New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-08-11
BOOK FIRMS DEFRA UDED.
AN ORGANIZED CONSPIRACY TO swINDLE
PUBLISHERS
-FOUR MEN cAPTJRED-oNE ARREST AND sE1Z
IRE OF BOOKS MADE IN PHILADEL-
PHIA-oPERATioNs AMOUNTING TO


IRE OF BOOKS MADE IN PHILADEL-
pHrA-oPERArroNs AMOUNTING TO
THOUSANDS Or DOLLARS
Herman schneck ffty-one years old. OF No. 222
East Eighty -nfth-st charged with being one OF the
conspirators who have within month defrauded
a number OF publishing firms out OF BOOKS worth
several thousand dollars was arraigned before Mag
strae Mott In the Harlem Court yes'erday
schneck is charged with defraudnS the Maxwc"
summerville Publishing Company. the Methodist
Book Concern and d. Appleton Co. j. NJ Rog-
ers manager Of the Maxwell summeiville Company
made affidavit that on July 81 Schnecf purchased
from w T Dckerson. agent of the company 'ne
Encyclopaedia Britannica, in twenty-five volumes
for So 80 the amount TO be paid IN mon'h'y ihs'a
ments and the books 20 the property Of the hrrn
until wholly paid for. The books were purchaser
through a canvssser named c. Hanch.
>George Finn manager for D. Appleton Co. tes-
tilted that on August Schneck purchased from MN
the Universal Cyclopedia. in seven volumes, for
$40 the terms to be the same as those on "hicn 'ne
Encyclopedia Britannica was purcnasec
Thomas Kibble, manager OF the Methodist DUN
Concern testified that July 81 ne sold ScnnecK
tho peon,as rncvclopaedia and other books for s52
the same terms.
All these books according to the evidence Schneck
sent to Cookies auction room. observation-disclosures
twenty-ffth-st and Third-ave. to be sold on lhurs
day for his account. IN the mean Time VIC ~
fishing firms had be- ONE suspicious and aware that
tbaro was an oreanized conspiracy TO swinde them
Through Detective Smith of the East one hunoreo-
and-twenty-sixth-s station. they traced the DOORS
from Schneck's house to the auction room. -" nv"
Schneck appeared the auction-room on ri'aS ~
receive the proceeds of the sale. the de'ec'''e ar
rested him When the case was called yesterday
schnecks counsel b. II. Malone waived examina
ton. and the prisoner WAS held In sl"o pau LOT
trial on each charge Having no bondsmah' ne
sent to prison ..,
Messrs Finn Rogers and Kibble SAID tha' 'nes
believed Schneck and his confederates hau s"'"
publishing firms out of thousands of dollars worth
OF books.
ALLEGED PHYSICIANS IN CUSIODf'
Acting Captain OBrien OF the Detective Bureau
Yesterday told of the arrest Of two alleged DOCTORS
wh, are charged with swinding book publishers IN
this CITY The names of the men are Otto van
Ness twenty-three years o.d, OF NO. 40 "e''
Seventv-frst-st and Charles q. Wilhem!' t"en''
eight years cd OF No. 12 West Thirty
They were arrested Friday night by Detectives NC
Carthv and Weller at Broadway and Eenth-'r
po,h nrofassed 70 ne physicians, but Acting Captain
Opr,on saws they are frauds. They are alleged 10
have swlndled Appleton G. Co.. the Metnodis' Doom
Concern the Maxwell ummerville company anu
several other firms. from wnom they nave o
valuable books The mode Of operation was 70 p Gs
chase books on subscription from agents anu US Us
pose Of them When the collector came AROUND the
men were not 10 be found 49,. Va N.ss
and Whelmy shipped eleven cases Of 5oI pac 10
Philadelphia. and he teiegraphed 10 Snei no hooks
Linden 10 arrest the person TO whoih inc poo"'
were consigned.
