The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1897-03-21
Gentleman and SwindIer.

1
Washington. D. c.. March ao-Mr. Sam
E. Morss of the indianapolis Sentinel who
is now consul-generaI of Paris, has recent.
ly discovered that he has been the victim o,
dishonest deputy, and in report to the
| secretary of state confesses that he ha.
been robbed of not less than $4,000, and
perhaps as much as $4,000, during the las
three years. Clyde Shropshire. a bright
young fellow from Rome. Ga, was ap-
pointed vice-consul-general soon after Mr..
Morss took charge of the consulate. He Is
lawyer by profession, but an adventures
by habit, and very popular with the fas:
set OF Americans who make Paris the.r
headquarters during the summer season
He had been living in Paris for five or six
years previous to his appointment, and pre-
tended to practice. although clients werd
| very scarce with him, and his means OF
support were uncertain and rather mys-
| ferrous. He made the acquaintance of NJ.
| Morss shortly after the latter arrived. and
| by his charming manners and his know
| ledge of Paris soon fascinated that gentle
man. Robert N. Hooper had been vice
| consul for many years. He was a steady
going, old-fashioned gentleman, honest,
patient, faithful and familiar with every
| detail of the Office, and people thought i,
| would be impossible 10 carry on business
there without Mr.. Hooper's assistance. Mr..
| Morss thought differently. and removed
| him, appointing the plausible Mr.. Shrop-
| shire IN his place. 1t was an expensive
| change for Mr. Morss from a financial
| standpoint, and made the consulate of the
| United States in Paris the scene of a most
deplorable scandal Mr.. Morss, being a
stranger and unfamiliar with the practices
and duties of the Office. left everything to
| Mr.. Shropshire, and retained confidence in
him to the very last, although ne was fire.
quently warned by friends that his deputy
was running with very rapid crowd, was
habitue of the gambling clubs, and had
| the reputation of playing a very high and
| reckless game. Mr.. Morss was also in
| formed frequently that Mr.. Shropshire was
living in suspicious style. and had develop
| ed extravagant habits that were the sub
| Ject of much gossip in the American colony
But Shropshire was such nice fellow
that Mr.. Morss refused to believe these re-
ports, and when he did allude to them once
or twice the explanations of his deputy
were plausible and satisfactory
The last incident of Mr. Shropshire's car
eer as ACKNOWLEDGMENT furnishes a plot
for novel. A Boston gentleman who was
stopping for a few days in Paris picked
up a role of bank notes in a toilet-room OF
the Grand Hotel, which, men counted, was
found to consist of 5000 francs of French,
Australian and Russian money. He took
1t to the cashier of the hotel related the cir
cumstances and said that 1t would probae-
ly be called for as soon as the owner dis
covered his loss. The next day the cashier
called at the apartments of the Boston
gentleman, told him that the owner had
claimed the money and left 1,oO0 francs for
the finder as a reward. At first the Ameri-
can refused to accept the reward, but the
cashier insisted upon his taking it because
the donor had left the city, and he did not
know his address. Finally Mr.. Boston
handed the thousands francs TO his wife
ard told her that she might use it to buy
souvenir of the incident
A few days later he went to London
where he related the incident to Consul
General Collins. who had been his friend az
home Mr.. Collins, who Is a lawyer, told
him that he did not think the affair had
been very well managed, and that he had
better protect himself with a receipt from
the cashier of the hotel, because number
of persons knew he had found the roll o,
he had disposed of it. Mr.. Boston reflected
over the matter for awhile, and then wrote
to Consul-General Morss at Paris request
ing him to call at the Grand hotel and OBJ
tain receipt or statement from the
cashier.
As Mr.. Morss happened to be away thd
letter fell into the hands of Shropshire,
4 m fol az Cd ho SbI nd
properly assuming that the cashier had
conf1scated the money to his own account,
demanded an equal division. Under threats
of exposure the cashier gave Shropshire a
check for 10000 francs, which the latter
took to Henry" an American who keeps
a resort we'll known to the sporting class
Of travellers, and asked him TO cash #
Henry" who didn't happen TO have suf-
flcient amount of funds in hand, surrender
ed to him a memorandum of money pre-
vousy borrowed-1.000 francs--and gave
him an l. o. L. for the balance, which was |
payable on demand.
But when Henry" took the check TO the |
bank he was told that the maker had no |
account there, and when this was reported |
to Mr.. Shropshire the latter realized that |
the cashier had played him a trick instead |
Of paying blackmail. Shropshire having re- |
fused to make good the money Henry
had advanced him. the latter informed the |
police of the affair, whereupon both the |
cashier and the American vice-consui fed |
from Paris The Whereabouts of the former |
are unknown, but Shropshire is understood |
to be in London in company with Mrs. Hat
tie Barnes, a woman of much notoriety /
from San Francisco. She is said to be en-
gagged on the staff of one of the Londou /
theaters, while he is doing newspaper work.
When Mr.. Morss returned to Paris he dis
covered to his amazement that the vice
consul in whom ne had placed so much con-
fdence had not only been involved in q
enterprise. but had borrowed
Of nearly every one OF his acquaintance
In sums varying from $50 TO $500. according
10. the financial ability OF the lender. II
y 3 also discovered that he had appropriat-
ed nearly all the fees collected al the con-
sulate, the amount of which cannot be &C
curately ascertained, and that NJ had been
In the habit of collecting extortionate feet
from exporters whose honesty was sus-
pected, and who are supposed 20 have been !
assisted by him in defrauding ;he govern
nent. When a suspected exporter came
TO the consulate to have an invoice certi-
ted, instead OF charging MIN sZSJ, the usust
fee. Shropshire would demand 81. and sone
times So. The exporter would pay with
lut objection. because by so doing thd
American vice-co1sul was placed IN hiJ
COVER. Shropshire would enter the amour;
IF the ordinary fee upon the book OF tht
consulate. put the balance IN his pocket.
and continue 10 certify the fraudulent in
voices as often as they were offered
I. uas alan discovered that he had swim |
lied the French government out OF 100