The San Francisco call., 1898-02-26
Joseph Schwartz Has Done a Thriving Busi-
 ness for Months.
He Has Fled From the City, and Now the Police Are
 Trying to Locate Him.
HAD POLICE PROTECTION.
Schwartz Dealt in Diamonds, Which He Put Under What Is Known
 the Aniline Process.

There is race between the police department and the Pinkerton and Morse detective agencies as to who will succeed in capturing one of the bold est swindling operators that has ever visited the city. He has about a weeks start on them, but each hopes to be able to bring him within the meshes Of the law.
 The man is Joseph Schwartz, who has record in the East of being one of the shrewdest and cleverest confidence workers in the country He arrived here several months ago, representing himself as silent partner in several books at the race track. He visited them daily, and spent money lavishly so as to keep up the deception.
 He soon won the confidence of sev- eral of the leading pawnbrokers, and diamonds of an off color, which, by what is known as the "aniline proc ess, he would convert into what on the surface appeared to be gems of the purest color. He would, as rule, buy them on time and make a part pay ment on the purchase price. After us- ing the "anilne process on them he would take them to a money broker and represent that he had been suffer ing severe losses at the race track, and was in urgent need of ready cash. The diamonds belonged. he said, to his wife, and the loan would only be a tempora- ry one, as he would redeem them shortly. He had two or three jewelry men as appraisers whom he had squared, and if the broker had no ap- praiser of his own Schwartz would sug- geSt that the diamonds be sent to one Of his own appraisers, who would re- port that the security was ample, and he obtained the loan.
 He began by borrowing sums from $500 to $500, which he repaid in a few days, thereby gaining the confidence of the brokers. Then he began doubling the amounts, and within the past month secured in the neighborhood of 10000, which he took with him when he fled from the city about week ago.
 One of his victims is Dr. E. l.. Wem- pie of 406 Sutter street. In his case it is alleged, Dr. Wempfe's appraiser was fixed and Schwartz got 5000 out of him. The appraiser reported that the security was good and when the doctor realized on the diamonds he was only able to obtain between $500 and $600 Other victims are Joseph Nash of Post street and William Wolfsohn, a jew eler on Merchant street. In one deal Nash advanced Schwartz $2000 on a lot of diamonds which have since been literally appraised at $900. Wolfsohn it is said is out about s500O in diamonds which he advanced Schwartz. who used them in obtaining money from the brokers.
 Van Vliet of the Baldwin Collateral Loan Company on Market street is said to be the only one who made money out of Schwartz. Schwartz was introduced to him by Jake Wheatfield. who Is known around the Baldwin Hotel, and it was agreed that Wheat field should get 10 per cent commission on the business done by Schwartz.
 There is a suit now pending brought by Wheatfield to recover from Van Vliet his commission. Schwartz's de position was taken in the case, but he skipped before it was signed.
 Schwartz stopped at the Baldwin Hotel and attracted attention as fine dresser It is claimed that his opera tions were known to the police, as sev eral of his victims had at various times complained, but did not care to swear out warrants for his arrest as it might hurt their business if 1t were known publicly that they had been ln- volved in such shady transactions. It is surprising to these men why Schwartz was not long ago stopped by the police from carrying on his swim ding operations, and some of them are inclined to think that he was under poltce protection. His record in the East was well known to the police and to the Pinkertons. Two or three years ago he was arrested in Ogden for sur reptitiously getting away with $10O,000 worth of diamonds, but he managed to beat the case somehow. He was one of the ringleaders in the scheme to fix a baseball game in St. Louis about five years ago between the Bostons and Washingtons. It leaked out that Schwartz was in the deal, and the re- suit was that the game was played on it's merits and the best team won. which left Schwartz without a cent and he had to borrow money to get out of the city.
 To show the mans effrontery he made an application while here to be admitted to membership in the Knights of Pythias so as to give him sort of standing in the community. With all his cleverness he can neither read nor write. He is a plausible talker, about 5 feet inches tall, thick set, smooth round face, weighs about 19O pounds, dark complexion and dark eyes and dresses in the height of fashion. He