Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1897-05-12
A BASE DECEIvER.
Pretended He Was in Telegraph and
Telephone Business.
Got Much Money in Small Quantities. .Thouoh,
to Be in Augusta.

past three years. has been the cause of
much trouble to them, directly and in
directly.
rms man pretends to he in the EN-
lploy of one or another of the companies
| telegraph or telephone according to the
circumstances, and on these grounds
in one way or another, swindles people
out of much money, not in large GUAM
titles from each, as he appears to be
too smart for that.
For. few have individually suffered
enough to find it worth their while to
hunt him up, and he has been permitted
to pass on from place to place, stopping
but a short while anywhere, unframed
or untroubled.
deeper cause for grievance arises,
which can easily be seen. The several
companies fluid that they are losing the
lconfidance of some of the people in the
outlying districts especially, on account
of the work done by the fellow. whose
|
Many of the construction agents feel
the effects of his work They reach a
certain territory where lines are to be
laid or relaid to find that somewhere
within one hundred miles Of where they
wish TO hire help. the impostor has
j cheated someone; and the reputation
az telegraph and telephone agents in
general is net at all improved thereby.
! The companies propose to hunt the
man ITO the death. : so to speak. Man
lager ]. D. Stanford of the New England
Telephone Co was in the city, Tuesday,
on business. and says that people have
i been on the lookout for the man all
lover the State. He ought to be found,
las he is hurting us every day he says.
/ And 1 hope every paper in Maine will
1 end to his work: and the work of any
j more that are like him, if any there
be.
For some time we have had less
trouble than formerly, but the effects Of
the mans work is still felt by CON
: struction men"
| The man was in Brunswick. yester-
1 day, where he bought a ticket for Au-
gusta which led people to believe that
he was in this city Wilbur Reynolds
i of the Western Union Telegraph Co.
lcame up on the afternoon train, and the
| city was thoroughly hunted for the
| fellow but with no success. He
usually puts up at the smaller hotels.
| He pretends to be a contracting agent
flor some company, and arranges with
lot of men to work for him. on the
strength of his position the boarding
house or hotel keeper generally gives
him all he wants, and let's him pay
when he gets good and ready. he ac-
cordingly, seldom, if ever, pays.
| This man is described as short, and
not especially heavily built He Is
about 50 years of age and claims TO
| thoroughly know the telegraph bust
Iness. He now wears mustache' put
| last year. kept his face smooth He
does not dress much differently from
the men he has dealings with, but Is
said to almost always have a block
ove,coat. His language is the most
1distinct feature, as his brogue is strong
llv Scotch. He talks rather slowly. de
has said that he has been in the teie-
graph business 3S years
He seems to understand all It's de-
ltaiIs and has worked in the cltles u
Bangor and Lewiston at his skin
games and is also well known III
lFarmington. He followed up the Whl'e
Mountain division of the telephone
lime there doing lots of business loi
himself
At Crowley's junction he took IN a
Hot of money in the following way: ne
vvonld mass along the line of telegraph
Tor telephone system, and tell the lafi'
ers along the route that it had peeh
Ifound necessary to sell the poles theh III
I,sa and TO substitute. The old poles
,nust be sold, and at whatever thes
Icould bring. The company couiuii-
ston to haggle. but wanted the money
Then he would arrange with Farmers
who are always eager enough 10 se'
Ithe poles to use as fences and tne iiNe
ia nurchase a lot at a ridiculousiy 10"
/, figure. 1--WE want some money now
he would say, land you can give me
dollar or So just to help along AM
hind the bargain. Now the hohestei
farmer is the more ready he Is I
lshow his good faith, and consequence
1.-The dollars or so" were generally very
leasy to get. ;.
There are numberless ether ways Il
which he gets money. HIS ways al
smooth and pleasant, and clearly -
}. very able man at his line oil business