The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1897-07-23
TO SWINDI4E CLERKS.
MoDuS OPERANDl OF AN INGENIOUS
SCHEME TO SECURE MONEY.

Nipped In the Bud just rs the Operators
Were Ready to Float 1.-THE Plan Was
to Rob Hotel Clerks All Over the Coun-
try.
In looking for evidence against man
who is under indictment for forgery In
Denver two New York police headquarters
detectives recently unearthed what they
consider as pretty swindling scheme as
has come to light in many day. Detect
i've Sergeant McCauley, who told the story
at police headquarters, said:
"The paraphernalia now In our hands
indicates that this was scheme 10 rob
every hotel clerk in the country of $3.50,
and at the same time TO make him pay the
express charges incident to being robbed
About three or four days ago private de-
tective asked Captain O'Brien to arrest
Charles NJ. Fegenbush, who had been q
mining operator in Denver, but was now
living in this city under the name OF G.
Nj. f. Bush at 343 West Thirty second
street, with an office in the Knickerbocker
theater building at Thirty eighth street
and Broadway.
"Captain O'Brien refused to act until
he had an official request from the Denver
chief of police. This came yesterday by
telegraph, asking him to arrest @. M. f.
Bush. Sergeant McConvill found Bush
outside his office and brought him to head
quarters. He was arraigned at Jefferson
Market court and remanded until today.
"At Bush's office we found three girls
at work for him preparing typewriter
copies of letter apparently intended to
lay the foundation for the proposed swim
die. These letters were written on paper
bearing pretentious letterhead of fcti-
tious firm called the Schimm Merk Chem
ical Manufacturing company, with an adj.
dress in the Bowling Green building. The
letter was dated June "a and read as fol-
lows:
"DEAR SIR-I will be with you in short
time. Hold my mail and kilograms. l have
Instructed Messrs. Benedik s. Biddel jewelers.,
TO forward my watch care of your house.
Should same come to hand before my arrival,
please receipt for 1t and obhge. Yours very
truly. -
"These letters were apparently TO be
signed with fictitious names and addressed
to hotel clerks all over the country.
Among the things found was hotel red
book, and from this complete lists of the
hotels in some states had already been
copied out. In Bush's room at 343 West
Thirty second street we found n number
of postal cards, which were apparently to
have been sent out after the letters to con-
vince the clerks that the writer's of the let
tiers were to visit the hotels. These cards
read:
"Stay there until we arrive. Harry is COM
ing with us. L.
"June %, 1897.
"These, we think, were to have teen adj
dressed TO the fictitious persons whose
names had been signed to the letters. We
also found in Bush's room hundreds of de-
| coy packages, each about the size used for
sending watch, and hundreds OF toy
watches, worth about tenth of cent
| apiece. Some of them had already been
packed in the boxes, which were marked
with the label of Benedik & Biddel, 81
and 80 Maiden lane. We also found IA LOT
of bills from the bogus jewelry firm, each
for So. 90 for box casing, one gold watch,
sent G.. O. ID. We also found few rea
watches worth about SO each, the purpose
of which does not appear.
"In the outfit were invoice books of al
| the express companies, each prepared with
a printed label on the cover of Benedik &
Biddel and stamped within with their ad
dress. G.. O. ID. envelopes of express com
pany, similarly stamped were also par
of the outfit captured. The address of thu
bogus jewelers., instead of being 81 and 3!
Maiden lane, as IL was on the billheads
was changed with a rubber stamp to IL
and 179 Broadway. We learned that Busl
had Just hired rooms ut this number.
"The whole scheme was almost ready Il
spring, and if the sending out of the let
tiers and packages had been properly timed
the returns would all have come in within
few days of the same time.
Fegenbush or Bush, Is 3S years OLE
and is called 1.-THE baron" in some let
tiers found in his room. The police her
know nothing against him prior TO TIN
present scheme. In Denver he is under in
dictment for forging deed.
In 1892 he and Il. II Saltiel and Il. +
Perry professed to sell piece of land &
the Ingcrsoll Investment company TO
81, 900 and gave the deed in question. Eacl
of them was placed under $4,000 bail TO
trial. Perry is dead; Saltiel, Bush says, ha
since been president of the Denver Rea
Estate Exchange, but Bush jumped his bal
and ran away. He is married, but his wifi
is not with him. He says he has been il
this city only about month.-New Yorl
sun.
n