WORK OF THE PHILADELPHIA PoLiOH
II. received last night a dispatch from Chef LIN
don announcing the arrest there OF r. l.. "i"'e''
alias Carroll alias Hook, another one Vi .''e sos
~ hook swindlcrs. The Chief also teegraphed 'na'
Ma had seized the eleven cases OF books sent oy
fer d.
The books were found in the house OF MIS- |na'-
fo,,e at No. 20 North Eleventh-st Winter was wa,
arrested on a warrant issued by MagstraoSr benr
IN me Jer hy chief Linden here found in his
Sossesson three pawn tickets egn'ee
more t 1ook arriva ' Of Sew-York officer
It said that the prisoner sennecs gb mAS 5rncpas
confession. and says tnat there "e'o o'e'
In tne ess and Wilhelm were taken by detectives
before MMess,erdav' Both men demanded examlna,,
and refused 70 mske v any Ness WAS held
$500. and Wilhelm in 500 for examination To-
morrow h snsciac charge against Van Ness was steal
ing quantity Of books valued N a, The charge
Taylor Co. Of , Mo 81 h8 W. Brown, the superin
whelmy held on the h s0 Mpethods 81 BOOK Con
Germ who accuses him OF taking as ss' a, sos
oath;;s Great Race OF Mankind valued at 20
HOW THE SCHEME WAS WORKED
,.nrv " Knight. superintendent Of the subscr1p-
,,or danartment OF the Methodist Book concern VIM
has been instrumental In bringing '"e DIV"
80 Was seen last night by Tribune reporter ne
,.hd {, fu,l the scheme of the gang, which, ne
,a numbered nine persons. and showed the weak
emo. in the subscription system which "aue u" us
using II liable to be robbed. He expresseu SUI ''e
that hook concerns had not suffered more Una" ''e'
have from shrewd swinoiers' ,H. .,,.r.
"Ahout two weeks ago." said Mr.. Knight 'heIe
r1h-mar, and tina, he desired TO become an
ocort Hs WAS we'll dressed and OF most p'epo'
soss,n9 appearance; ne was about twenty-five yea,
old and spoke with a decided ferHiah a0C''' -
&c our usual custom to demand $ deposit from al
sar, N secure us for the value OF the samples we
g,van him but Fehrmann said he did not "an' a."
outfit and would only take a re" saipe pae -
Consequently we did not ask for references OF IN
oure at his address. which he gave as NO. -io "''
Forty-frst-st as is our usual custom. % We
cepted the young man as our agent anu o''e' SOO
began TO pour in. . ,,,
~ can best describe to you how the swimming
was done by telling you about an actuai case y"
our agents o per cent and they get their whoe
commission when the first payment is maoe' mus
for example, If an agent gets subscribe, III :,
$50 set OF books, regular man delivers "e"' -
ne finds the subscriber all right ne leaves 'ne
books and collects 81, the first payment as 'he
hooks arc OF course sold the instalment pah'
and wa Immediately pay the agent his 81 % COM
mission Now to give you an example ABOUT the
first order Fehrnann brought In was that OF W.
Charles c. Wilhemy. OF No. lZ3 west Eighty
onds, for q set OF our Peoples Encyclopaedia,
six volumes price $50. We sent our man with
the books He reported that he found Wilhemy
installed in handsome quarters with shelves upon
shelves OF books rising up all sides. Our agent
recognized many OF the works and spoke casually
OF them Yes said the supposed doctor l nave
lately fallen heir TO an annuity of 81 500 a year
from Germany and | collecting a library In
tend laying out about s75 month in books. and
/ think the instalment plan the best way TO get
a good library together
"Our man was satisfied and left the books, after
collecting 81 Then. OF course. Fehrmann at once
got his 81 so You see the beauty Of their methods.
The gang not only got our books. but collecting
s. 80 or whatever the commission might be- be-
sides-a sort OF burning the candle at both ends.
III haN fiisf r,a ~