Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-03-17

A n
WI a" NJ ~ Union, Offering gold
~ watches or valuable
- books in exchange
for lists of the names Of people who get
mail at their post offices. IN this way they
get hold of innumerabe "alive addresses"
among which to distribute their fraudulent
advertisements The government Of late
has been trying hard to put stop to this
scheme
The rural postmaster furnishes the list
required of him and waits hopefully for
his watch. 1t Is hardly necessary to say
that he never receives it. Meanwhile COM
plants of the sharper have reached the
Post Office Department. He is Ioing bust
ness. maybe. from Jersey ,'ty. The post
master there is instructed TO hold his mail
unless he will identify himself. This fright
ems him. and he fails to comply His let
tiers SO to the dead letter office at Wash
ington, where they are opened. The post
masters list Of names being found in one
OF the envelopes, sharp note is sent to
him. asking what excuse he has for violat-
Ing the regulations. which positively forbid
the giving of such information.
Nevertheless. in the perpetual struggle
that is maintained between the Post Office
Department and swindlers who conduct
their enterprises through the mails the lat
ter have steadily the best IF It, Now and
then one of them is caught and punished,
but such an occasional episode does not
seriously interfere with this species of
criminal activity Many complaints have
come in recently to the effect that POST
masters are selling lists Of names and that
respectable persons in various parts of the
country are receiving objectionable iaedi-
nd fra II
quantities. Those petty government cfn-
Gals, in fact. too often serve innocently
as Intermediates between swlndiers and
the people. They are utilized as cat's-paws
for working all manner of fakes and
skin games" at the expense Of a confd-
ing public
Estates in England.
At one Of the most remarkable OF such
frauds an effective blow has been dealt by
the arrest and conviction, a few weeks
ago. OF man whose ingenious tricks have
puzzled the police here and abroad FOR a
number of years past. This was the in
dividual who under the name of William
Lord Moore conducted a so-called claim
agency in London, advertising to procure
In England legacies and estates amount
Ing to many millions of dollars for persons
In this country alleged to be entitled to
them. or course the said estates and lega-
SitS were WnOlly Wytnlcal. Inc method
adopted was to send to country postmas-
tiers all over the United States circulars
which they Were requested to tack I'D in
conspicuous places. The documents thus
distributed gave notice that large sums
were due to persons who were believed to
reside in that vicinity. wherever it might
be.
Naturally. the number of answers sent in
response to these circulars was enormous
Persons who replied in the hope that they
might be entitled to the fortunes referred
to, were informed that they We're happily
not mistaken. But, before their claims
send so to William Lord Moore in London
for preliminary expenses The money be-
ing forwarded, nothing more was heard of
IT, Undoubtedly the sharper gained an i'm
mense sum in this way. He gave no end
or worry to the Post Office Department
which was helpless. because the circulars
ana letters were mailed In England The
British authorities, being asked for help
became greatly interested in the case but
the Scotland Yard detectives tried for wears
IN vain to hunt William Lord Moore to his
hole. Efforts equally fruitless were made
20 corner person called Leger, who acted
as Moo-es agent In New York. Finally
Moore was run DOWN in London and Eng
land being too hot to hold him. he skinned
away to the United States. He was can
tureu IN chicago, but escaped from the
marshal who had him in charge
Before finishing the story IL IA nocess.rv
10 go back about twenty years and re-
view the romantic career of a Dars,n Lpoy.n
as the Rev. George Frederick Burgoyne
Howard. He was an Engli .hman the son
or a policeman. For a while he was In tho
royal navy, and afterward n. served in
the United states navy, from which no de-
serted. he taught negro school In South
Carolina, and during the epoch Of the car
pet-bag he was a trial justice ia that state
10 escape prosecution for .nalfeastn,e in
office he fled. clipping with the wife of a
railway man. Later on he deserted her.
70 reRto
preacher.
More Cheek Than Morals.
The Rev. G. w. F. Howard had n large
red beard. hair of the same color. and a
most plausible address. He posse ssed no
morals worth mentioning, but his cheek is
described as amazing. After a while he
turned up at Jackson. Tenn, az pastor of
church. Scandals caused by his doings
split the congregation in two, one part
standing by the preacher and starting a
new church under his ministration. He
lctt that town and went TO New York
where he set up q claim agency" under
the name Of Leger. The business was of
a Kind that could be conducted more safe
~ and simultaneously from abroad, and
so ne transferred II to London, where he
called himself by various aliases While
known to correspondents from this side of
the water as William Lord Moore
HOW he was finally cauaht las been al
shall he went back to jackson, Tern, and
gave himself up. thinking to blaff it out.
He was again the Baptist preacher and
knew nothing of William Lord Moore or
his business. 1t was all a case of mistaken
Identity. Unfortunately for him, the gov
eminent was determined 10 spare neither
pains nor expense in procuring his convic-
ton. Witnesses were brought from abroad
to swear that he was William Lord Moore
and none other. EX-Mnistar Lincoln and
ex-Consul General New, who had seen the
man in England, went to Jackson for the
purpose of giving their testimony. The de-
tense OF the prisoner, conducted by him
self was masterpiece of ingenious effron-
terry. Nevertheless, he was sentenced TO
nine years in the penitentiary.
A typical fraud of the sort worked
through postmasterS Is hat Of he piano
prize. The swindler offers ny circular 100
pianofortes free to the first 10p persons
who send in applications to his "manufac-
turing firm. 1t is explained that the prom
osition Is intended an advertisement |
Everybody who Is so foolish as to answer
is winner, OF course, and Is Informed
that the instrument will be Forwarded on
receipt of $3.50 to pay for cxpressase and
packing. The victim sends the money |
and in due time receives the piano. 1t Is q |
miniature pianoforte. worth about 81 cents
at any toy store. good many Skin |
games OF this character conducted
through the mails. For example, the sharp |
er procures from postmastars the names of
farmers in their respective neiEhborhoods |
He sends to them a circular offering to
each recipient corn shucker free on con-