Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1895-08-22
An Uusucces sful Attempt at Fraud.

An Unsuccessful Attempt at Fraud.
Wednesday afternoon, the l4th, q
about half past one O'Clock, Charter Dun
ham OF Bethel came into the Randolph
National bank and stated to the cashier
Charles I. Dubois, that he wished to Dor
row % 400 OF the bank, as he had trad
which he wanted to make with fellow.
He asked to see Mr.. r. T. Dubois, tn,
former cashier Of the bank, and as Mr.
Dubois was at that moment passing II
front Of the bank, Mr.. Durham stepped
to the door and spoke tn him, making
known his wants Ito Mr.. Dubois on The
porch OF the bank and exhibiting to him
good collateral for the amount OF money
he desired to borrow.
Mr.. Durham is q wealthy farmer living
about mile west OF Bethel village, on
the north side Of White River, where be
owns one of the best farms in town. He
Is man eighty years OF age and has al
ways been very shrewd In the manage
ment OF his affairs, havings accumulated q
nice property, and hts credit would be
perfectly good at the Randolph bank
for the amount mentioned. gssE
Notwithstanding all this, Mr.. Du Bots
want such loan and questioned Mr..
Durham closely as to what use he was
going to put the money. The latter
seemed unwilling to tell just what scheme
he had in view but said that he had "a
trade on hand out Of which he would
make nice thing, and he should only
want the money q week. Mr.. Dubois
asked him II he knew the men with whom
he was trading and he said that he did
not, nor did he know any one else who
knew them. Mr.. Dubois then advised
bivr1v -, 10 n ~ kof
tude with strangers but Durham was
still very anxious to borrow the money
and remarked that be knew Mr.. William
H. Dubois and that IL the latter were at
home, he would let him have the re.
quired sum. MIR. r. T. Dubois, having
fully made up his mind that il Mr.. Dun.
ham obtained the money it would be only
to lose 1t, advised the latter to do nothing
about 1t; but Mr.. Durham still seemed to
think that II he did not succeed in nego-
tiating the loan, he would lose good
trade.
At this juncture, Mr.. Dubois saw w. B.
Wall, one of the directors of the bank,
and called his attention to the matter.
Mr.. Wall confirmed the wisdom OF Mr..
Dubois advice to Mr.. Durham to have
nothing to do with such scheme, as it
was evidently "bunco game" put upon
him, and cited cases OF such "trades," or
swindles, of which he had personally
known. The interview continued some
time, and Mr.. Wall endeavored to per-
suade Mr.. Durham to tell what the
trade" or deal, was and also where the
parties with whom he was doing business
were to be found.
After some time spent In this way, Mr..
Durham finally said that he had been
called upon that morning at his home by
two men, who showed him three checks,
on one OF which was picture Off woman,
and told him that il he could pick out the
one having that picture, they would give
him FIVE dollar bill. He was successful
the first time trying and the five-dollar
bill was at once handed over to him; but
be returned it with the remark that he did |
not care for money obtained that way: He |
hat the men had shown him a package |
s. 900 in "greenbacks," and as
serted that they had 900 more in box
in the wagon, and in large belt around |
he pody Of one Of them was $4,000 more
n "toadskins, meaning greenbacks,allo OF
which Mr.. Durham seemed to believe.
His story strengthened the belief OF
Messrs. Wall and Dubois that the game
vas "bunco swindle" OF the usual kind
Ind that Mr.. Durham had narrowly es-
,aped losing $500, as he was to put in the
'lVU w ulCu ue udu III Ills UOCkCt duu lCt
hem have $500 In the trade.
At this point Mr.. Durham said that he
vas to meet man on tie hill, near the
Dubois residences, and he was going to
10 as he had agreed. Both Mr.. Wall and
dr. Dubois urged him to take his team
md go home by the east side OF the river
o as not "to meet a man on the hill' or
lsew here, but Durham started up the hill
IN foot with Mr.. r. T. Dubois and two
Ulcers, Flint and Grove, at reasonable
distance behind him. No man was to be
cen whereabouts, however, for the delay
{ the bank mad excited the rascals sus-
,icions and he had taken a hurried de-
'arture.
Then Mr.. Durham disclosed, for the
rst time, that he had not driven to the
illage with his own team but had been
rought up by one of these men who
laimed to be Fred Dubois, son OF r. T.
dubois, and who said that he used to be
ssistant cashier in the bank, and repre-
ented himself as anxious to buy the old
entleman's farm. Az he drove down the
ill he pointed out his fathers house to
fr. Durham and advised his companion
outh Main streets, as 1t twas better for
i'm not to carry Durham to the bank"
Is he was leaving he advised Mr.. Dun
am not to appear excited aboutfborrow-
ng the money, but to "keep cOOl'' so that
he bank officials would not think there
las anything wrong about it, and he did
eep cool. Mr.. R. +. Dubois then told him
nat his son had been in Denver, COL, for
nree weeks and was there at that moment
Mr.. Durham was not satisfied until this
disclosure that the men were trying to
windle him out of his money. He re-
lrned from the bill with the officers and
II. Dubois, and was advised to go to the !
able and hire man to carry him home.
Ie wanted to know what the cost would
9, and it was suggested that 1t would
robably be dollar. Reaching the stable,
e found the charge would be S1.5O and
eclared that he "would not give 80 to
g carried down to Bethel. Mr.. Wall, in
q aside, told Mr.. Moses to carry the old
for 81 and he and Mr.. Dubois
ould pay the balance OF fifty cents. So
[r. Durham started for home and ar
wed there safely an hour later, only out
is 81 and "a days lost time"
It seems that after leaving Mr.. Durham
the South Main street corner, the man
rove into Weston street and probably
ratched the movements around the bank,
nd frightened no doubt by the delay,
rove on up the Rochester mountain road,
3 he and his confederate were next heard
rom, Friday, near Rutland, where they
1T the horses and buggies hired Of 9. E.
voodard of South Royalton the previous
Wednesday morning. From Rutland they