The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1895-09-04
A YOUTHFUL SWINDLER
THE GAME A YOUNG MAN PLAYED
ON A NURSERY CONCERN.

Columbia, and is Now in Jail--How HI
Worked 1t.
COLUMBIA, S. c., Aug. 30.-Ayouns
white man, about 19 years old, who
says his name is T A. Dean of Edge
field County, was sent to Jail yester
day by Trial Jusice Troy on the very
serious charges Of swindling and for
gerry. Very little could be learned a:
to the young mans connections IL
Edgefeld, but he is good looking
boy, we'll dressed and appears to b.
very intelligent. He has started OF
his career of crime quite young and h'
did it in such clumsy way that h
was bound to be detected.
Sometime last spring Dean saw az
advertisement OF the Southern Nurse
nv Company of Winchester, Tenn.
which wanted agents to represent i
in the State. Young Dean answered
the advertisement under the name O
y. H. Dean" and was appointed ar
agent. According to the terms of hi
contract he was to get ten per cent
of the amount of the ordera at once ant
thi .tv per cent. more when the trees
or seeds or bulbs should be delivered
in the fall, thus getting forty per cent
in all.
Dean weDt to work with will, a
least the company evidently thought
Sc. for orders ccme in to them at {
great rate ard no doubt they believed
they had the star fruit tree agent of tht
country. Dean collected his ten pei
cent. with great regularity and KEEP
on sending in orders until the whole
amounted to about $500 from Edge
field County alone.
He was apparently not satisfied with
confining his operations to the town:
and villages of Edgeield County, Sc
he came to Columbia and put up a
Mrs. Davis boarding house on Ger
vais street. He wrote letter to the
nursery company from this city ask
ing for an agency under the name O
J. NJ. N. Zeigler. He got the agency
and an outfit and went to work. He
sent in ORDER after order to the home
concern until they became suspicion:
at so much business being done In
fruit trees in Columbia. 1t appeared
to them as if the whole town wa:
crazy on the subject. The outfit sen
the agent consisted OF a blank order
which was to be signed by the person
ordering the trees. Dean or Zelgler
as he called himself, didn't do any
canvassing, but that was a small mat
ter with him for he sent in the order:
any way. Without consulting certain
gentlemenia this city he signed THEN
names to orders himself, often order
ling enough to set out whole orchard
for them. Among those waose name:
were thus used were those Of DR.
Talley, DR.. Murray, Mr.: W. A. Clark
John Fitzmaurice, R. S. Desportes, }
L. Mimanaugh and host of others
In all his orders amounted to abou
$4,000 from. Columbia. That made
the firm very suspicious, but Dean II
sending in the orders always referred
the firm to Bradstreet's as to the fin
ancial standing of the 'signers" OF the
orders.
Mr.. A. II. Hasting, the manager O.
the nursery, wrotes to some of the gen
tlemen and. asked them about their
orders given to Zeigler and was in
formed that they had not only nevel
ordered any fruit trees but had nevel
seen or heard of Zeigler.
The company then determined tt
catch him. If Zeigler's orders hae
been genuine the company would have
owed him $50. Not suspecting tina
the company was aware of the game
he was playing, Zeigler or Dean wrote
to them for check in payment ot
what what was due him. In answering
they stated to him that Mr.. Hastings
who was on the road, would pas:
through Columbia soon and would
hand him the amount due. Dear
didn't want anything like that anc
wrote back that he had an engagement
in the lower part of the county to sci
some trees and he was sorry that he
would not have the pleasure of meet
ling Mr.. Hastings. The latter could
however, ne wrote, direct letter L
him containing the check, drop it in
the postofice and it would be all rig ght
Mr.. Hastings got here Wednesday
and Immediately went to see Judge
Troy and swore out warrant TO!
Dean or Zeigler's arrest. He dropped
a letter in the postoffice directed t.
Zeigler and awaited results.
Justice Troy kept the whole thing
|secret and sent a special deputy, Mr.
lC. F. Brown, to the postof1ice to watcl
| for Zeigler. The deputy remained
there all day and still no Zeigle,
came. Finally about dark a young
man came in and called for mail fo'
IZeigler and among other things 60
the letter directed to him by Mr.
Hastings. AS soon as he did Consta
bic Brown arrested him. Zeigler a
first made an attempt at blufflng tn
constable off, but lie was taken befor
Trial Justice Troy.
Judge Troy spoketo him and called
him Zeigler, but the prisoner SAID tina
was not his name, but that 1t wa
IL. H. Dean, Judge Troy asked hin
why he called for Zeigler's mail ant
the prisoner replied that he had me
lZeieler on the streets, who asked hin
to inquire for his mail. He said Zeig
Ter was medium built man OF darl
complexion and had a black mus
tache. He said Zeigler had left town
He didn't know where he boarded, h'
being only an acquaintance of his.
Justice Troy told Dean that h
would have to hold him as wltnes
until Zeigler could be found and ac
cordingly sent him to Jail.
Yesterday morning he went t'
Deans boarding house and found
valise in his room. but there was ne
key to it. Going to the jail Dear
was asked by the Justice where TIM
key was and he replied that ne dldn
know, that he had probably dropped
- ~ h &c roo,,, or lost If in the streets