The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1896-02-14
TIE BOGUS DIRECTORY swINDLE.
The Scheme That Did Not Take i'm
Portland Was Worked in New York.

Portland Was Worked in New York.
A Firm Taken in to the Extent of $500.
and Second Attempt Made to Get $500
More-The Factory Where the flake"
Directories Are Ma nufactured Found
The Gang Still at Large.
1t will be recalled that few months
ago there was some excitement here over
bogus directory sw1ndle. 1t was
charged that man went from office to
office leaving very handsome advertis-
ing calendar for which he took a receipt.
Some time later these receipts turned out
to be contracts for advertising, and later
On two men, Frank <. Main and Sidney
e. Mcintyre were arrested, and after
some time no bill was found against
either. The directory they claimed to
have taken the advertising contracts for
was curiosity, the Portland portion ap-
nearing twice. 1t was hastily gotten
up book. They claimed that they were
victimized by those who took orders for
them, who returned the signatures to
them attached to advertising contrao is,
collected their comm ission and disap-
peared.
A very daring swindle is reported from
New York. "oontract' was SO manip-
ulated as to make the body of the paper
an order for money. A sample copy or
dummy" of a new business directory
was shown among others to Flint, Eddy
g. Co., and an order for an advertisement
to the value of SO was taken, and a
check was given the canvesser. The cam
vasser then wrote out the following
memorandum:
Messrs. Flint, Eddy & Co., have paid
$40 to George M. Edwards, publisher,
&C., for one page in Edwards
Directory"
II have to turn that in at the Office, -
said the smooth young man. 'Its
voucher for my work. Won't you please
sign it?"
Henry F. Crosby, the treasurer, signed
the paper on behalf of the firm. He
thought no more about it until October
30 last, when Joseph 7. Walker dropped
in casually with "little bill' to collect.
He presented this:
Messrs Flint. Eddy & Co., will pay to
George M. Edwards, publisher, &C.. the
sum of Five Hundred dollars for page on
outside of book and one page in
Edwards Directory" and book. Firm
name, FLINT, EDDY q CO.,
Per H. F. CROSBY, Treasurer.
IN LETTERS OF GOLD.
Young Walker showed Mr.. Crosby a
sample of the business directory. The
first page of the cover was burdened with
glaring golden letters, telling all about
Flint, Eddy &C., & and inside the direc-
tory was another advertisement cover
ing page.
"Makes good show, doesn't it?" said
Walker.
"But, really, don't remember plac-
ing any such orders,' said Mr.. Crosby,
musingly.
"Ah, you're very busy man." ex-
claimed Walker. "But you recognize
your signature, don't you?''
Mr.. Crosby certainly did know his own
signature, SO. although much puzzled,
he directed the cashier, Frank Abrams,
to draw a check for payable to the
order of George M. Edwards. This Mr..
Crosby signed and gave to Walker.
A short, slight, dark. thin faced man,
with black mustache, entered Mr.
Crosby's office on November II and pre-
sented an order calling for $500.
"Ah, another contract is it?' Mr..
Crosby exclaimed, Indignantly. "The
thing is fraud. l shall not pay you a
cent. I"
Every WE'LL" replied the thin man. sit
is not fraudulent. / hope it won't be
necessary for us to have any legal diff
GUILTY. I'll send our canvasser around to
see you" Walker soon appeared. He ex-
hibited the contract. 4" He insisted that
it was genuine. and even produced bit
of yellow paper on which was scrambled
a lot of unintelligible stuff He said this
was the form of an advertisement that
Mr.. Crosby had dictated to him. Mr..
Crosby seized the paper, tho order for
$500 and the fake directory and sent
cut for policeman. Walker was ex-
amiued before Magistrate Kudlich, who
held him in $1,000 bail. William Johnson
a man of straw, became Walkers securi-
ty. Walker was soon rearrested
Flint, Eddy & Co., engaged Detective
l.. A. Newoome of No. 81 Park row, to
investigate Walker and his gang. Mr.
Newoome traced the check through
the hands Of a we'll known lawyer and a
clerk in the Board of Excise He found
also that the gang had made thousands
of dollars with the swindle in Boston,
Hartford, Rochester, Bridgeport. Newark,
Philadelphia, Baltimore, Cleveland and
San Francisco.
The place where the "fake' directories,
were manufactured was found. An cx-
pert testified that the original memo ran
dunn which was signed by Mr.. Crosby,
had been changed by washing out the
body of the document with acid, and
then writing in a fresh contract. n. NJ
Carvalho. the expert, then treated the
paper and the forged words disappeared,
and the original memorandum reap
peared. Walker was indicted, but escaped