The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1895-05-22

New YORK, May 16.-The offices of
Howell & Coz, i'll the Traders Exchange
building, at so and 80 Pine street, have
been closed by the marshal on attach
ments for western manufacturers OBJ
tanned by S. G. Patterson, and in addi-
tion to the statement of Mr.. Patterson
that the firm had bought all sorts OF
goods, including bicycles, furniture,
carpets and cigars, and had obtained
credit from dealers who supposed the
concern was Howell & Co., bankers and
brokers, of New street, morning pa
per states that in the disappearance Of
the members of the Pine street firm the
police of this city and Baltimore and
the federal authorities, as represented
by postotfice inspectors, are trying to
ferret out the perpetrators of series
of gigantic swindlcs, in which the
names of the reputable firms of William
Howell & Son. of Baltimore; Howell ~
Co.. Of Chicago, and Howell " Co.,
bankers and brokers, Of this city, was
used as a cloak for extensive fraudulent
operations extending over the entire
United States.
Their transactions include the send
ing for collection of $300,000 bogus
note, purported to have been drawn by
the late Senator Fair, of California; the
sending for collection of a 100000
bogus note against the estate OF de-
ceased millionaire, of Scranton, Pa;
the recent attempt to float from $4,000
to $40, 900 worth Of bogus notes among
the note brokers Of this city and the
purchase, on fraudulent credit, in this
city and elsewhere, principally from
furniture and carpet dealers through
out the west, Of merchandise to the
value of thousands Of dollars, which
has been disposed FOR cash.
Baltimore detectives arc now work
ing on the case in connection with the
New York Ccntra, oiticc force, while
the parties concerned in The San Fran
cisco and Scranton affairs have engaged
private detectives. who are following
clews in those states. The offices which
the bogus firm of William Howell &
Son occupied and operated from in Bal
timore were abandoned some days ago
In January last the offices at No. 81
and 50 Pine street were rented by Z
middlc-dged man giving his name a.
Howell, and claiming to come from Chi
cago, who announced that he woult
start brokerage business. From q
furniture firm Howell secured desk
and Office paraphernalia of the highes
class, the value of which was $500.
was not until the usual thirty limi
had expired that the firm found tina
the alleged broker had no connection
with the reputable Chicago firm o
Howell & Co. Upon finding that TIN
cost of litigation might exceed the val
ne of the furniture the firm abandoned
the attempt to collect.
On Monday deputy sheriff put in al
appearance, with, an attachment TO
the Shelbyville Desk Company, whicl
had shipped eight oak desks, wort
$1639S to Howell & Co. These desk
are missing, as well as the furnitur
for which the prior attachments wer
issued, which the janitor states ha
never reached the building. Claim
have also been presented for $500 wort
of carpets, three thousand cigars, hal
dozen bicycles and several for furn
ture. The correspondence discovere
indicates that Howell e Co. had tran,
actions with furniture and cycling firm
in Boston, Philadelphia, Canton, o
Cincinnati, Grand Rapids, Indianapoli.
Chicago Cleveland, Buffalo and man
other places.
The business of the firm disappeare
with Howell and his boolSkeeper.