The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1896-08-11

third street. and was reputed to be a
man OF wealth
Two weeks ago 1t was decided TO close
in On the gang They were then operat-
| ing in Chicago under the name OF Tho
mas & Co. and in New York under the
! name of ]. II. Morgan & Co. mining
brokers. ". H McClurt and D. Craig
were in New York They were daily
expected 10 return To Chicago The az
rests were postponed awaiting their
return.
! A week ago Il was discovered that the
name OF Thomas & Co had been dropp-
! ed and that OF To,man & Co. assumed.
! and the rooms n the Commerce building
were opened.
! last Tuesday a complaint was lodged
/ with United States Commissioner Hum
| pfrey against the FIVE men IL was made
on the strength OF letter sent through
/ the mails to H. H Leach, Henry, IL,
one OF the men employed by ar. Hill.
I Leach having sent them deeoy letter in
reference 10 stock gambling.
! Inspector ]. J. I.armour and ore OF the
/ federation's detectives left for New
/ York 10 apprehend W. II. Mcclure and
Dr.. Craig. Deputy Marshal White was
/ assigned 10 watch Thomas and deJec-
( lives 10 watch Tolu1an and James Nc
! ClrIre. White took his station in the Of
/ fee OF John Hill. in the board OF trade
/ buFding. and from the window could
| see what was giong on in the'gang's Of
! fee n the Commerce building across the
street.
! In New York the wives OF Mcclure
/ and Craig were found. but not the hu>-
bands. Yesterday the men in New York
wired that they had located the two and
certain arrest would follow. Then the
order 20 close IN was given. Major Stu
art, who has been experimenting the
plans for the past week. joined in the
work Thomas and Tolman We're quick
| " picked Up. James T. Mcclure had
I left the office, and was followed by RS
4 shadow, who had not yet received the
order 10 take his man. II was o'clock
when Mcclure reached his home. where
Deputy Marshal White and several de-
tectives were in waiting and placed him
under arerst just as ne was opening the
door of his house.
At $50 O'Clock the three men were ar
raigued before Commissioner Humphrey
and made acquainted with the charge
Of using the mails for fraudulent pur-
poses TIE bond was fixed at $500 and
the hearing set for next Friday after
noon.
None OF the men could give the bond
as all were unable to reach their friends
and they were taken 10 the Harrison
street police station 10 be held there IN
ii tomorrow. and If bond IS not ma De
then they will be sent to the county jail
at Joliet. Mrs. TGlman was present in
the court. She had followed her hus-
band To tire marshal's Office and assert
ed that ne was simply an employe of the
concern at a salary OF 800 a month.
SKETCH OF THE MEN.
After the arrest OF the three men Ma
jor Stuart and Mr.. Hill. the chairman OF
the federation committee. gave the fol-
lowing sketch OF the men and their op-
eratiocs:
The opera tons Of the gang for IN
genuity and daring read like a romance
and from their various confidence
schemes they have all reaped large
fortune.
The ringleader OF the outfit Is ". II.
Mcclure, who comes from a respecta bic
family and was raised at Junction City,
Kan. He was for many years a railway
postal clerk on line running out OF
st. Louis. He is a married man. Dr.
John Craig, formerly OF Guthrie, Ok, is
his brother-in-law
James F. McClurt is his younger broth
er. All three men were ''soouerS'' in Ok
lahoma, where they formed the &C
quaintance OF William A. Thomas The
latter was raised in Cedar Falls, Ia.
and began his life as a bank cltrk in
Abingdon. Ill He became the cashier
OF bank at Edwardsville, Kan, and
assisted in the organization of the Cap
ital City bank of Guthrie Ok. After
80
president borrowed the entire deposits
md left their worthless notes as securi-
~. The bank failed and the dspositors
lost every cent they had intrusted 70
the dishonest concern John 1. Tolmsn
was for fifteen years a railway postal
clerk. and is supposed TO have formed /
the acquaintance Of the others in Ok
lahoms.
". n. Mcclure bloAsomed into prom,- .
hence as the proprietor OF a fake lot I
terry in Kansas City. Kan The scheme 4
was to send out tickets indiscriminate-
y. promising 70 let any one who would 4
sell fifty OF his tickets and remit 81 so I
70 draw s. 1000. No one ever got the
S, 900 or any part OF il.
USED THE NAME.
In order that the plan might have the
proper backing he used the flame Of
A. 3. Armour &, Co. on his lottery tick
IT'S. The ingenuity OF this < apparent
ynly when the fact is known that there
are two ArmourS in Kansas City *. z.
Ind A W. and ne took an initial from
ZACH Of these names. making IL A b.
Armour * Co. thus making the con
u>i0n Of names complete. He was run
ut of Kansas City. FORGETTING his bond
~ falling to appear for trial
They next went to Wichita. Kan. and
,egan 70 operate a second lottery. using
he name OF Waldo Flood, claiming 70
ave headquarters in New York. Wich-
"a and San Francisco. using the COM
,inatioa OF Waldo q New York and
flood OF san Francisco.
They were driven from Wichita. and
ext opened in New Orleans. where they
-ot up the celebrated forgery OF the tick
- OF the Louisiana lottery. They sent
hese forged tickets broadcast, sending
- n each package, and IN 4. c0u@iden-
ial letter 30 the party who received the
.ckets. they promised that. On the re-
eipt OF sl01. a special ticket II the lot !
cry would be gusran teed 10 draw - 90 ,
They returned 70 Kansas City and O. II
cred 100 lottery tickets FOR SIS. glar4n- :
>eing that the purchaser would draw :
ID. 0q0. On the day OF the drawing they /
-ired $50 dupeS they had drawn u. 90 I
I'd REQ ae SID the remittance 70 Be I
lade promptly and most O. TIE 6u5es 7
INT ~ 80 each. In their various lottery II
chemes they never had drawing. they I :
aid no prizes. nor vas there = sing.e :
air o. decent feature about IL :
OPERATIONS IN CHICAGO r
After the fail % The LOTTERY business
ley came % Chicago. zsd y gan bus {
ess under various aliases aS bankers Z
I'd brokers. se7ding their s1tic51g CIR
lla-s through the mails Sri adver-ls- {