New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-03-19
"GOLD BRICK" MAN TAKEN
NORrON.s CLEVER SCHEME TO SWIM
DIE FOREIGNERS.
ma DESIRE TO REPAY IMAGINARY OLD
FRIENDS" BRINGS HIM INTO THE HANDS OF
CAPTAIN o'BRIEN's MEN. WHO SAY
THEY HAVE A STRONG CASE

FRIENDS" BRINGS HIM INTO THE HANDS VI
CAPTAIN o'BRIENs MEN. WHO SAY
THEY HAVE A STRONG CASE
AGAINST HIM.
A swindl,r whose stock-in-trade consisted Of
s'nerve" and gold bricks" and who Is known 10
the police at present by the name Of o. NJ. Nor
ton was captured in a clever way by Central W
Ace Detectives Brown and Formosa In Cortlandt-
st on Tuesday afternoon. They saw two men
walking along the street, arm in arm. and noticed
that one had the look Of a sharper, while the
other appeared to be a stranger in the city.
After the two men hal spent a little time In
restaurant they parted. Then one OF the de-
tectives arrested the suspected sharper and took
him to Police Headquarters. while the other de-
tective followed the supposed "come-on ana
ascertained that he was guest at the Holland
House
The prisoner at Headquarters refused TO tell Ms
name and was put on the record as Johh Doe'
He had $3.50 in money. a gold watch and chain
and a bunch of keys. One key bore tag 1or
room in Taylor's Hotel in Jersey CITY. Inc oe-
tectives went and searched the room. Ihey
found a miners outfit including drills toois etc.,
a lot Of quartz and three fake gold bricks The
bricks were In boxes with handles attached hach
weighed between fifty and sixty pounds. The de-
ters which had been addressed to o. NJ Norton.
and other napers They took everything to Police
Headquarters.
CAPTAIN O'Brien looked through the stun ana
.aid the letters showed that the prisoner had
been CARRYING on swindlng operations FOR years.
Norton's plan was to watch for death notices IN
the English papers to get early Information Oh
the deaths of wealthy Englishmen rhen ne
would send letter addressing 1t with the name
of a dead man, knowing that 1t would Iaii iI''o
the hands Of relatives. The swindler wrote '"a'
ne was anxious to repay an old irieno WIN "au
helped him years ago. and, having o'sco'e'e'
some gold mines in America, he wisheo 70 smart
some of his wealth with his old Deneiactor' ~
was the prisoners scheme to get the 1amiv VIM
nod recaived his letter TO send agent to this
country. when with his fake gold bricKs' ne
would try to swindle him out OF large sum VI
money Captain OBren found letter from
Henry Greaves. of Derker Oldham. England
The elder Greaves, who was wealthy o'eu no,
long ago. Correspondence with Norton caused
Henry Greaves to send an agent 10 thiS County,
70 meet his fathers "old friend
Plummer Campbell, the agent. VINO hao ar
ranged a trip to this country to see about some
.ooI estate in California also had communi-
Gated with Norton, who wrote his letters from
Hot Strings Ark Mr.. Campbell arrived mere
on March TO- Word had been sent to the swift
dler that he was coming, and 1t had Deen ar
ranged tina: they were to meet In HOT opii"
Mr. Campbell was to wear brown suit Ny
which he would be recognized. He went to HOT
srr,nps and met the swinder He was win
the prisoner in Cortlandt-st on 1uesua!.
Mr. Campbell went to Police Heaoquar'eiS
Yesterday and said to Captain y bren' a.
81 arrived here on the Ieutonlc anu WI. "
1Iot Springs The man who called himself NOT
ton was to have met me at the stauol' put az az
was not there. / left a letter al the pos'Vn.o,;
for him and he got 1t. He called al my not ta
md late at night took me somewhere out In tne
ucods where there was 'dug-out lie saiu
there was gold there He agreed to TAKE me
there again the next day at midnight ana satsly
ne about the gold We Went tnere anu .Nt' me
horings I drilled into some OF the goio anu
cot samples of it The samples had were good
gold o.pr,or that
ne was to have met Norton on the Whte star
Steamship pier at 10 a m. yesterday. Norton
was going to turn the gold over to him. ana eX.
nected to receive $1,000. which he said was nai1
Of the value Of the alleged gold or,cKS
AS Mr. Campbell was put 70 considerable ex-
pense by coming to this country. he INTENDS 10
bring civil suit against Norton TO recove.
what he spent and he VIII nave an at'a0.ii'eh -
placed upon the $3.50 in money ara the goio
watch and chain taken from Norton
When o. NJ. Norton was arrested letter Wa
found in his possession addressed 10 .. nan.
Hot Springs. Ark, dated from IayIoI fio'eI IA
Jersey City which led to the arrest OF man
who is believed to be an accomplice OF the gold
brick swindler. He is Harry Disney twenty
seven years old. of Toledo. Ohio: Captain
O'Brien believes him to be the man Boom. mel
toned In the letter found in Nortons posses
SON He was arrested at the Everett House
In his room was found gold brick similar 10
these Norton had.