Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-03-15
AN ALLEGED FRAUD.
Detectives Investigating n Local Re-
cruiting Station.

Detective Weldon last night paid an off,
cial visit to the alleged headquarters of an
agency which has been enlisting men in
Washington for service against Spain. The
detective found the man in charge in bed
on the third floor of $40 18th street north
west. He gave his name as Beardsley,
though he has been known to a number of
persons as Neumeyer. The man claimed
to be only a subordinate or an agent, who
has not yet been admitted to the full
knowledge of the inner council, which, he
states. is enlisting men in this city, in Phil
adelphia, New York and Baltimore for
regiment which is to assemble in New
York and go to Key West. Beardsley de-
clared that the men here are intended for
service under the flag and as volunteers
in the United States service.
Beardsley or Neumeyer was not arrested,
although it was intended he should be
when he was visited. He appeared to be
merely an agent, and claimed not to know
exactly where the enlisted men were going.
He told the detective that the regiment
for which men are being enlisted here was
for a body of prominent business men in
New York, the expenses of which they
were paying. He claimed that yesterday he
took the measurements of thirty-one men
for uniform and sent these measurements
to New York. Beardsley said the COM
manding officer of the proposed expedition
Is Major Langdon.
An advertisement appeared March in a
local paper asking able-bodied men who
could ride horses to communicate with the
advertiser at the Office of a newspaper.
w. I. Goodwin, an ex-caValryman, answer
ed the advertisement and was told to call
at No. $40 18th street northwest, which he
did. When he called at the above number
he found two men who represented that
they were enlisting men to serve in q cav
airy troop in Cuba He was offered trans
portation to the island and $13 per month
during service. He told them he would
like to serve as commissioned officer, and
states they told him he would be made a
second lieutenant. He was requested to as
sist in the enlistment Of experienced men.
The advertisement, which had been APP
pearing daily in the papers, was changed
last Friday. They used the address of
Goodwin in their advertisement without
ing business was done at No. 80 18th
street. The landlady of the house decided
that the business Of the Neumeyers, as she
knew them. was not suited for. a private
boarding house. which was what probably
Influenced them to change the address to
Goodwin's. One of the Neumeyers went to
see Goodwin Saturday afternoon and was
told he could not use his house as re-
crufttng office. He tried to smooth the
matter over by offering him a captaincy
in the Cuban army. Neumeyer, it is said.
told Goodwin that he would call again
Sunday and let him know what place had
been fixed upon for the continuance of the
recruiting. Neumeyer did not call Sunday,
but some of the enlisted men did They
said Neumeyer had given them the address
of No. $40 9Th street southwest as that of
the new recruiting Office. and men who had
the intention of enlisting had been sent
there. They returned with the report that
No. $40 9th street southwest was a branch
of the Salvation Army.
Goodwin and an ex-cavalry soldier named
Cleary became suspicious by this time, and
determined to investigate the character of
the service they had been enlisted for and
the authority Of the Neumeyers. Cleary
and Goodwin saw Senior Quesada and Sec
rotary Albertini Of the Cuban Junta They
were told that the recruiting station was a
fraud and to have nothing to do with It.
Goodwin and Cleary then went after the
Neumeyers. but could not find them. Sec
rotary Albertini went to police headquar-
ters and Detective Weldon was detailed on
the case.