The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1894-10-01
HIS s. GAME: OVER.

-. -. . - - -
An" Original Operator. Is
:: Entrapped. .-: RI
He swindled Firms by a Novel
F.: :. Method, and Is#caught by Postal
s. T.: Inspector Irwin. T.. -,
An exceptionally cunning schemer. was
arrested by Postoffice: Inspector Irwin at
San Lorenzo, ten: miles::outz Of Oakland,
yesterday. k: II :::.. :: -.
8: He gave the, u anne. of: Henry Smyth..
|. WHAT'S his realname is: not. known: He]
las assumed hume rous names and under
them f1eeced merchantszin all arts of the:
I Unien outof: hundTeds*of dollars. and had !
II net been for. thevigilanceo of: the pos tall
authorities he would. undou btedIy have
added many more: dishonest dollars. 10 his
]store. !. - : -; =;
re- H undoing was begun when Posfoffice
/ Inspector Irwin went to- Chicago about
|. forty. days ago" " The in Inspectors there told
l:hiin that they thought there was a case in,
I :CalifoTnia which 10 light be, worked up with.
i profit. They Informed him hat one Henry
Snyth. of San Lorenzo: had ordered a big
i billofgeods from a ,Chicago. firm and they
]:had:good.Teas to bellows that This Henry
+ .Smyth was a. IN an who had been illegally
Fusing:t the mails in all. parts of the country
with great advantage and entire safety to
/ himself. Inspector Irwin came back and:
i imme diately looked upthe record of: Henry
F@Smy tn of San Eorenzo, =. :. :: ~:
4 ii e.: found. there: were: two, Henry
/ :Smythes:ln: that .qulet little: village. One
i. was: a wealthy M an utactarer: Of agrcul-:
Il :tural implements,: one of The most sub
EstantiaI men iat the. community and an old
resident. =: =: ~: -
/: The other was only Slightly known. He
i was .portly.fe1low and had told the VII.
4 lage postmaster that ne Intended to start a
+ businesS:in in; San Lorenzo and asked him to
kind lyl kee p* whatever mail would come:
4 for him.. III -: !: :; =:
1 !, Il: was with: apparently unfeigned sur
/ prise and amusement that this Henry
ESmyth learned that there: was another
imam of his namein the Village, and the
i wealthiest lin it, so he called upon Mr..
/ Smyth number +one, ard together they
laughed over fhe ;remar kable similarity in:
i lheirs names: J.. ;Smyth !: number ,: two.
though t: III the most: remark able. coin
: cidence he had ever heard of. and
!: :ment, In e. funny stu tions 4 ha could be
Il broug hit about by the mixture of their
n mails: In fact he DIRE ". up a regu lar~ farce
IL come dy,= but be thought that IL might be
: Annoying to- Mr.: Smyth: Mol If, his mail
became mis- laid through such. peculiar cir
+ rumsta rces,. SO he very Onsiderately fur
: Tis he'd that gentleman. with 4 list:Qf the
81: firms with*Nhom he transacted business.
+. and asked that any letters coming from
+: them be.:handed to. him: :-. ~: *
;1".. Of:conrSe Smylh No: L acQuiasced. His
4 list Comprised the following Well-knowG
=: Chicago 1irms :: But tier; Bros, A. Coulter &
II Co.. AssIia, Wilder: & CO., A.:A. Putnanl,
81 G. Nj: IjiVipgs Ton, Chicago Merca btiIe Co.
Il =: al f:uncoDscious that the iaw was bind
Ting It's chains about him: slowly. but merci-
lessly. Smytb No. patiently: awaited the
.taTTiya. Of a eonsignmentiOf $1,000 worth of
/ goods which ne had ordered from Butler
+ T Bros. OF: Chicago: =. :. -.
e Butter Bros had received.the order, and
i unons looking: ND: the Status of Henry
Singh. of San Lorenzo, Call, they. found
/ that he: was "a wealthy manufacturer of
/ az Ficnltnraf.. implements, but Inspector
IRWIN. through: his Chicago. connections
: INFORMED Butler Bros.to ship a bogus co n
# Segment TO Henry SmNth. but to send a
!. proper bill of fadiag. =. ::
f.. This completed the building OF the trap
:. and it orly4remaiHed for it to be sprung.
f ::Ehis was done to-day when 'Smyth No. 9,
i. I;,or W boeger he may be; accompanied by
:. Ills tile: daughter, entered the San Loren
) 20: P0stoifice and demanded if there was
: any mail for Henry 'Smyth, expecting of
} I;courSe to- receive; his. bills of lading from
3 i Butler Bros :: =.
d / III here were no letters, but Inspector
:: Irwin and another officer were on hand
Iand arrested him. :Smyth was frantic
i and offered Irwin 500 and all his diamonds
! |. to release him. He would neither tell his
e | name nor his place of residence until the
: officer asked him If 1t was his wish to have
i. his child locked up iii prison cell with
Z him Then the stlIsr relebted and said
: that he resided with his wife at 423 Sixth
Estreef. Oakland. $50. 80. -
: He was taken to the County Jail in that
city, Where his wife: Immediately Joined
i him, but all efforts 20 learn his real n anne
e and aHtecedents were futile. +:.s.5.
a The mans simple and audciDus plan
j has been the same wherever he has oper-
" ated as at San Lorenzo. Assuming the
). name of SONG wealthy citizen, just as be
III did hat:of Smyth, he would order biz
e bill of goods from some mere hant in
e distant city and TO assure his securing The
I'll bill of ladiDg, ne would see the merchant
d whose name he had assumed, joke with
yt*him about the remarkable coincidence an(
Is tell that any neil he. might receive from
II merchant So-and-so was in tended for hi m
Thus he would get the. bill of ladiug, pu
t this goods in warehouse, sell them TO
" half their value and clear out of town.
IS His record in the past is as follows: 1,
II Catalac, Mich, he imposed on Mitchell
J. Bros, large lumber firm. In Macon
p Mo-, be assumed the5 name of JOSEPH
n Jager, a prominent citizen, and obtained
:. large consignment of. goods from c. "
IS Livingston Of Chicago, IS. =.
ID Next he took the name of Joseph Baum
e a wealthy citizen OF Kjrksyiile, Mo-, am
k / realized considerable money on. an0the
D. shipment from Chicago .os : e.s rs
le That he intended III operate freely i
D. this State, was made evident by 4 he al:
bit covery on his person of a: MEMORANDUM
re book containinga listof the names:of NOR
u than fifty California merchants with the
n commercial ratings and other data usefl
D. to one Of his profession. That he Is tn
ic same man who operated Missouri .theI
E. is little doubt
I'd The Chicago inspectors described him
N a large, porty man OF fine. appearance,
l. very we'll dressed, ana with slight defe,
at in the eyes. The man arrested by i,
spect0r Irwin answers this description.
the lminutest detail.