The herald., 1898-03-18

SKIPPED EAST
Operations Of Clay and
jackson, Crooks
WANTED IN RIVERSIDE
MANY MINE-OWNERS MOURN
THEIR DEPARTURE
POSED HERE AS CAPITALISTS
And We're Registered at the Van Nuys
Hotel Last Monday-How Mr..
Morgan Was Nearly Duped

contained the information that Sherin
Johnson Of Riverside county was trying to
locate couple Of alleged confidence men.
but the pair managed to escape him in
some way by lodging about through Col
ton, San Bernardino and Redlands until
they managed to catch an overland train.
The names Of those men were given as
M. w. Clay and d. ]. Jackson. Had Sher-
III johnson visited the Van Nuys hotel last
Monday he could have sent his card to Mr..
Clay and a certain A. w. Jackson. Every
bellboy in the house would have jumped
at the opportunity Of rapping on the door
Of Clays apartments, so prodigal were he
and Jackson in their tips. Whether the A.
w. Jackson on the Van Nuys hotel books
is the same d. j. Jackson that the River
side dispatches connect with Clay cannot
be positively stated, but in any event ne
was Clays intimate here. The sheriff failed
to learn that Clay and A. w. Jackson were
In Los Angeles and in consequences they
eluded the officers with the aid of a well
known man in this city, then secured tick
cts to the east and went away last Monday
afternoon. A number of Riverside people
are anxious to either come to settlement
with the pair or else get an opportunity to
prosecute them on criminal charge.
1t appears that the pair arrived in River
side last December, and while one repre-
sented himself as being connected with
western railway, the other posed as the
president of bank. They seemed to have
considerable money and so well "heeled'
were they that FLASHES" of hundred dollar
rolls was a common occurrence. Mr..
Witherspoon is the owner of some valua-
BILE mines In the Virginia Dale district and
others near Perrs. Clay and Jackson
went to him and represented that they
could promote the sale Of the outfit. Some
expenses. such as bringing an eastern cap
italist to the mines and having mill tests
made, would have to be met. Mr.. Wither-
spoon advanced the money. In time the al
legged eastern man was taken to the place
and introduced as Mr.. Fuller of Kansas
City. Fuller expressed himself as being
satisfied with the prospect, and the sale
was supposed to have been consummated,
but Fuller then failed to materialize. Other
mine owners in Sap Bernardino, Cotton and
Riverside are reported to have
been imposed upon by Clay and
persuaded into advancing money, from
which they never got any return. The pair
appear to have been operating on whole-
sale plan since December, but short time
ago they began to realize that they had
better seek pastures new. This was brought
home forcibly to them when some Of the
Riverside victims began to ask what had
become Of the expert report that had been
promised and why the capitalist" had
disappeared so suddenly. A word to the
wise is sufficient, and Clay and Jackson
appear to have been a pair Of "wise guys"
for they departed suddenly and nothing
has been heard from them since last Mon
day. Previous to their departure, how
ever they appear to have degenerated into
the role Of common ''pikers." L. NJ Nor
gan of Morgan & Co., assayers, Of this
city. is authority for this estimate, as they
tried to work him for $50.
"In company with e. H. Cruel, county
recorder of Riverside, and e. H. Rose, a
prominent merchant of Riverside, I have
been trying to build smelter at Los An
geles," said Mr.. Morgan last night Some
weeks ago Clay was introduced to me by
Mr.. Cruel as a wealthy capitalist. Clay
had letters of credit and letters of recon-
mendation from banks, so naturally sup
posed him to be all right. He seemed IA
vorably impressed with the idea of the
smelter and soon anndnnced that he would
invest 500, 900 or so in 1t. We decided to let
him into the company and would have
elected him president. I did not like the
way things began to look after WHILE
however, but one day last week became
positively convinced that he was not what
he represented himself. He came to my
office and wanted me to give him $780, He
explained that 1t was intended for ex-
penses such as purchasing stationery, get
ting the company charter and incidentals.
Gruell and Rose had both given him
$50 each, he claimed. and it was right that
should. 1 knew that he had no right TO
ask for money in that way or to levy any
such assessment, so refused to pay him
then. Immediately telephoned to the Riv-
erside people and learned that they had
not paid him anything. This occurred a
week ago Tuesday. then put detective
on Clay's track to watch him and if possi-
BILE learn something more about the man.
He was to have met with us last Monday,
but did not show up and have not heard
from him."
There appears to have been an excellent
reason for Mr.. Morgan's not hearing from
Clay. as he was doing his best to leave Los
Angeles. Through railroad man he and
JdCkSUH puICHdScu tlchctS VIA tne SUNSET
route east and had arranged to leave on
the Sunset limited The train was reported
as being an hour and twenty minutes late,
while in reality 1t was but twenty minutes
late The pair missed the train as a result
but took local to Cotton or some of the
surrounding towns and there waited for
Tuesdays overland. which they succeeded
In taking.
The following special dispatch was re-
ceived from Riverside yesterday in which
additional light is given on the alleged op-
erations of the mining men:
RIVERSIDE, March 1.-THE two men,
Clay and jackson, who SO neatly cleaned
up some Of the good, hard dollars of several
mining men of this city by representations
that they were agents of rich mining
syndicate in Kansas, have so far eluded
the efforts Of the sheriff and his deputies
to capture them. Word was received here
today from Cotton party that he had had
some dealings with Clay and Jackson ana
that he had employed man to shadow
the men at cost Of $25 and that he would
tell the Officers where to find them If the
money was refunded to him.
Since the smooth work Of Clay and Jack