The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-11-09
Rufus Ybarra Springs 1t on
Some Well-Known Mer.
chants.
CAUGHT BY A CLEVER CLERK.
Tales of Woe Told by Those Who Sue.
cumbed to the Young Mans
Smooth Tongue.

OF getting what he wanted by peculiar
sort of confidence game has landed Rufus
Ybarra in the City prison and may send
him to the State Prison. AT present he
has two charges of embezZlement TO
answer.
1t has only been recently that Ybarra's
peculiar methods have come to light. He
is young man, is well dressed and his
manners are those of an educated gentle
man. His address at once inspired the
clerks of the stores he honored by his
visits to extend him every courtesy and he
had no trouble in bunkoing them, as he
looked as little like confidence man as is
possible.
His last venture was with Sherman,
Clay & Co., the music-deaiers. at Suffer
and Kearny streets. As ''P E. Caseris,'
he worked them out of a 1927 80 mandolin,
which he purchased from A. G. Mccarthy,
one of the clerks. He did not choose the
right man for his game, though.
Mr.. Mccarthy swore ont a warrant for
Ybarra's arrest, under his assumed name
of Caseris. The detectives could not find
their man, but they did discover several
other firms which had been swindled by
him in exactly the same way as Sherman,
Clay & Co. had suffered. Mr.. Mccarthy
was more fortunate than the police. He
kept a sharp lookout for Ybarra and saw
him Thursday evening walking up Ellis
street.
Mccarthy with the aid of friend took
the swindler in charge, as policeman re-
fused TO arrest Ybarra till he had tele-
phoned to the head Office for orders. The
young man was invelgled into going to
jaIl, not thinking he would be locked up.
When the warrant was served on him he
broke down at once, cried and tore his hair
ana clothing.
Ybarra employed the same methods in
his dealings with different stores. He
ordered goods sent TO a distant part OF the
City, the money for them 10 be collected
on delivery. He would await the arrival
OF the messenger, and then by a plausible
story OF his mother being out and promises
10 drop IN and pay the next day he would
get the boy to leave the goods.
One OF the first firms he tried was the
Hastings Clothing Company. There he
bought fine suit of clothes, the altera-
tlons OF which neCesSitated several visits
TO the store. He had the goods sent c. o. D.
to the house once occupied by Spanish
lady of his acquaintance on Webster street,
near California. He this time gave the
name of Morales.
The otiice-boy carrying the clothes was
met by oarra in front of the house.
Ybarra told the lad that his mother
was calling OH Mrs. Urioste who lived on
said it would be all right. He insisted
that he was employed by Urruela, Urioste
d Co., the commission merchants. and
that he would call in with the money i'll
the morning. The suavity young Ybarra
overcame the protests of the boy, who let
him have the clothes.
At the store the messenger was repri-
manded severely. He at once went back
to the house on Webster street and found
that no one named Morales lived there.
Urruela, Unoste 81 Co. did not know the
young man, but they promised to inquire
In regard to him among their trade con-
neCtions.
As result, Mr.. Hastings received tele-
phone message from Stein, Simon & Co.,
the cloth merchants, a few weeks ago
saying they thought the wanted MO
rales' was in their store. Mr.. Hastings
and clerk went over at once. 1t was
their man and he had his new clothes on.
He made no resistance, but pleaded for
mercy, saying he had found that to get
work he must have better clothes and he
had no money to pay for them. MIR.
Hastings took HIM over TO his store.
He was sternly told to tell the truth
under pain of arrest. He told where he
lived and a clerk was sent to the house, on
Mason street near Post, with an order for
the young mans old clothes. Then he
was made to take off the new suit
His brother and a friend We're sent for.
They gave check for the clothes and the
young man went away with them under
his arm.
When first apprehended Ybarra said he
had worked for the California Hotel, the
California Furniture Company and for s.
d u. Gump. He declared these men
would say he had been good boy, and
declared that the effense was his first
1t was not his last, though He got
suit of clothes from Brown Brothers on
SancnrOa CT in III 1T lI-S iY
ner. Then he tried his trick on Wander
slice. the jeWeler.
Tnere he almost succeeded in getting
500 diamond ring. He said he was clerk
employed by Payot, Upham & Co. He
wanted the ring semitic his mother for
inspection.
The ring was sent out to handsome
place IN the Western Addition. Ybarra as
usual met the boy at the steps and told
him about his mother being out. The boy
refused to let him have the ring and
Ybarra pretended to be very indignant.
The boy protested that he could not
leave the ring without getting the money.
Ybarra then offered to telephone to the
store. He rang up Vanderslice & Co. from
drugstore and told his plausible tale,
with the result that the clerk, who thought
that the young man was teiephoning from
his own residence, acceded to the request.
The messenger-boy was told to give the
young man the ring.
The boy hesitated. Then he declared
that if Mr.. Ybarra wanted the ring he
would have to go TO the store with him.
The youngster said he would not give up
his trust except for the money or a written
order from the head of the house. In
this way he saved his employers their
diamond.
barra made pretense of accompany
ing the lad. He rode downtown with him
IN the cars and walked as far as the Mills
building. Then he said:
''4o on go on TO the store now. I've got
to see man here. I'll be down and get
the ring IN few minutes
He was not seen at Vanderslice's again.
When put under arrest Ybarra denied
that he was the man who bought the man
dolin at Sherman, Clay & Co.'S. He gave
his real name and said he was employed at
the Maze.
1t was found that his last statement was
correct. He had been working as a clerk
at the Maze for over a week. Mr.. Nc
earthly is confident he has the right man.
though.
a clerk from Brown Bros. has also iden-
titled Ybarra as the man who swindled
that firm.
In consequence a second warrant has
been sworn out charging Ybarra with en-