The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1896-11-16
William E. Valentine Tells
How Many We're Fleeced.
FRAUDS OF OVER TWO MILLIONS
\ Gang al swtndl~rs who Obtained
Good. cs All Kinds. and Then
Aactianed rhem Oa-Their CsiGan-
tic scheme 70 Establish Branch
Bogus Firms for Swinaliaw Par
poses All Over the Counsry--Oniy
One of Them Caught. ana Ne
Makes u Confession.

on The sth. has made a full confession hat
II has not 50 far led To the capture OF any
OF his associates. or rather the real swim
diers. for Valentine was undoubtedly moro
of a dupe. The other men for whom the
pclice ere locking are Joha T. Bourh.
Charles II. Mclaughlin. Charles Ill. 1Ab-
hott, George j. TragidiS. James q. Will
sen, Luke Gallagher. John J. Cah.il.
Charles I.ayan. john Peck. Albert Davis,
Herman Cohen. J. n. Hennessey. and a
man named Rosenfeld.
OF these men, Rough. Mcr.aughlin and
abbott are the three leaders, the others
having been mere tools in the hands OF
the leaders. Bough Is an ax-eonvict. and
also was a, ore time a member OF fha
Hohcken Police force. Mclaughlin comes
frem an estimable family. his brother be-
ing Thomas MeI.aughiin. an extensive
contractor. doing business at Sixtieth
street and Third avenue. The names un-
der wnich these men operated wsro -
numerous as the means TO which they re-
sorted for setting money. They have been
Operating Tor over ten years. AID the po-
lie say shaf thsy have undoubtedly se-
cured property worth asoo. 600 during that
period The story told 10y Valentine gives
but small Idea of the extensive swindlinS
o' the sang. as. the police say. Valentine
was not let into any of the larger ven-
lures. His confession is as follows
was led into this thing through
bough, and all tsle money / got out OF IL
would barely pay my living expenses. I
nrsf met Bough three or four years ara.
AT that time l was building CONTRACTORS.
with Offices at No. lsa Montague street.
BrooSiyn Bough was introduced to me
at the Material Exchange. / supposed
hlm 10 he wealthy property owner in
brooklyn. ! did not see him again until
late In the winter OF 1883: then heard that
ne was a swindler. He had been In Chi
cago during the Worlds fair running a
hotel IN connection with a man named st.
Clair. They had obtained she hotel on
credit. furnished 1t on credit and stocked
the iarder on credit. During the summer
they took IN large sums from visitors, bat
failed TO pay any or the bills when they
came due. Then they lost their hotel
fhe Snscago police made Il so hot for
HouEh that he had TO leave the city. Br-
fore going, however. he went to a jswelrv
store and. by representing himself as the
owner OF the hotel, secured property
Ing to get more from the same house he
aroused their suspicious and had TO give
up the entire amount 10 avoid arrest
when / met him that winter he was
living on money obtained on worthless
checks. These usually bore the signature
of his old Chicago PARTNER, ST. Clair. and
were stamped with a counterfeit certin-
stamp was one which Bough had secured.
and used on any checks that he wanted to
pass.
''Bough introduced me to McI.aughlin.
His real name Is Charles Mc1aug HIN, and
his family were formerly very wealthy and
lived In Hampstead. l.. i. / also met at
the same time James q. Wilson. but
whom ! knew as James q. Caveriey I
failed about this time, and Bough offered
me chance TO make some money. lie
claimed to own 100000 acres of land ia
Tennessee and Kentucky. 1t was abso-
iutely worthless. but he wanted to use IL
as the basis for big coal company. the
stock of which he would sell. He needed
money TO float his stock, and gave me
what pnrported To be a deed of a lot at
Grand avenue and Steuben street, TO raise
Ss9D by mortgage. 1 did not get the money
because the title of the property was not
good. After this / did not see him for
more than year.
How They Cheated Bradstreet.
Finally lost my position. and he hunt
ed me UP. His office was then at No. %
Wall street. lie told ma OF schemes which
he wanted me to aid him in. Chief among
these was the disposal OF the goods which
were being shipped to J. III. Baker Il Co.
This firm succeeded the firm of Doherty
Bros. A Co., who formerly did a big ship
ping business a. No IA South street They
sold out 10 ]. III. Baker a Co.. Charles
Abbott being the second member of tho
firm. I met Abbott at Bough's Office. He
wanted me to go out and sell lumber
which Was being consigned TO the firm.
This thing can only last three months
they told me. tand we must work quick
Their system OK operation was very
simple. Baker was merely figurehead,
Abbott was a lieutenant OF Boughs. Abb
bott secured a rating In Bradgtreefs of
number OF canal boats These boats aTe
stuck In the mud at Hohoken. and have
been for years. They are so rotten that
they would fail to pieces IL any one tried
10 fioat them, and the whole lot is hardly
worth more than =. With this rating,
Abbott wrote TO lumber firms throughout
the country. and secured from them large
conssgnInensx OF valuable timber. In pay
ment for this he gave notes Of the firm.
The lumber WAS sold at less than cost,
and the money divided among the gang.
Baker never cot any OF IL. Instead. Abb
boft used 10 get money from him TO pay
the alleged expenses OF the firm.
while Abbott was running this firm.
George ] Tragidis. another lieutenant OF
Hough, was the reputed head OF a farm
produce commission house AT No. is3
Reade street. TraRiiis had been a florist
and owned iiftie property with which
ne secured a small rating In his mercan-
tile agency. With him was Gallagher, who
vas thoroughly experienced In the produce
business They wrote 10 farmers and ship
rers all through the country. asking for
conssgnmenfs Of goods. They gave as
references Baker & Co. the United States
Land and Guarantee Company and the
Standard Coal and on Company. ali OF
which were Bouxh's scheu1ss
Us~d Their Own References.
s.0n the strength OF these references
they received large consixnmeuts OF but
Ter and eggs and ali kinds OF farm produce
For the .irss shipment they paid promptly
and IN full For the second they paid one
half For all after that they paid nothing.
n this way they obtained goods from
thousands Of farmers from al parts OF fhs
country. each man usually sending eight
or ten conssgnmsnts and getting pay for
vas divided. Bosgn and Trzgidls getting
TIRE most OF IL.
In August the farmers stopped sending.
and about the same time Baker * Ga.
could gs. no mere lumber. 20 they COM
mencsi 70 buy anything they could lay
thar hands on their rating In the cogB-
ErserciaI directory stin giving them credit.
In this war both firms bought hundreds or
bicycles. thousands OF dollars worth 81
wine. clothing. iewelry. clocks and bicy-
cse snndries All of these thsv sold FOR
any arnoars ~ cash they coiid get. They
rsver raid for any ~ them. Among the
-s@cxssa saass sxin1Isd vas the S0rshamp-
tor waees Company Northampton. Afzsa:
nj, ftfx~p ~ No.