The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1895-07-21
WARD AND A WIDOW
The Gold-Brick Fraud Makes a
Haul i'm San Francisco.
nonEYEo WORDS BRING 1000.
The ssRaiiroad Contractor and ALI
Around swindler Who Worked
Seattle Boarding Houses.

Mitchell T Ward. the giant railroad
contractor, boarding house swindler and
vould-be gold brick man. who has ap-
reared before the public in this city on
several occasions In a most unenviable
manner. is now the special object OF
search OF the San Francisco police IL 10
claimed that he swindied Mrs Elizabeth
Mcclellan. a widow with three children.
out of 5000 in less than six months and
then disappeared. II was the old. old
story: violent love. the widow captivated.
Ward borrowed her money and the victim
shed tears. To make matters worse. when
Mrs. Mcclellan arrived at San Francisco
from Victoria, about July Is. she found
that her lover had married in Alameda,
June 3. Miss Mattheson. OF San Francisco.
AT last accounts Ward vas still at liberty.
and, even II he is caught. he can probably
win the case as easily as he did that
against him in this city.
Ward IS a clever rascal in a good many
WAYS and has such gift of the CAB"
that he can make good impression for
few days: in fact. long enough to carry
his schemes into operation. AS rule, he
does not go over SO TO SIS, although he
once tried a loo piece OF work in this
city, which proved Q dismal failure. as
Mrs Styled, the intended victim, was too
sly for him.
Ward is over six feet tall, and. were Il
not for his many eprees. he would still ne
a good-iooking man. A Turkish bath and
a course at a barber shop usually prime
him UP. for the time, at least. SO that I'M
der pressing circumstances he makes
fair appearance. He wears a very long
black Prince Albert coat. and moves about
as IL he had more business TO transact in
ten minutes than a railroad president
could do in week. The first that was
heard OF him in this country was about
1854. or Whereabouts, when he was supN'-
intenient OF construction of the Oregon
& California railroad from McMinnville
10 Corvallis. He failed TO pay his men,
and as a result came very near being
Iynched.
He appeared In this city first in the win
ter OF 1889, and after beating a hotel or
two, a few boarding houses and getting
some money and watch away from
widow that he met on the train, he jump
ed the town and was not heard OF again
until 1888 He stayed at the Rainier hotel
at that time, and sprang into prominence
by claiming to have lost a poke tbook
containing large sum of money. AS
matter OF fact, the pocketbook was found
the next morning IN gutter where Ward
had dropped 1t when he got out of CUR
ney. Inside the book was about 500. but
Ward had said there was much larger
sum. After this he got hold of gold
brick and went around from one board
ing house to another with a piece Of an old
gold brick" and succeeded In perpetrat-
ing number OF petty swindles. His sys-
tenn was TO deposit the brick, which, of
course, he made out to be very valuable,
as security for his bill. and later, under
pretenSe Of taking It out to have IL con-
verted into money. would disappear. 1t
was claimed that he ran a bill at the Con-
gress saloon and also at the SnoQualmie
hotel under this system.
He beat Tommy Miles out of s65 In such
way that 1t resulted In his arrest for
obtaining money under false pretenses.
Ward claimed TO Miles that he had 81 010
In Denver bank. but for certain rea-
sons he did not want to draw # in his
own name. He then arranged to have the
cash come in Miles brothers name.
Ward took a letter and check for the
money to the postoffice, and after regis
tering the letter borrowed $65 from Miles
on the strength OF the registered letter
receipt.
Detective Philbrick and Officer George
Sheehan arrested Ward August l6 1898.
but IL was thought a case could not be
made out OF the facts at hand. 1t then
developed that Ward had beaten c. w.
Donnett out OF ss5. 80 he was arraigned
before Justice Caldwell for obtaining
money under false pretenses. Ward could
not obtain $500 bonds, so he had to remain
in tau several days. Finally he was ar
raigned August %. and subsequently dis
charged, the evidence showing that he
obtained board. room, etc. not cash.
while the laws only relate to obtaining
money under fatse prstenses. Mr.. Ward
disapreared from the horizon and has not
since been heard OF in this city.