The herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1893-1900, 1895-04-29
Important Capture Made by
Post Office Inspectors
WERE CAUGHT RED HANDED
A Couple of Clever SwindIers Lured Into
the Tolls
One of the Men Is Supposed to Belong to an
Organized Band of Bogus Honey Crooks
Operating In New York City

SAN FRANCISCO, April 2S.-John
Wise and Barney Mcclure, green goods
men, are in the county Jail in Alameda
county on the charge of using the mails
for unlawful purposes. The case against
them is clear.
Postotfice Inspectors Erwin and Gordon
ran down the swindlers. 1t was in the
early part of this month that those o fiji
GERS were notified by the postmaster at
Sacramento that ten boxes had been rent
ed in that office under fictitious names.
John Wise, under ten different names,
had rented the boxes. The postoffice in
spector kept close watch on the Sacra-
mento office and very soon discovered
that John Wise took out all the mail that
dropped into those ten boxes.
John Wise and his associate, Barney
MacGure, also rented box 20" in the
Oakland postoffice, and it was through
that box that most of the postoffice in
spector's decoy letters were sent. In
spector Erwin opened up correspond
ence with the swindlers, conducting his
correspondence under the name of James
W. Edwards, Idlewild San Bernardino
county. The inspectors kept up the cor
respondence until they secured enough
letters to substantiate charge that the
mails had been used for an unlawful pur-
pose.
In the midst of the correspondence the
green goods men demanded the return of
their letters as an evidence of good faith.
Mr. Erwin returned the letters, but be-
fore doing so had Photographic copies
made of them. Wise and Mac Guire
promised to supply all the currency de-
sired at so cents on the dollar.
The inspector finally lured the men to
San Francisco, through Edwards. who
came from Los Angeles yesterday, nd
captured the men in the afternoon.
A letter was found in the effects of Mac
Sixty-eighth street, New York city. which
shows concIusively that MacGuire belongs
to regular gang of green goods men and
has operated extensively in New York.
From other documents it was discover
cd that Bernard Mac Guire had been at
one time a prominent member of Far
ragut Post. Grand Army of the Republic,
No. 70, of New York.
Among the letters found in the room
was one from G.. E. Hudson of Bronaugh,
Vernon county Mo-, in which the writer
negotiated tor green goods and tells about
the trouble he had in raising the necess.
ary amount of money.
How m..ch money MacGuire and Wise
have made out of their scheme it is diff
cult to say, but the postoffice inspectors
do not think they have been very success
full.
A. H. Morrison, whose arrest is an
nounced at Portland, was interested, it is
alleged, with George w. Rumble in a
bucket shop concern.
Rumble Company, operators on the
produce exchange. suspended payment
yeste rday morning and are said to be
short $50, 900 on their obligations.
Rumbl is said to have stated that the
failure of Rumble & Co. was due to
sudden rise in the price of Chicago wheat
but that his liabilities with local dealers
on eastern account would not exceed $4,000.
Yesterday Miss Aggie Keane swore to
complaint charging Rumble with grand
larceny and warrant was issued for his
arrest. Miss Keane says she purchased
$1,000 bushels of wheat from Rumble,
paying $500 down to cover a supposed
ten point margin. She started to leave
the place Immediately after the payment
of the money but had not reached the
door before Rumble called out that the
market had declined and so she had lost
her money.
The police raided the bucket shop about
two weeks ago and last Thursday Rum BILE
and A. H. Morrison. one of his partners,
were fined 500 each by Police Judge
l. L..
Morrison has not yet made good his in
debteuness to the city. AT the Office of
the chief of police tonight it was stated
that while Morrison may be held in Gus
tody pending an investigation, the police
NAV not send for him, unless the case
against him should warrant it.
Broker Rumble has written a letter to
the newspapers stating that he would be
in his Office TOM orIow to settle his obli-
cations which, he says, do not exceed
$4,000.
LODI. CAL, April 2s.-When shown the
portraits of Smith, Green and Dudley, the
three bunco steerers arrested in Portland
Ore, charged with stealing $4,000 from
Jacob Brack of this place, by means of
box trick, H. c. G Gillingham of Wood
bridge, a wealthy and prominent old land
owner, at once recognized the picture of
Crooked Mouth" Smith as the man
who came to him week before the Brack
episode, and representing himself as
Los Angeles banker who wanted to buy
some Of Gilinghan's broad acres. The
old land owner. however. was busy at the
time and sal he could not attend to busi-
ness then, but would see visitors some
other day. The LOS Angeles banker"
promised to call again on the FLOWING
Monday, but failed to appear, as he was
engaged in robbing Brack
TO CHEAT THE GALLOWS