The herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1893-1900, 1896-05-25
Run Foul of the Federal Author
tiles in New York
VIOLATED THE POSTALLAWS
And Used the Mails for the Purposes of
Fraud
"Sig," the Head Of the Combine, Held In $780,
900 BaiI-hugo Released on sasoo-An
Advertising Swin6le

| A couple Of Los Angeles young men
! have come to grief in New York, and
| the indications. from the published re-
| ports, are that they will have to do time,
| as they have run afoul the United States
authorities. The young men are Hugo
| and Sigismund Morris. who were born
and raised in this city, where their
| father and other relatives still live.
Hugo has been in the east for a number
of years. and has always been regarded
as money maker. Sig" served his
apprenticeship as a printer in Los An
geleS, and was admitted to the typo
graphical union. Afterwards he was
a reporter on several of the papers.
Five or six years ago he went east and
Joined his brother Hugo in Chicago,
where the boys conducted some kind
of an advertising scheme. From time
to time reports reached Los Angeles
that they were making money and were
on the road to wealth. There was al
ways more or less mystery about the
business in which the boys were en-
gagged. but 1t was generally regarded
as straight. and when they made their
yearly visits to the relatives in this city
they scattered money about very freely
creating the impression that, if not mil
lionaireS. they were at least in good cir
cumStances. and able to afford not only
the necessities but the Injuries of life.
Both Sig and Hugo were in the city
last Christmas. and both boys con-
fided to their friends that they had at
last struck world beater" as money
maker. and when they returned would
have money to burn" The New York
Journal of the 18th gives the following
account of the arrest of the boys, with
a brief mention of the crime with which
they are charged;
Take these and let my husband come
home with me-" Mrs Hugo NJ Morris
threw her diamond rings. a diamond
headed pin. a brooch of diamonds and
diamond earrings on the desk of United
States Commissioner Morle in Brook
Ign yesterday afternoon Her voice
trembled, and there were tears In her
eyes.
Her husband had gone through an ex-
animation on q charge of using the
mails to defraud, calmly. He had not
been concerned when the commissioner
held him for trial in $4,000 bail, and had
shown only a business interest in dis
oussion over some real estate offered as
security for his appearance by Mrs.
Hartford, the wife of his business part
ner. Assistant District Attorney Roy
refused to accept the real estate for the
whole amount of the bond and Morris
only comment on the decision was a
shrug.
But as the diamonds ratified down
from the Womans nervous fingers to
the commissioners desk there We're tears
in Morris eyes and he bowed his head
to hide them
Roy was methodical. He called an ex-
pert who told him the jewels were worth
$500. They were carefully inVentoried.
wrapped, sealed and deposited in a
safe, the bond was signed by Morris.
Mrs. Morris and Mrs. Hartford, and
then proud. as she we'll might be, Mrs
Morris hurried her husband away from
the hateful place.
There were others examined by the
commissioner on the same charge as
that preferred against Hugo Morris.
Postoffice Inspectors George c. Holden
and Benjamin r. Shopp allege that Sig
mund Morris, his brother Hugo, lisa
dore H. Meyer--all of No 10 Glendale
place. Brooklyn--Miss E. Caswell of No.
ISL West One Hundred and Thirty-t third
street, New York city; Charles V. Daily
of No. 142 Columbia Heights, Brooklyn;
Arthur Bowen of No Is West Ninety
eighth street. New York city, and Hugo
Rodgers of No. Is Myrtle avenue, Brook
Ign, operating under the names of vari-
Gus corporations, have eXtorted money
from many firms by means of forged
contracts for advertising
They operated under the names of the
United States Wholesale Business Di-
rectory company, Caswell. Morris & Co.
Hughey & Co, the United States Red
Book Directory Publishing company, Fl.
NJ. Wallace. G. w. Wallace & Co, the
Red Book Publishing company, the Ad-
justment and Reporting company and
the Americon Publishing company.
Many firms are said to have been vic
timized but only three appear as COM
plainants. They are two Philadelphia
concerns: Jonas Brothers, of No. 72O
Arch street, and the Wanamaker Cloth
ing company, of No. $40 Chestnut street
and the Akron, o., Betting company
The Philadelphia victims are said 70
have received letters advising them tina.
they We're indebted to the writer's for ad
vertising in a red book The firms re-
piled, denying the claim, and contracts
We're sent them on which they claim
the signatures to their letters had hen,1
copied by an expert penmau They re-
mitted the amounts claimed. later dis
covered the fraud and called in the in
spectors who have been at work on The
case for two months. The Akron COM
pany lost nothing, recognizing the fraud
in time.
Warrants were issued late on Jyednas-
dav afternoon and Danutv Trnite1
States NarshaIs NcNar11i ana YniIr.,
went to the Brooklyn Offices of the cor
cern in tha Arhurl,Ie hniIding U.bo,.,
young Isadlore II. Meyer of No. 10 Glen
dale place and Miss Annie Z. CasWell
of No. ISL West One Hundred and Thir.
y-third street. New York city. were
placed under arrest. 4 large number
of letters and books were seized and held
as evidence against the firm.
The marshals then went to No. %
Glendale place. where they arrested
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