The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-11-11
PLAYED 1T ONCE TOO OFTEN.
A Fake Circus Agents Gay Career
Cut short.


Ed l.. Brannon, advance agent for Fore
paugh & Sells big show is at the screven,
and Ed Brennan, the fake advance agent
of John Robinson's big railroad shows,
is in the barracks.
The fake Brannan struck the town day
before yesterday. and at once proceeded
to make contracts for supplies for the
imaginary circus, which he imagined he
represented. Among others he went to
j. j. Joyce, green grocer at Liberty and
Abereorn street, and contracted for 100
pounds of meat. Incidentally he secured
a loan of SO from Mr.. Joyce.
In making his contracts Brennan"
stated that his show would be here Nov.
%. overlooking the fact that this date
was Sunday. Besides attending to bust
ness, he also Spent considerable time and
money with the fancy element east
Of the police barracks.
When Mr.. Ed L. Brannon, the represen-
tative of Forepaugh & Sells, arrived in
the city in the morning he went to the
Screven He was about to register when
his eye fell upon the counterfeit of his
own name as the advance agent of Rob
inson's Great Railroad Shows" Mr. Bran
non had never represented such a show
and what was more he knew there was no
such show on the road. What was more,
the same counterfeit advance agent had
troubled him at Columbus, Montgomery
and other places He changed his mind
about registering, and proceeded to get a
telephone connection with the police bar
racks. Detectives Wetherhorn and Kiley
were sent around to see Mr.. Brannon, but
there was a misunderstanding as to time
and they failed to meet. In the meantime
Mr. Joyce had become suspicious
of his contract and called Chief McDer-
mott up over the telephone. After hear
ing the account given by Mr.. Joyce OF
his transaction and getting description
from him of Tom Davis" the name used
in making the contract, the detectives
were sent out to pick the man up. They
found him in Julius Kaufman's barroom
Davis, alias Brennan, protested his inno-
cenee very Vehemently. He claimed to be
an old acquaintance of the real Ed Bran
non, and said that if he could only see
him everything would be explained. When
confronted with Mr.. Brannon, however,
he failed to recognize him. Mr.. Bran
same man who is wanted in several other
places for securing money in a similar
manner.
Davis" or "Brannon" had not been
in the barracks very long before it oe-
CURED to Chief McDermott that he had
seen the man before. He was not long
in coming to the conclusion that this was
the same man who came to Savannah
eight or ten years ago, played exactly the
same game, was caught at it and sentence
ed to pay a fine of $50 or spend six months
on the chain-gang. A man claiming to
represent Robinsons circus came to Sa-
vapnah about ten years ago, and among
other contracts made one for 1000 pounds
of meat with Hugh Logan, upon the
strength of which he secured small cash
advance. The fraud was discovered and
the fellow was arrested, convicted and
sentenced.
Something in Davis alias Brennan's ges-
lures, and his rapid manner of speaking,
recalled the swindler of ten years ago to
Chief McDermott. The chief recalled
these circumstances to Mr.. Kaufman,
who was a deputy sheriff then as now,
and he at once identified Davis as the
man who played the same swindle here
once before. Then. however, Davis found
friends who contributed the money to pay
his fine He will hardly have such good
luck this time.