The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1896-05-14
FAKE DIRECTORIES
Arrests Made in This City
and Brookly By the Pos
tai Authorities.
SAID TO HAVE BEEN LUCRATIVE
Free Insertion Contracts Turned
Into Agreements to Pay
Fraud Charged.

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Postoffiee Inspector G. c. Holden of Phil
adelphia this morning raided an alleged
fake directory concern, which, it is be-
lieved, has victimized business men in
all parts of the country The company
was doing business in this city under the
name Of the American Publishing Com
pany, in suite of rooms on the first
floor of No AZ Montgomery street.
While the raid was being made in this
city the Brooklyn police, under the direc-
tion Of Postoffice Inspector Major Chas
F. Lewis, of Philadelphia, We're raiding
the hackers of the concern in that city
The prisoners taken here were:-Charles
v. Daily, 80 years old, of No. l42 Columbus
avenue, Brooklyn Heights, an agent and
solicitor; Hugh Rogers, % years old, of
No. 10 Myrtle avenue, Brooklyn. a clerk;
Arthur Bowen, "a years old. of No. Is
West Ninety-eighth street, New York,
manager, and a young woman type
writer. who. it is believed, was unaware
of the irregular methods of the concern
she was employed by.
The prisoners, with the exception of the
young woman, were removed to Police
Headquarters and held without bail pend
ing an examination by United States Com
missioner T.. LlnSley Rowe.
The men to be arrested in Brooklyn
are H. M. and Siegmund Morris. In
Brooklyn the concern was known as the
Redbrook Publishing Company and also
Caswell & Co., publishers of the ''Whole-
salers' Financial Directory and Guide y
The company was originally located in
No 1888 Adams street, that city, but sub
sequently moved into larger quarters in
the Arbuckle building
AS the American Publishing Company
Of this city. it was represented that a
directory known as the Financial and
Traders Directory" was to be issued So
far as diligent search can reveal, Inspec-
tor Holden says it has been impossible
to ind any trace of the directories.
Attention was first attracted to the
company in this city by the large guam
TRY of mail that was being sent out
daily. The postal authorities became
suspicious and managed to procure one
of the letters which were being mailed.
The proposed issue of the Financial and
glowing terms. Accompanying the circu-
lar was request for an advertisement
In some instances contracts were en-
closed to prominent business men, with
the request that they permit the inser-
tien of their business cards. No refer
ence was made to any charge for such
insertion, the only requirement being the
signing of the contract, giving the privil-
ege of insertion.
Many Of these contracts were signed
ard returned, the men solicited, appar-
emily believing that the insertion was to
be gratuitous one. After a week or
two had passed these contracts, in an
persons who had signed them. The
clause asking the privilege to insert the
advertisement was in each instance care
fully erased and in its stead an agree
ment inserted calling for the payment of
certain sum in settlement for tAe in
SeFtion of the business card. These con
tracts were attached to drafts and placed
in the hands of an express company for
collection. In many instances the drafts
were hanored.
The police were unaware the mails had
been abandoned by the directory men un-
til complaints began to come in from the
express companies, whose attention was
6ar Of dps oy hf gfeas Ma5 be
ing planned when the concern moved
from the Fuller Building, where it had
one room into No. Al Montgomery street,
where three rooms were necessary to
carry on the business.
AT the time of the removal Inspector
sufficient information to warrant arrests
being made for obtaining money under
false pretenSes and also for using the
mails for illegal purposes. He preferred
to wait, however, as detectives were at
work securing evidence against the gang
in Brooklyn.
orators worked turned up when the
Wells-Fargo Express Company returned,
unhonored, draft for $50, which had
been sent to the Akron Betting Company
Of Akron, Ohio, for collection. Not only
did the company decline to pay the draft,
but the contract was pronounced a fofg-
cry. The express company gave the po-
lice this information and also surrendered
the draft and contract. An examination
cf the latter showed plainly the eraSures
previously described.
Last night the Brooklyn police procured
similar evidence of an attempt to de-
fraud a western manufacturing company.
The arrest of the men concerned was at
once planned for today.