New-York tribune., 1896-02-03
WADSWORTH IN TOLEDO.
THE swINDLER AND FORGER SEEN BY
HIS COUSIN.
,,s REMARKABLE CAREER IN BROOKLYN AND
ruFFAIO-THE STORY OF MAN WHO
TRADED ON PIETY AND ROBBED
RIGHT AND LEFT


RIGHT AND LEFT.
william Wadsworth. who spent three years and
four months in Sing Sing for swindling Brooklyn
scoualntances who swindled people in Buffalo after
he had served his sentence. and who then fed for
oa-ts unknown. and who was thought to have COM
rttal suicide bv jumping into the river at Niagara
Falls was seen recently in Toledo. Ohio, by William
Wadsworth Of Brooklyn mis- cousin who Is a trav.
s-,nc salesman. William Wadsworth, the salesman.
was in Toledo. and there met William Wadsworth
the swndler the street and saw him the fol-
,ovng night at a theatre. The discovery OF the
synder Toledo has been kept secret. and only
those who were his close personal friends, with his
relatives in Brooklyn know that the fugitive from
Ruralo and justice is in the Western State. The
fact that he has been there will interest his
abanaoned wife and family in Buffalo the victims Of
his fraud and hypocrisy there. the Brooklyn people
ne swndled. ana all Methodists In the city Of
Churches For William Wadswor;h. about eight
years ago led in prayer and sang in the choir at
,hs Fee-st. Methodist Church. posed mission
ary AMI philanthroplst In charitable circles slick
and unc'uous and highly respected-and swindled
people right ard left.
Wadsworth is ffty-three years old. Eight or nine
years ago he lived with his WIFE son and daughter
in Carlton-ave, Brooklyn. occupying the lower floor
O. the house. lie lived in a modest way. although
he was free with his own money and that of other
peop.e He permit clerk in the City Works
Department. connected with the Society for
the Improvement of the Condition of the Poor. and
served as collector for an historical society From
various sources his income about $500 year.
He a favorite wherever he went. In the Fleet
Street Church he respected OF the pill
lars OF the Sunday school
He well dressed. genial and suave and his
words pearls Of sanctimonious wisdom. His
aspect benevolence itself. and when William
wadsworth-slightly bald. round-faced and relig-
.ous-preached to the prisoners in Raymond Street
Jail and the Penitentiary. they used TO cry until
the tears ran down their cheeks. He was foremost
among the missionaries who held temperance meet
ings in Brooklyn. He was Pecksnif over again.
ROBBING PETER TO PAY PAUL
william wadsworth, however. was anything but
guileless for all this time he was bearing on his
sleek shoulders small mountain of fraud the
result of his financial difficulties. These began
when he a young man. They led him TO an
ingenious system of swindlng. Particularly he
swinded his friends He would go to one OF them
and ask for loan Of 800 promising to repay it
with say, $25 additional for the use of the money
When the time came around for payment wads-
worth would go to another confding acquaintance
and borrow $l5c promising 10 repay with bonus
Then he would repay the first lender. Thus he
robbed Peter TO pay Paul Nobody suspected him;
not even his wife. -.obody knew what he did with
the money he made on his transactions. By-and-by
he found himself unable to borrow frequently or
extensively enough to pay even the interest and
bonuses But he was in an irritating web OF his
making and he began to give promissory notes He
borrowed money from young men who admired his
piey and took all he could get or all they had Sew
eral of them were financially ruined by his schemes
He told people that he had influence and prom
sed them that he would so juggle with property to
be sold for taxes that their profits would be tre-
mendous He took money from them. They never
saw II again.
So his affairs became more and involved.
Finally he had TO hire a horse and buggy and drive
furously around Brooklyn. in an enGeavor to see
his victims often enough TO pay one man what he
had swinded from anoh'r and thus prevent discoV-
cry The cars did not go fast enough for his ne
cessity for he wound up in amazing meshes
Of liability. while his assets were nothing. On the
surface he was eminently respectable He continued
to exhort and to preach honesty. and even his vic
tins spoke Of him tenderly as shining example TO
youth.
Then the crash came. one day he told a friend
tha, notes amounting 10 s25 900 due, and he had
nothing 10 meet them with. That day he bade MS
confding wife and children goodby, as II he would
be home at night Then he sat down and wrote TO
his creditors telling them. in effect: that they had
been defrauded that he was going beyond the reach
OF local Justice and that it would be useless to
pursue him. He wrote TO friend In the Municipal
building giving him statement OF his aNairs.
That was his farewell to Brooklyn and local philan-
thropy. Wadsworth. the beloved OF an admirhs
circle, fed.
CHASED IL CANADA.
He went to Canada and detective went after
him. while the defrauded people in Brooklyn reck-
or ed up their osses-about $4,000 in all 1t was dis
covered moreover that he a forger OF course
Brooklyn was shocked. 1t could hardly believe the
news The Fleet Street Methodist Church-od, con-
servative and well known-was shaken to its foun-
dations Afterward it expelled Wadsworth.
Wadsworth, in Canada. reasoned with the detec-
tive who finally told him that extradon papers
hen 10 that
well give himself up voluntarily Wadsworth was
induced to go to the American side where OF course,
he was arrested. Then he was brought TO brooklyn.
where he pleaded guilty and was sent to sing Sing
for the crime Of forgery to serve out hVe years
sentence.
About this time 1t learned that his grocery bills
were unpaid SO were other bills one Of them being
for sl for soda water b oib sD ans hnb
bles Of air Consequently it had been as unsup-
stantia foam.
A MODEL PRISONER.
In Sing Sing Wadsworth was the model prisoner
He sang in the choir and inioned hasal uiscouiseS
TO his fellow-convicts. They wondered how such
oooa man could have come to such pass. Because
Of good conduct Wadsworth served only three years
and four months Of his sentence Then Followed re-
Cancellation with his trusting wife and ieNd got
him a place in Buffalo, where he went to establsh
home for his family. and to begin liie anew "ncn
his wife followed him to Buffalo she learned ihai ai
Wadswor,h had sold her piano re inauI ,hev Db, be
and mendaciOus explanation. iioweN'.,, - "a
yam bousekeeping in Buffalo. Wadsworth aiso Dt
ssn 70 swindie again He was in the insurance busi-
uegs In addition he sold crayon pOTtraits on coi %
mission Then he began to sell lands In Wes'ein ti,
States He had right TO sell the psd ioncd
people bought the real estate because ne hau Joo'
the church and the Young Mems Christlah .iSsoul n
tion. GIe had belonged 10 the ASSOCIATION ,1oont III
lyn aso) lie rather more plous ana pe,, "n
In RufYalo than he had been in BROOKLYN iie "'''
something OF downright swndier.
HE GOT AWAY FROM BUFFALO.
One day friend came to him and whispered 10
him ,ha, bs WAS discovered and that his victims
would soon be after him. 50 Wadsworth dlsap-
peared again, and his Buffalo frauds, amouh'i's
to thousands OF dollars. were discovered IL is sa'o
that he swindled the Eq liable Assurance soc'eS
ou, Of a round sum OF morcy IA. ho 10