St. Paul daily globe., 1896-03-03
AND HIS HOME is IN NEW YORK
STRANGERS ARE SOMETIMES BET
TER ASSOCIATES IN BUSINESS
THAN OLD FRIENDS,
HASN'T DRAWN A CHECK For DAYS
Foolish to Expect business Re-
vfva1, He Says, Under Such
circumstances.


Ing the Nevada National bank, Of San
Francisco, out Of $4,000, is being held
at the central police station await
Ing officers from California. A report
er foc the G 10 b conversed briefly
with him yesterday. He appeared
tranquil, but not sociable. He did not
want to talk. The newspapers would
decorate his actual assertions, he
thought, with choice bits of glittering
f1cticn. Thus he would be made out
worse than he really was, and the
ends Of justice would be frustrated
This last possibility worried Mr.. Woods
greatly. He desired above all things
that justice should nor be frustrated
To that end he would tell the reporter
certain small facts.
Woods is a large man, rather tall,
and looks somewhat like an English
man of Jewish descent. He is feet
IA inches in height and weighs $50
pounds. He has a full face, as shown
by the picture published in the G o b e
of yesterday; Roman nose, black hair
and eyes. His face is now smooth, but
might readily be covered with a thick
black beard. He was very we'll dressed
His manner is reserved, with a super
fetal show of ingenious sincerity. His
language is that of an Englishman
rather than of an American.
The first Of Mr.. Woods small facts
was that he was not Woods, but some
body else
"Who is Woods, anyway" asked the
reporter
II can't say" replied the prisoner
"But he was lumberman, wasn't he?
L tried to believe so, at any rate, for
several weeks. But 1 am F. L. Seaver
myself, and I'm a New Yorker. No;
1 wasn't born in England, but right
there in New York. Pm thirty-eight
years old. My wife lives at 253 East
Thirty-ninth street. I haven't always
lived in New York, though. The fact
is, I've been in business a good part of
my life where strangers were better
associates than old friends. So have
Travelled all over Europe and Australia,
and met good many strangers. Some
Of 'em will never forget me, I'm afraid.
mo. 1 don't mean that I was the
man who got the 500, 900 from the San
Francisco bank, but I'm willing to go
back there for trial I've told the de-
tectives that 1 won't wait for requisi-
ton papers. Yes, yes, L was there
when it happened, and think I'd bet
ter go back, don't you know"
"Have you ever been arrested be-
fore?'
well, I wish this was the first time
have ever been in small, close room
with desire to be elsewhere. But the
same thing happened once every day
to me for three years had some trans
actions with a bank near the big
bridge, and I was obliged to take a
room in the Kings county Jail in 1891.
L didn't change my boarding place un-
til 1894, although the food was only
fair and the attendance was Wretched.
My business? o, suppose I've been a
capitalist. I've always been trying
to make investments at any rate, and
l have generally arranged to let some
body else earn the money that l in
vested. But banks are not always as
cordial in the treatment of their Gus
toners as one could wish. Many of my
operations would have been much more
successful if my friends, the bankers,
had only co-operated generously
There's Mr.. Anderson, of your bank
here, for instance. My lumber busi-
ness was getting into good shape, and
L would soon have transacted as many
big deals as any of Anderson's custo-
mers. But he suddenly interfered with
my trade, and L haven't drawn a check
for three days. It's foolish to expect
a business revival under these circum-
stances.
Eyes, don't deny that I met that
Minneapolis gentleman once or twice.
You see, he had some dealings with
me When l was in the lumber business,
adm 1 made his acquaintance that way.
In Frisco? o, no; who said 1 knew
him there? l wasn't selling lumber
on the coast"
Two complaints were filed in the dis
trict court yesterday in suits by the
supposed victims Of A. H. Dean, alias
d. w. Woods, and Joe McCluskey,
alias J. M. Shaw, to recover from the
ST. Paul National bank and the Union
National Bank Of Minneapolis money
deposited in these institutions by Dean
and McCluskey. The suits are brought
by the Crocker-Woolworth National
bank and Nevada National bank, both
Of San Francisco, the institutions with
swindling which these individuals are
charged. The complaint in each case
alleges that the defendant secured pos
session Of $20005 belonging to the
plaintiffs, and appropriated it to his
own use. In the suit against Dean
the st. Paul National bank is made
garnishee, while in the one against
McCluskey the Union Bank of Mime
apolis is made garnishee.
McCluskey was arraigned in the mu-
nicipal court in Minneapolis yesterday
afternoon, charged with being a fugi-
tive from justice. kilograms have
been received from San Francisco stat
ing that beyond question McCluskey is
the man wanted in that city for big
job there. McCluskey pleaded not
guilty, and was held to appear for
trial.