The evening times., 1896-12-28
BOGUS THEFTs REPORTED
Detectives Uncover Many Cases
of Rank Fraud.
SCHEME OF A YOUNG MAN
In Order to Escape Marriage He
Declared He Had Been Waylatd
and Robbed-Clerk Who Gambled
Away His Employers Money In
sisted He Had Been Held Up.

Not all the entries OF thetts made upon the
record OF robberies at police headquarters
are bona fide. Some of them are decep-
tions OF the rankest kind. but they rarely
deceive the detectives who are assigned
to investigate them by Inspector Holm
berger.
The recent case of a colored woman who
reported that u pickpocket had relieved her
of ST. so, as told in The Evening Times.
is a fairiliustra.ion. Her purpose il tis said.
was not to deceive the officers, but to keep
up the deception she had originally prac-
ticed on her husband, who married the
woman, supposing she had a good round
sum of m oney In hank.
This was case where a deceptive scheme
was resorted to in order to bring about
marriage. one of the headquarters de-
tectives has just closed up another case
for the directly opposite purpose Of break
ing a marriage engagement.
A young man who resides in East Wash
ington reported to the police that he had
been attacked by highwaymen, who beat
him into insensibility and then stole from
him a package containing gold watch, roll
Ol uTesS SUbus anu OtiltE dItiticS, DesiucS
nearly 5000 in cash. The alleged victim
stated that the articles were intended as
wedding gifts for his prospective bride,
and that lie was Oh his way to her house to
deliver them when he was attacked by the
footpads and robbed. The wedding was to
have taken place on the following evening.
Suspected the Story.
The detectives said the mans story
sounded rather ''fishy'' to him, but he set
out to investigate it. The supposed yictih
gave vivid account of the ''hold-up,' and
infinitely described the articles which were
stolen from him. He reluctantly, however,
gave the names and addresses OF the mer
chants from whom he alleged the goods
had been stolen.
The spot selected for the robbery was a
lonely one, and the hour at night. There
were no e eye witnesses of the affair but the
robbers and the victim, consequently no
witnesses could be secured. Suspicion that
the report was bogus grew stronger as the
investigation proceeded.
The young lady To whom the man was
engaged to be married was interviewed.
She stated that the wedding had been post
poned once before at his solicitation, and
now he tad broken the engagement entirely,
giving as a reason that the highwaymen
had taken all his money, with which he
had intended to commence housekeeping
also the bridal gifts he had purchased for
her.
The detective inserted the probe little
deeper and discovered that there were other
reasons why the young man was desirous
OF declaring off his promise to marry her.
Insurmountabie obstacles, some persons
would have termed them.
He Did Not Purchase.
The next move made by the officer was
to visit the establishments where the in
tended husband said he had purchased the
watch and other wedding gifts The mer-
chants looked over their lists OF sales, con-
suited their statesmen, and then declared
that no such goods at the prices named had |
been sold to i man on the day he mcn |
toned or any other day.
This was the settler, and the robbery VIZ 8
thereupoE Cancelled on the record books. |
The young man had succeeded, perhaps. |
in deluding his intended, the matrimonial
alliance was averted, but he had not fooled |
the detectives, although the police depart |
ment was PUT to considerable time and eX- !
pense in order to get down to the truth OF |
the matter. |
1t is on record that rather rapid young |
man was sent one evening to collect u sum-
of money by his employer. He was paid |
the amount, but instead OF taking it back |
to his office visited the across-the-river |
gambling resorts, and lost it all by .'bucking |
the tiger"
Late that night he administered several |
blows to his own head, causing the blood |
to flow down on his garments. then in an |
weak and very much disheveled |
condition he went to a police station and |
report ed that he had been beaten and robbed |
OF his employers money by footpads.
some Other Cases.
A searching investigation disclosed the |
facts in this case, and the rapid youth lost |
a good position, but his employer would not |
prosecute him. |
Other cases are known where men have
spent their salaries on a debauch or frolic |
and then reported that they had been rob |
bed. which resulted in the stories being |
printed by the newspapers as taken from |
the police records, their purpose being to |
deceive their wives and creditors
1t is saiu that bicycle dealer who failed |
not long ago and then left the city had a
habit of securing free advertising to in
troduce a new make Of wheel here by re-
porting occasionally the theft OF one of
his speciality bicycles, giving its name, also
that of its firm ard address.
The bogus robbery would be included in
the daily list of thefts reported to head
quarters and printed in the newspapers,
thus giving him free ad-
Many similar schemes are resorted to for
deception, but the detectives nearly al
ways dig out the motive and expose the
fraud. although the investigations of such