The Portland daily press., 1896-12-15
THE GILMORE SCHEME.
The Racket Worked in Other Places
Besides Portland.
HON. F.E. RICHARDS UNEARTHS
THE CLEVER PLOT.

1t Was Very Smoothly Played-The Peo-
pie Cannot Be Arrested for False Fre-
tences-CIaimed To Be Sufferers from
| the St. Louis Cyclone.
The PRESS published letter the
other day signed Mrs. ". Fl. Gilmore,
addressed to citizen OF Portland, In
which Mrs. Gilmore claimed to be in
great distress, and to have been when
girl resident.of this city and an acquaint-
ance of the gentleman to whom she ap-
piled for help. The letter was forwarded
from No. 219 South Ninth street, Rich
mond, Ind. 1t was thought by the
gentleman, to whom the letter was sent,
very strange thing that the writer did
not give her maiden name as he did not
know any Mrs. Gilmore. The clipping
enclosed in the letter appeared TO have
been cut from a newspaper. lmme-
diately thereafter other people who had
received similar letters from the same
party made them known, and it has been
asoer tanned that probably large proper
tion of the business men OF the town
have received the appeal.
Hon. Fred e. Richards, president OF
the Union Mutual Life Insurance COM
pany, received one OF these letters and he
decided to hunt the matter to earth. The
following correspondence, and the clip
ping from the Richmond, Ind, Register,
fully explain the matter:
Portland Me-. Decem ber 8, 1895.
Rev. r. N McNemer or Kew. b. wallace,
Richmond, Ind:
Ooar Sir-I today received the enclosed
letter, and having no correspondent or
acouaintance in your city, by accident
the letter was shown to Rev. H. S. Bur
rage, editor of the Baptist newspaper
published in this city, "Zion's Advo-
cate" and he kindly suggested that l
address you for information.
| You will observe that the writer signs
| the name-Mrs. W. II. Gilmore, and
| states that when she was girl and lived
in this city, Portland, years ago, etc.,
but does not give her maiden name, ana
| If ever heard of her, certainly am un-
able to recall who she is. Another
popularity about the letter is that 10 ls
addressed correctly to my residence, lou
Vaughan street, and as built my house
| two Years ago, it seems hardly probable
that this woman, living in st. Louis,
could accurately address q letter giving
The street and number of my residence.
m inclined to believe that this is one OF
the confidence methods OF obtaining
money by fraud, and | take the liberty
| TO ask you il you will investigate and
ascertain If the facts as presented in the
letter and newspaper clipping are correct
or otherwise, and advise me as early as
YOU can conveniently by letter enclosed in
| the stamped envelope sent herewith. III
YOU find the facts are correct, and that q
Portland family is stranded in your city,
and under such distressing circumstances
| as are represented, you can assure them
that on receipt of your letter confirming
the representations made, will under
take to interest some people to send relief
which will be of material assistance to
the suffering.
Very truly yours,
FRED e. RICHARDS.
The next day Mr. Richards wrote the
following letter:
Portland, Maine, December 2, 1895.
Rev. r. N. McNemer or Rev. S. Wallace,
| Richmond, Indiana:
| Dear Sir-Yesterday / wrote you and
enclosed letter which l had received
signed "Mrs. W. H. Gilmore" which
you will no doubt have received before
this reaches you. / enclose with this CON-
munication a clipping from the Portland
Daily PRESS published this morning,
which would seem to be evidence OF a
well systelnatized fraud On the part OF
somebody in Richmond, And some one in
Portland, Maine. who has furnished the
Riohmond party with the names and ad-
dresses. shall be much interested to
hear from you the result OF the investi-
cation l asked to make of this matter.
thanking you in advance, am
| Very truly yours,
| In response to these letters Mr..
Richards received this from Rev. Mr.
MoNe,ner Of Richmond, Ind. agent for
the northeast section of the American
Baptist Home Mission society:
Richmond, Ind. Dec. 10, 1895.
| Hon. F. E. Richards:
| Dear Sir-I am glad you are willing to
take an interest in these destitute peopls.
| think they are worthy good people.
Every word of her letter is true. We have
been helping them little or they would
have suffered. May God bless you. "As
much MS you have done it unto one OF the
least of these ye have done it unto Me. -
Matt. a5.
R. N. M'NEMER,
Pastor First Baptist Church.
But the same day Mr.. McNemer read
the Register, an evening paper OF his
CITY. and Immediately wrote Mr..
Richards, as follows:
Richmond, Ind, Deoeln ber TO- 1896.
| Hon. Fred e. Richards, Portland, Me-:
| Dear Sir-I received your letter this
afternoon concerning the Gilmore family,
and answered 1t Immediately, telling you
that they were worthy people, as l be-
lieved they were from, what was told by
one of the mem bers of my church who
had been to sea them. They are indeed
| in destitute circumstances and their con
dition is such rs she described it, but an
article came out in the evening papers
saying that this seems to be a scheme OF
theirs to obtain money without work, as
she has written the same letter to several
people in different places.
Yours with great respect,
! r. N. M'NEMER.
This Ia what the Richmond Register
printed:
"some days ago the evening
papers with the exception of the Register
were caried by woman. The cards wenl
| ~, to atata that the family of W. H Gil