The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-03-20
MR.. MORSS'S
THE PARIS CONSUL GENERAL
ROBBED OF A LARGE SUM.
Details Of the Matchmaking and
Swindling Operations of Clyde
shropshire, the Vice Consul.
W. E. Curtis. in Chicago Record.

Paris. has recently discovered that he has
been the victim of a dishonest deputy, and
in a report to the secretary Of state con-
fesses that he has been robbed of not less
than $4,000, and perhaps as much as $50, 600,
during the last three years. Clyde Shrop-
shire, a bright young fellow from Rome,
Ca, was appointed vice consul general soon
after Mr.. Morss took charge of the consul
late. He is lawyer by profession, but an
adventurer by habit, and very popular with
the fast set of Americans who make Paris
their headquarters during the summer sea-
son. He had been living in Paris for five
or six years previous to his appointment,
and pretended TO practice, although clients
were very scarce with him, and his means
of support were uncertain and rather mys-
FERROUS. He made the acquaintance of Mr..
Morss shortly after the latter arrived, and
by his charming manners and his knowl-
edge of Paris soon fascinated that gentle
man. Robert NJ. Hooper had been vice
consul general 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 it would be impossible to carry on
business there without Mr.. Hooper's as
sistance. Mr.. Morss thought differently,
dilu ituiONto ulii- dppOlulllS tIlS DlduSlDlt
Mr.. Shropshire in his place. 1t was an ex-
pensive change for Mr.. Morss from a tinan-
ciai 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 prac-
tees and duties of the office, left every
thing TO Mr.. Shropshire, and retained con-
fdence in him TO the very last, although
bo u-oc fronraptlxy xx-nrna1 hv frinp1c th.t
his deputy was running with a very rapid
crowd, was a habitue of the gambling
clubs, and had the reputation of playing a
very high and reckless game. Mr.. Morss
was also informed frequently that Mr..
Shropshire was living in suspicious style.
and had developed extravagant habits that
were the subject of much gossip in the
American colony. But Shropshire was such
a nice fellow that Mr.. Morss refused to
believe these reports, and when he did al
lude to them once or twice the explana-
tions of his deputy were plausible and sat-
isfactory.
WHY SHROPSHIRE FLED.
The last incident in Mr.. Shropshire's ca
reer as vice consul general furnishes q plot
for a novel. A Boston gentleman who was
stopping for a few days in Paris picked up
a roll Of bank notes in the toilet room of
the Grand Hotel, which, when counted, was
found to consist of about %. 600 francs of
French, Austrian and Russian money. He
took ii TO the cashier of the hotel, related
the circumstances and said that it would
probably be called for as soon as the owner
discovered his loss. The next day the cash.
Ter called at the apartments of the Boston
gentleman, told him hat the owner had
claimed the money and left 1000 francs for
the finder as a reward. 1t first the Amer
lean refused TO accept the reward, but the
cashier insisted upon his taking IL because
the donor had left the city, ana lie did not
know his address. Finally Mr.. Boston
handed the thousand francs TO his wife and
told her she might use it to buy a souvenir
of the incident.
A few days later he went to London,
where he recited the incident to Consul
General Collins, who had been his friend
at home. Mr.. Collins, who is a lawyer, told
him that he did not think the affair had
been very we'll managed, and that he had
better protect himself with a receipt from
the cashier of the hotel, because a number
of persons knew he had found the roll of
he had disposed of ii. Mr.. Boston reflected
over the matter for a while, and then wrote
to Consul General Morss at Paris request
ing him to call at the Grand Hotel and OBJ
tain a receipt or a statement from the
cashier.
AS Mr.. Morss happened to be away the
letter fell into the hands of Shropshire, who
Immediately attacked the cashier, and,
properly assuming that the latter had con-
nscated the money to his own acco1ht, de-
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 il.
Henry" who didn't happen TO have a suifi-
cient amount of funds in hand, gave Mr..
Shropshire $500 francs in cash. surren-
dered to him "a memorandum of money pre-
viously borrowed-1,00 600 or more francs-and
gave him an L. .. L. for the balance, which
was payable on demand.
But when Henry took the check to the
bank he was told that the MAKE 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 counsel fled
from Paris. The whereabouts of the
former are unknown, but Shropshire is UNI
derstood to be in London in company with
toriety, from San Francisco. She is said to
be engaged on the staff of one of the Lon
don theaters, while he is doing newspaper
ROBBED THE CONSULATE.
When Mr.. Morss returned to Paris he
discovered, TO his amaZement, that the vice
consul. in whom he had placed so much
confidence, had not only been involved I'm a
Matchmaking enterprise, but had borrowed
money OF nearly every one of his ac-
quaintances in sums varying from $50 to
5000. according to the financial ability of
the lender. 1t was also discovered that he
had appropriated nearly all the fees col
lected at the consulate, the amount of
which canno be accurately ascertained,
and. that he had been in the habit of col
Letting eXtortionate fees from exporters
whose honesty was suspected, and who are
supposed TO have been assisted by him in
defraud1ng the government. When a sus-
Il DRCtp1 RXn0rtpr Ga mo fn tho nnnSnIaf 70 10
nave an invoice certified, instead of charg-
ing him $3.50, the usual fee, Shropshire
would demand SO, and sometimes $50. The
exporter would pay without objection, be-
cause by so doing the American vice con-
sui was placed in his power. Shropshire
would enter the amount of the ordinary fee
upon the book of the consulate, put the
balance in his pocket. and continue to GER
tfy the fraudulent invoices as often as they
were offered.
1t was also discovered tina he had swim.
died the French government out of LOO
francs which he had charged for certify
ing TO the claims of exhibitors at the
worlds fair at Chicago whose exhibits were
destroyed or injured in the fire at the Man
ufactures building. AS an act of courtes,
these claims should have been certified
without charge, but IL appears that Mr.
Shropshire demanded 500 for his services
az a notary and made no entry of that fee
upon the books.
Many other cases of a similar nature were
soon disclosed, some of them even more dis
reputable. TIL most ~scandalous was a con
| fidence scheme practiced upon an American
lady, a widow, who intrusted Shropshire
with a large sum OF money TO be invested
for her benefit. He purchased for her some
wildcat securities which cost but a triit
and put the balance in his pocket. The lady
did not discover the fraud until several
months later, when she inquired for Tho
| Efpsaandc Sha naS 1aH m xrsac from fhx