The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-10-08
E. C. GIBSON A HOTEL BEAT.
POLICE CHARGE HIM WITH WHOLE
SALE sWINDLING.

jobs Wannmaker One or Mis Victims-Arrest-
% for swindiinE tho Hotel Imperiai-For-
neriy HAD an Omce In the Mills BuiidinE
Associated In Business with ,. n. Clews.
Emmett c. Gibson, who, until recently, had
an onice In the Mills building, and, as Vice
President OF the Akron Street Railway and IL
Illuminating Company OF Akron, o., is asso-
ciated In business with Gen. Samuel Thomas
and James b.. Clews OF this city, was arrested
yesterday afternoon by Central Office men and
locked up for swindling at Police Headquarters.
He Is charged specifically with defrauding II.
p. stimson, auditor OF the Hotel Netherland
and Hotel Imperial of this city and of tho Wal
ton of Philadelphia, out of S64o by means Of a
worthless check.
Acting Captain McClusky of tho Detective
Bureau says that Gibson Ia not only q persis.
tent hotel beat, but that, in various ways. dur
ing the last three or four years, he has swindled
all sorts OF people out Of an aggregate sum OF
something like 100000. Capt. McClusky was I'M
able yesterday to give the details OF any large
swindling operations on Gibson's part, and from
Information gathered from other sources last
night the true character OF Gibson's operations
seemed to DO those of one who was playing for
high stakes and generally in hard luck, and.
who, being obliged for his business purposes to
live at expensive hotels. had been driven by
AoNA VI Noou " lCoolbl Y luCobAoAiuoAO oyo a.
times to raise the wind.
Gibson is q promoter who was interested in
| pushing q number OF street railroad schemes.
When the Akron Street Railway Company and
the Akron General Electric Company were con-
solidated in 1895. Mr.. Gibson was made Prcsi-
dent Of the now company. Afterward Gen.
Thomas took that place, and MIR. Gibson be-
came the Vice-President. with James d. Clcws
OF Henry Clews d Co. as Treasurer. About
seventeen months ago. the DDlicp SAY. Gibson
took an office in the Mills building in room q,
next to Henry CleMs d Co.'S offices, and no
was put into the directory OF this year as Kin
Hotel Netherlands"
teed the rent OF room G, and that, for a year,
he paid it in Gibson,s default. but That he de-
After. Oct; l., when Ave months, rent was due,
Mr.. Mills had a paddock put on the door and de-
clared that Gibson couldn't have it any longer,
Gibson had been living at the Hotel Imperial
for a year or more, OF and on, up to August,
says, with the exception OF $3.50 which he owed
on Aug. 20; On that day he called on Mr..
psimsSn an AS ' ITa sifms S5s SheSk him. iGf s he s on
be worthless. but Mr.. Stimson took no meas
weeks ago, when he called in the Central Office
detectives to his aid. In the meantime, the
Sso.37 at the Hotel Nctherlnnd, due July -
Of this year. and got away without paying II.
lheSe, however, are only n rev or the cases
which the police. cite against him. At the
Hollenden Hotel in Cleveland. o.. they say he
owed 500 for board and settled with a bad
check for 500 or more. getting the difference
in cash. The Bristol Inn in Akron, o.. was
swindled in the same way for about the same
amount: the Hotel Cadillac in Detroit got a
bad check for $3.50. Q hotel in Pittsbure gave
board and cash for a bad 300 check, and even
his private secretary, w. h. Campbell. cashed
a bad check for him for $3.50. On Jan. / OF
this year, the police say, Gibson was arrested
in Boston for giving "A bad check for $500 TO
the Parker House, where he owed 800. getting
800 in change. The case was settled out OF
court.
The Hotel S~tratford of Philadelphia is an.
other OF the victims on the police list. and the
Fifth Avenue Hotel in this city Is said TO have
taken a bad check from Gibson for one day 3
board and some cash.
John Wanamakcr ls another victim. accord
ing TO the police. and q widow in Cleveland, o..
lost $4,000 to Gibson by fraud, Gibson. the
police say. induced Mr.. Wanamaker to start IA
newspaper delivery business and make him the
open the route. and: as soon AS was well un.
der way, Gibson sold ii out and skipped with the
money. Capt. .McCiusky. said that as late as
Oct. I Gibson had passed a bad check for $50
at the Continental Hotel in PHILADELPHIA.
Gibson appeared at the Fifth Avenue Hotel
on Tuesday night and ran up a bill OF - tele-
phoning to the Continental Hotel of philadcl.
phia for his luggage. He hintcd TO the clerks
that he might like TO stop there. but they re.
buffed him. and he went 10 the Grand Hotel.
The detectives found him At the Grand yestcr.
day. He told Capt. McClusky that he was ~
years old and unmarried: that he was brought
up as a lawyer, but had never p]racticed law.
and that he had been u Judge somewhere in
Ohio.
The police say that he represented that he
was associated in business with Luke Clark OF
Chicago. They say also that he sometimes
used the name Of George A. Sherin as an alias.
Gibson will be arraigncd in court this morning.