The San Francisco call., 1895-07-28
WAITING WORD OF WARD,
He Promised to Invest Liber-
ally in a New Electric
Railroad.
DUPED OAKLAND CAPITALISTS.
A Bunko Man Who Has Worked the
Coast With Success for Ten
Years.

Two weeks ago man named Mitchell
S. Ward made his appearance in Oakland
and caused the fact that he was Chicago
capitalist looking for investments to be
bruited far and wide. He was accompa-
MED by his wife, and although he had very
little cash he talked of investments so con-
vincingly that before he was twenty-four
hours in any hotel the best was always
placed at his disposal.
The project SO long talked OF, the build
ing of an electric road to San Jose, was
mentioned to him, and even before he
gave evidence that he knew there was such
town as San Jose, he expressed his will
ingness to invest $4,000 in the enterprise.
This made him more friends. The road is
being advocated and backed by Felix
Chappellet, the mining millionaire of Oak
land, Joseph Kendall, another wealthy resi-
dent OF Alameda County, and Mr.. CHS
holm of Eden Township. So when Mr..
Ward was seen in the company of such
solid business men no one doubted that he
was good for at least $1,000, and he bought
with lavish hand and promised future
settlements as generously.
Ward told the projectors OF the road
that he had been engaged in doing some
contracting for the Santa Fe Railroad in
the southern part of the State, and that
certain money he received he should have
turned over to the railroad, but he kept it,
and credited to his own account for the
work he had done for the railroad. The
company, he said, had brought suit
against him and secured judgment by de-
fault for S150,000. After this he turned
all his property over to his brother and
sister, who lived near Chicago. Ward then
gave out that he had telegraphed to his
brother for $50, 900 to put into the electric
road. When the money did not arrive,
Ward explained that his brother had left
New York with the money, and was due
on Saturday last. The day came around,
but the brother and the $4,000 did not.
Before the appointed time Ward also dis
appeared, and has not been seen since in
Oakland.
The last heard of him was when he was
arrested at San Jose and released owing to
q misunderstanding. 1t was stated that
he had bought a ticket for San Francisco
and left on an early train. Although Off
GERS of that city, armed with a warrant for
grand larceny, were waiting to receive
him, Ward is still at large.
The team he drove to Haywards from
San lose was returned to McCleverty's
stable in Oakland by a messenger, Ward
having telegraphed from San Jose to the
proprietor TO send some one to that city to
get the rig.
S. B. Chaloner, proprietor of the Hay
wards Villa, and the heaviest loser by
Wards bunko game, hearing that Ward
was known in Seattle, sent to his friend,
J. H. Woolery, ex-Sheriff of King County,
asking if Ward was square.
Ward is clever rascal in good many
ways" replied the ex-Sheriff. "The first
that was heard of him in this county was
in 1884, when he was superintendent of
construction of the Oregon and California
Railroad from McMinnville to Corvallis.
He failed to pay his men, and as result
came very near being lynched."