The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-11-06
{ AGDEN BUREAU.
Business and Editorial Office 51s
Utah Loan 4 Trust Building.
Telephone 29S.
Ogden. November 6.
CLEVER ROGUES.
THEY WE'RE PLACED ON TRIAL
YESTERDAY.
No shrevder scheme to Fleece the
UnNary Ever Attempted In the
West.

On Tuesday The Herald published.
exclusively, a story OF the arrest OF
two young men for obtaining the money
of certain Ogden merchants under false
pretenses. The details of their work
were fully described, but owing to the
excitement over election the cleVerneSs
OF the scheme was not fully unoer-
stood. Inc details of the aIIalr were
gone over yesterday at the nearing De
fore Justice Perrin. The ponce IN the
interval have found NUMBER OF the
blanks used by the men ana thus eA-
posed one of the prettiest schemes for
obtaining other peoples money that
has come to the notice Of Ogden people
in many a day. The cleverness OF the
scheme viii be admitted when II is
known that such men as Mayor H. Ii.
Spencer, Will Wright and Manager
Bent of the ogden Paint, Oil ana Glass
company were among the Victims
Their method of procedure was as fol-
lows:
Smith, who did the canvassing, called
on merchants with a copy OF the United
States Commercial Register for 1889
1886. The book has every appearance
OF being genuine and is a kind of di-
rectory of the leading merchants,
bankers, insurance companies and SINH
lar institutions of the country. Here
We're leaves deToted to advertisements
and bearing the business cards of lead
ing firms. The ogden advertisers were
w. II. Wright & Sons Co., EccIeS Lum-
Der Co., ogden Paint, Oil and Glass
Co., and the Boyle Furniture Co.
Smith called on all these firms and
solicited a renewal of the advertise
ments in the next years book These
renewals We're refused in each case,
whereupon Smith asked them to sign
an order for the diScontinuance of the
card. This order would show the firm
that the agent had called on the
patrons. The request was in each case
complied with and the agent took his
departure more readily, as was OBJ
served by Bent, than the average can
vasser. a day or two later Wiel made
his appearance a. each of the places of
business mentioned and briefly stated
that he came to collect $3.50, due for
insertion of the firms advertisement in
the book; since the firm had ordered it
discontinued.
In the case of the Eccles Lumber
company the order was presented to
the bookkeeper, though the discon-
tinuing order had been signed by Man
ager Spencer. In the meantime the end
and the top of the slip had been cut
off, thus removing a large L-shaped
slip from the original order, making it
appear that H. H. Spencer, manager,
had authorized the insertion of the ad-
vertisement in the issue of 1895 and
that the same was to cost $3.50.
There was Manager Spencers we'll
known signature attached to the order,
and the clerk paid promptly in cash.
Wright and Bent paid checks, on which
they afterward stopped payment.
Stringham, of the Boyle company,
would pay nothing. VIII Wright put
the case in Davenport's hands. with the
result that the men were soon under
arrest.
Justice Perrin had no hesitation in
committing the men on the charge
of obtaining money under false pre-
lenses, but was doubtful about the
forgery charge. This phase of the case
was argued yesterday evening and
taken under Amusement by his honor