Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1896-10-18
THAT BOND MYSTERY.
GREAT INTEREST FELT HERE IN
CHICAGO TRUNK DISCLOSURE.
LAWRENCE SCHOOLCRAPTS CAREER.
His Firm Was Robbed Eleven Years
Ago, and the Securities May Have
Been Lost Then-what His Friends
ThfuIr
Think.


Dispatch. telling Of the discovery there
In trunk. left TO secure the payment OF
a hotel bill. Of a package OF railroad
bonds. made out In the name OF }. Law
renee Schooicraft, attracted widespread
attention here. where Mr.. schooicraft re-
sided up to few years ago. and is gen.
orally known.
The matter Is one Of great mystery. The
trunk. according 10 the Chicago dis
patches, was left I'm tho Saratoga Hotel
three years ago. shortly after the World +
Fair, by man who gave his name as
George Craft. When this guest left the
hotel he owed s3S for board. Letters
have been received from Craft every now
and then, all enjoining the hotel people
TO take good care Of the trunk, which
was not opened until Thursday. The rail-
road bonds and other securities, aegre-
eating. It is SAID some $1,000 were bound
in a package addressed TO Campbell &
schoolcraft." formerly prominent Rich
mond brokers, and in the package was
a slip Of paper bearing the address,
Mrs. Schoolcraft and Mrs. Beattie,
Richmond, va.
THE POLICE NOTIFIED.
The first intimation received here in
connection with this matter was a tele-
gram that came on Thursday, asking for
the address OF one Il. Il. Schoolcraft To
this Chief-of-Police Howard replied that
no such person was known in this city.
Then on Friday the Richmond Chief re-
ceived from Chief j. J. Badenoch, OF Chi
cago, this message:
-. Lawrence Schoolcraft. of Campbell
Schoolcraft brokers in your city in
1881, must be known to your prominent
businessmen Of that time. We want in
formation concerning his whereabouts.
Large quantity OF bonds deeds, and val
liable papers found. evidently his property.
Wire mis- address or that Of relatives"
This telegram was given to Sergeant
Tomlinson. who carried Ii out TO the
home Of Mr.. Lawrence Schoolcrafts
mother, now Mrs. Beattie, who lives just
beyond the Soldiers Home She was un-
able to throw any light on the subject.
and Sergeant Tomlinson acquainted Chief
Badenoch with that fact. Telegraphic
correspondence between here and Chicago
was kept up yesterday, but in the after
noon neither the police nor Mr.. School
crafts relatives. who we're trying TO solve
the mystery. had received any satisfac-
tory explanation of how these bonds hap
pened to be in a trunk in Chicago or as
TO their history. real ownership, or value.
is WELL KNOWN HERE.
Mr.. Schoolcraft is well remembered in
Richmond. His father who had amassed
a fortune in the banking business in AL
bany, n. Y, died there many years ago,
leaving a wife and two sons-Mr. J. Law
renee Schoolcraft and MIR. Oliver School,
craft. who is now a minister Of the
Church Of England. Mrs. schoolcraft, ar-
ter the death of her husband, married
DR.. Henry c. Beattie, of Henrico. who
died a few years ago. Mr.. Lawrence
Schoolcraft. after growing up and being
educated in Richmond. entered the bro
kerage business as a member of the then
vtdeiy-known and prosperous firm of
Campbell & Schoolcraft. After the death
of his associate he continued the bust
ness under the firm-name Of j. l.. School
craft up TO about eight years ago. Soon
after retiring be left Richmond, and has
not been here much since. Mr.. School
craft, who is now about Al years old, has
been twice married. The last heard from
him here he was In Chicago filing a clerk
ship. He wrote to his mother about six
weeks ago. asking that his mail be sent
TO the general delivery there. Several
Richmond friends have also had letters
from him written from the Windy City.
WHERE THE BONDS CAME FROM.
The mysterious part Of this affair is
as to the bonds, who they belong to-
and by whom the trunk containing them
was left at the Saratoga Hotel. TIE
fact that the name Craft was used would
lead to the superstition that perhaps Mr.
SuhoOlcralt had registered under an as
sumed name. His friends do not believe
this. though, as there was no reason
whatever why he should do so. and, be
sides, he had not gone TO Chicago three
years ago. He was then living in Vir-
ginia. Tho opinion obtains here that
perhaps the securities just discovered
were taken from the safe OF MT School
craft in 1883. when Tom Carpenter. a
clerk employed by the firm. took $40 900
OF bonds belonging TO the late Siark
Downey, which he restored after being
away from the city about three weeks.
He went to Canada, but became con-
science-stricken, and returned TO Rich
mond, turned the bonds over to Mr.
Schoolcraft, and was arrested within a
few hours after his arrival here. lie got
a very light sentence by reason of the
fact that the stolen securities had been
restored. Mr.. Schoolcraft was not in
clined to discuss the robbery. and It has
never been known whether he or his firm
suffered any loss by Carpenters trans
actions. Carpenter is said to have been
IN trouble In other cities since his ex-
perience in Richmond, and many think
that he Is IN some way connected with
the bonds found in Chicago.
a SUMMARY REMOVAL.