The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1895-06-15
SWINDLER RUN DOWN.
A Pestiferous Petty Sharper
Landed i'm Jail.
HIS NAME is RiEFF OR CLARK.
He Imposed on Many Firms ana
Palsned Himself on as a POST
InteIiIgencer Man.
HIS NAME is RiEFF OR CLARK,

A pestiferots, persistent but coarse petty
swindler. who has been bothsTlng ffoht
street merchants for some tune past was
gotten out OF the way last evening Nhsh
Detective James Wells patted MIN
on the shoulder and sad ny
friend. come with me me prs
oner proved 10 be none other than r.
O. Ref. a barber. who was in limbo few
days ago for a brief space of time on the
charge OF robbing Jacob Schlatter or Sl9
In the Pacific house. Rien works DhaeF
the name of Clark and usually represents
himself as working for some prominent
business concern. or il he meets a man ne
never met he tells him that ne owes Inc
proprietor a small bill and will settle on
the coming Saturday. Some OF his adFen-
lures with the local merchants are anus
ing even i'm the face OK the rascality which
they represent.
A few weeks ago he rushed into the
korR-Rumsey Drug Companys store on
Pioneer place. and with an AL worn out
expression" said his name was clark ana
he wanted shaving OUTFIT. ABOUT -
worth of goods were done up for him ana
then he mopped his brow with dirty
handkerchief and said TO the clerk that
IL was a pretty tough walk up the mn 10
the county auditors Office where ne was
working. Then he got out OF the store as
II he had been thrown from circus can
non. BY the time IL was learned that 10
man named Clark worked at the auditor
Office the man with the 81 shaving outnt
had gone.
few DAYS later Clark rushed into the
Quick Drug Compsny's store on Front
street and said to Mr.. Quick: Loan me
Is cents" When the startled druggist ask
ed What for?' Clark replied that he was
an old customer and worked for Hyams.
Pauson d Co. Quick could not see the
matter in the same light as Clark. so
Clark disappeared. The next day or so
Mr.. Quick put on a different colored suit
OF clothes. and imagine his surprise TO see
his old friend" Clark walk In like reg
ular business man and ask TO see some
cutlery Then he selected a 81 knife and
told Mr.. Quick he would pay for II Satur-
day night when he settled the remainder
of his bill. Quick asked Clark IL he bought
the goods OF a certain man. giving a ram
dom description, and Clark bit immedi-
ately He did not get the knife. The next
day Mr. Quick was out and during his alb
sence Clark went I'm and tried TO fool the
clerk by representing himself as Croft,
the sign painter
After this the Pacific house robbery
case came up. and Clark. or Ref. was
retired for the time being. Last evening.
however. he began operations by gong
into the Quick Drug Company's store one
Houghton's jewelry store. This time he
left Mr. Quick alone. but tried TO pur-
chase a gold ring, saying that he worked
for Moran Bros. and would settle next
Saturday night, when he paid the re-
mainder OF his bill. To his surprise the
clerk told him that II he had bin he
had better settle II at once. Clark i'm
mediately left, and went into Calvert
stationery store. where he was trying his
usual game, when in came Mr.. Quick
and spoiled II. The police were notified
but before the capture was made Clark
purchased a small bill of cards from Low
man e. Hanford on the claim that he
worked for the Post-Intelligencer.
AS the laws of this state are not ex-
plicit on the subject OF getting goods I'M
der false pretenses. there Is a question as
TO what will be done with the prisoner.
So far as is known he has no record as
a criminal.