from
Pittsburg by telegraph, signed by
/ Cunningham, saying that he would be
IN New York at place of which he
would privately notify Mr.. Sloate
later, within a week. Things We're
working our way IN beautiful shape
/ and Mr.. Cunningham would undoubt
edly have been landed if some enter
! prising reporter had not got hold Of
the forgery and sprung it as a big
story in exposing Mr.. Cunningham
1t caught our friends eye, and he die
not make the appointment as he haC
agreed to, being cunning enough t.
see that it was only a trap to nail him
In the meantime l had been in
vestigating Cunningham's career. anC
| found out some very startling thing:
that could easily have been discover
ed while he was doing business il
Wall street. Ilearned that under tn,
name of Roderick Anderson he haC
run the Hungarian bond swindle. tn,
best thing of the kind ever done il
this city. because it was a fraud tha
good judges said was in the form o
an ingenious legal contract that woulC
protect the swindler. There Were
several clerks who worked for him a
that time, and after a lot of hare
work l found out who they We're ant
got to them. They Were prett!
shrewd lot. and. being afraid that