Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1895-01-13
NORRIS WAS A SPY.
Was Under Sentence Of Death at The
Time Of the Evacuation.
CASE AGAINST EMERY DISMISSED,
carkcr Declines to Talk and IA G,oo,nv-.
Another Victim Here--A Gold Nugget
swindis in North Carolina.


of gold-brick sw.ndlers. was in the sans
'aade a most fortunate escape from death.
Tho detective has all along declined TO
discuss this matter. because no was
nfraid 1t would prejudice his case next
Thursday. lie was called upon by q
dispatch reporter again last night. and
while he would not give the narrative
in detail he said that he was in the Sc
cret-seryice OF tho Union army all during
the war. lie was n telegraph operator.
Gad worked into place at Petersburg.
There he was caught as spy by Con
iedcrate officers lie was brought TO
Richmond. ana confined in the old city
Jail. where he Is now incarcerated. lie
only remained In that prison three or
-four days, being removed thence TO
Castle Thunder. lie was condemned to
death with four others. and made his
escape on the night of the evacuation OF
Richmond, as was published In these
columns yesterday. by getting in among
Il crowd OF cOlored spectators while being
marched along. He hid under q house.
and emerged from his hiding-place to
toin All Ohio regiment which was passing
through the city.
EMERY'S CASE DISMISSED.
The case OF Samuel Emery. the New
York hookmaker who was arrested as q
suspicious character. because he had
come down here 10 arrange bail for Par
Sor. was called in the Police Court yes
tcrday morning ct the request of Com
Uonwealth s-Attorney Smith, who asked
the Justice TO discharge Emery. Mr..
Smith stated that he had been requested
70 10 do by the Chief of Police. who had
CLOSELY investigated the turfman's alleged
connection with the swindlers. ana was
convinced that there was no ground for
suspicion. The information acquired by
Major Poe had come from Pinkerton, 10
large extent, but he had received large
Numbers of letters from persons all over
the country attestlng TO Emery's square
dealings The Justice dismissed the case.
and Emery will return home. rs there IS
no hope TO secure bail for his friend,
Parker alias Smith.
STILL ANOTHER VICTIM.
Mr.. John Groll. Of Toledo. o.. who was
yWindled out of $3.50 by gold-brick
frauds more than year ago. arrived
here yesterday, and identified Parker as
Dne of the men who duped him. lie
WAS accompanied by his wife.
When Parker was seen by Dispatch
man last evening he declined TO talk
about his case. tie WGs IN low spiIts,
though he remarked that no was being
kindly treated by the jail officials. lie
Tail that the people who had been
brought here to identify him were wrong.
bs there were probably many persons
Ga the world who looked like him.
HE PROSECUTED THEM.
The Ohio detective yesterday said that
o. had assisted in the prosecution OF the
following well-known confidence-men
Lon Hank, who was sent to the Ohio
penitentiary for life for killing Powell
l.ohman over a game OF cards. lie was
pardoned by Governor Campbell.
Ike Levi and George Haight. who
perv,l terms in the Mississippi peni-
t1ntary
John Sweeney. a gold-brck man. who
operated in WATERFOWL. y. Y.
George Post and Tom O'Br'en. who
W-rc convicted IN New York State. lie
followed O'BTien all over this country
and Europe but finally captured him.
Rad he was sentenced for o term Of years
but escaped.
Norris says that some Of the spurious
t0ld bricks are manufactured ut Roanoke
Va. ana sent 10 NV York for dstribu-
Zion among the gang.
\ -N'fls II tAikpl>itNA NhFi$s
The pispatch's reports Of the gold brick
Ewindliug case here have called 10 the
raind OF the correspondent OF this paper
st Greensboro. y. c., a fraud perpetrated
near that quiet. little city many years
ugo. In the counties OF Rowan. Mont
Comcry, and Stanley. in that State. gold
has been found I'm the hills and upon the
hanks OF the romantic streams, and
LONG while ago nuggets found by the
natives were taken 10 the country ana
town stores ana bartered for calico and
tnuG, and even for blockade whiskey
These little pebbles of yellow metal were
rendered to the merchants every few days
until IL finally turned out that some OF
the nuggets We're composition OF clay
Gud rock, coated over with gold. The
dealers had been swindled. The guilty
parties proved TO he an old man OF tnSt
section and his son, the latter of whom
WAS a notorious mOonshiner. Several
thousand dollars worth Of this spurious
sold had been sold ~ the vicinity before
Its worthless character had been detected,
and the result was that Crisco got
good long term in the pcnitentiary. and
that an end was practically put to both
spurious gold-making ana blcckadns in
those parts.
WORKED THE TIN-BOX GAME.
The tin-box scheme was employed In the
Fundamentally swindling case, TO which
reference has been made once or twice.
This occurred some i've or six months
EgO.
\ man answering the description or
Muians who conducted the negotiations
with Wiihcrs. drove up TO the home OF a
1veii-known Lou3oun farmer and enlisted
Ia friendly interest in the matter OF Sc
lecting farm that the stranger had been
Commissioned 10 buy Tor an uncle As
IN two were driving along the road a
th1rt way from the house another man
came up out If the woods. and u game
a. poker was soon in progress The
couatryuan refused t. take part in the
play. Int finally acceded To the urgent
request of the man who accompanied him,
END who WAS winning steadily. TO be-
come his partner. The r0n-r sident offcr-
q 20 bear al The loss for his side. The
stakes were getting high, and thu farmer
won $3.50. But tnv man who had
,mcrGci from the woods would not con
tent To hand over III, money until given
proof That his opponent was able TO have
met the Obligation had ~ lost. SO the
l.oudouu.te FASTENED 10 Leesburg. got $500
OF OF bIuk, ard soon returned. The
l,slus PLAYER counted the money over,
tolud a." amount to be correct. placed
s. in a tu-baN and. putting an equal
sum in himself. handed the package 10
tlc farmer.
when the latter got home his box was
{ uul 10 Doc "a worthless possession. He
proceeded to Lees burg ana got there in
time 20 see thc wagon OF green-goods
supplies come In. one Of the swladlers
was captured af,er a chase. was sent on
& the grand jury bailel In 5000 with
Is counsel es security. and Samuel Emery
8 said u have paid the forfeit. When
arrested tAe man had SEQ. Of which
lis victim rot one half.
DIDN'T GET THE MESSAGE.
Tie DISPATCH ~ in receipt OF the fol-
lowing Communication from the Mayor OF
CIe"e. Va, which explains itsels:
CREME. VA. January Il. 1925.
10 the Editor OF the Dispatch:
IT, connection with The gold-brick
twiudle, / noticed a statement In your
edition OK Tuesday January Sth TO the
thect that "a telegram was sent from
Petersburg t. Crcwe 70 arrest two of the
tWindlers, who w.re on TIE Norfolk and
Western train, No. !. which arrives al
CItwe about 2.l0 a. NJ. Now, Il such a
telegram was ever sent and / have no
doubt but that IL was. neither the town
sergeant nor myself have ever seen H.
aud the first We ever heard OF q; was
through the colufunz of your paper