Evening star., 1898-01-20
.APETN SWINDLlNG SCHEME
A Man Renresenting Himself 1as an Agent Of
the Oorcoran Art School,
Coupons Given for Enlasged Crayons
or Pastel.-How the Thing
iS WOFked.n

man giving the name of F. J. Har-
grave has been industfiously perpetrating
a petty swindling scheme in southern Vir-
ginia near Norfolk, his operations being
particularly numerous in the counties of
Nansemond and Mecklenberg, along the
line Of the Atlantic and Danville railroad.
Letters received at the Corcoran Gallery
of Art show that Hargrave has represent
ed himself as an agent Of the Corcoran
Art School. His system of working Is as
ingenious as 1t is iniquitous. He calls at
house and states that he is representing
the Corcoran Art, School of this city.
which Is endeavoring to advertise the
work of it's students, and in order to ac-
complish this has determined to reproduce
In life size portraits from small pictures
In either crayon or pastel. For this the
school. according to Hargrave, will not
consider any but nominal return and
will make the portraits and deliver them
inclosed in oak frames upon the payment
OF 30 cents when the small picture Is
given to the agent and an additional dol
lar on the completion and delivery of the
alleged specimens of the work done by
the art school.
Coupon Receipt.
While he leads his dupes to suppose that
he represents the Corcoran School of Art.
he is careful not to use its exact title. but
what he intends as semblanee of it, as
a part of his deception, as will be seen
In the following copy of the receipt or
coupon which he gives his customer:
Studio of
Cocoran Art School,
Washington, D. c., .
Read Carefully-No Other Contract Ac-
cepted.
Special. 80 Day Offer.
By paying the Agent, 80 cents for this
Coupon the Cocoran Art School hereby
agrees to make the holder of this Coupon
one Life Size Pastel Portrait from any
small picture which may be presented at
our str1io or given to our agent on paying
100 cents additional on the completion and
delivery of the portrait. Remember they
are sold only to advertise the School. Ali
work we guarantee to equal in every way
to samples. This includes oak frame.
Date: Dec. 7. Cocoran Art School.
No. 205. Agent. F. ]. Hargrave
The word "PastelS' the figures "15o;' the
line '"rhis includes an oak frame;;" the
date and number of coupon and the sig
nature were written with pencil. The
spelling of Corcoran as Cocoran is a shrewd
part Of the swindle and the card presented
by the scoundre is another evidence OF
the same sort. Printed In script on this
article is the following:
Compliments of
Cochran Commercial Art School,
Washington, D. c.
F. J. Hargrave.r Agent.
The name Of the swindler is also written
in pencil in this instance. The spelling OF
Corcoran, 1t will be noticed. is changed
here to another different form.
Some of His ovicti ms.
Some of the letters resolved at the Cor
coran Art School show how successful the
swindler has been. MrJl j.. w. Morton of
the firm of Morton Brothers, general mer-
chants, Of Clarksviile, va. wrote, under
date of December 1s LAST as follows:
Cochran Art School, Washington, D. c.
Gents: Mr.. F. J. Hargrase. your agent.
took an order for a pastel portrait of my
wife on November %, and she paid him so
cents In advance, and we have not heard
from him since. Please let us know If he
is your agent, and obligef No Of order, 81"
Under date of December 40 last. r. E.
Daniel, agent of the Atiaatie) and Danville,
wrote the Corcoran ArtuSchool saying:
"a. M. Hargraves claims to be represent
etc. Please advise qucs,q H. he isv an, au-
tborized agentli5 IS So" ~ II sc tarl.'> -
The swindler had evidently changed his
initials for the time being; as on December
II. Mrs. A. q. Holmes of BoydtOn, Neck
lenberg county, wrote, asking IL F. ]. Har-
graves, who was travelling around the coun-
try soliciting orders as described above In
the article, was an authorized agent of the
art school. Similar inquiries were received
from Mrs Kate L. Byrd of Chucktatuck
and Mrs. l.. NJ. Moore Of Chase City. both
dated January 8. and two more. dated jan
uary 10, one from Mrs. A. j. Smith of
Chase City and the other from John d.
Petty of North View.
No Agent of the Gallery.
To all these inquirers, who had given
Hargrave orders for one or two pictures,
and paid for and received coupons some
weeks ago, the authorities at the Corcoran
Art Gallery replied that Hargrave was no
agent Of the gallery, and they knew no
one by that name. Mrs. Byrd stated that
her coupons were numbered 1856 and 357, so
if the swindler numbers his victims in reg
ular rotation it will be seen he Is doing
remunerative business at 80 cents apiece.
On the back of the card reprinted above is
written in lead pencil in the same hand as
that of the signature on its face, Jack
Hargrave, artist, Port Norfolk, Virginia"
Inasmuch as the operations of this conf
dence man are confined for the present to
Virginia, the authorities here can do moth
ing in the matter beyond sending out warn
ing to officials across the Potomac, but
with the clues given herewith the author
tiles there ought to be able to arrest and
punish him, or at least, to put stop to
his SWindling career