The San Francisco call., 1898-01-05
SWINDLER
 BULL CAUGHT
 AT SPOKANE Partner of Evans and Fagen-Bush in
 Custody. Assisted in Defrauding Many People in Bogus
 Mining Deals. Worthless Stock Sold to Gulll- ble Investors in Cities of
 the East. TRIO NOW IN PRISON. Charged by the Federal Government With Use of the Mails for Un- lawful Purposes.
Worthless Stock Sold to Gulli- ble Investors in Cities of
 the East.
TRIO NOW IN PRISON.
Charged by the Federal Government With Use of the Mails for Un-
 lawful Purposes.
Special Dispatch to The Call.


 SPOKANE, Jan. At the instance of Postofficer Inspector c. L.Weyland Johnny Bull was arrested here to-day, charged with being implicated in what has been pronounced the greatest pos tai swindle of the last ten years. He is accused of being the partner of B. c. w. Evans and Baron" C. Fagen- Bush, now in custody at Butte and Denver. respectively, in their opera tions, the story of which created such a sensation when they were arrested on September IS.
 The story told by the authorities is that the three, with the connivance of a woman sometimes calling herself Ella l.. Fagen-Bush and at other times Mrs. Adams, worked the people of Illinois and other Middle Western States for thousands of dollars, talk ing S10S0 out of Chicago alone. Ev- ans was stationed at Butte and the others travelled. For a time Fagen- Bush maintained extensive offices in the Masonic Temple building in Chi cago, where he was arrested for other big swindles, in which it is thought Bull was also implicated.
 The crime for which the three men are now held is using the mails to transact bogus mining deals. Letters would be sent by Evans from Butte to names furnished him by Pagan Bush in towns in the Middle West, asking the addressee to invest in the stock of mining company.
 The latter would say that the stock was selling for 75 cents a share, and the company stood ready to pay that much for all offered. The day after the letter was received Bull would ap- pear in the town as a travelling man, g%I the letter was sent and eventually confide in him that he had several thousand shares of the stock named in the letter. Bull would profess to be ignorant of the real value, and, as he represented himself to be short, would offer to sell several thousand shares for 25 cents. The cupidity of the vic tim would be aroused and he would buy at once.
 The scheme worked successfully for several weeks, with large returns. Finally Bull took from John Wood of Joliet, H., $750 for 5000 shares. Wood wired to the First National Bank of Butte to collect the $2250 he expected to get, the bank having been, with Bradstreet's and Dun, among the ref erences given by Evans in his letter. The bank went to Evans and he de- nied all knowledge of any promise made to Wood in the letter. He said the letter must have been sent with out authority.
 The Postoffice Department took hold of the case. Evans was arrested in Butte, and after a long pursuit Fagen- Bush was caught in Denver on Sep tember IS. Bull had disappeared. Many other swindles then came to light.
 One night last November Bull, who had been in Spokane for some weeks, had a row in the Occur d'Alene Theater with the manager, Risky Barnett, with whom he had quarreled ten years ago in Montana Bull was thrown out. At o'clock that morning, as Barnett was leaving the theater with his wife, Bull fired upon him. Mrs. Barnett threw herself in the way, and the bullet grazed her neck Barnett thrust her aside and drew his revolver. Bull shot again, wounding Barnett in the hand. Barnett shot twice, wounding Bull in the shoulder and in the arm. Bull was removed to the hospital and his right hand amputated. He is 64 years old, but he quickly recovered. He was re- leased on bonds and efforts are now being made to dismiss the criminal charge of assault with intent to commit murder It is said he killed a man in Butte several years ago.
 The publicity given the Barnett af- fair disclosed Bulls whereabouts to the Postal Department. The arrest followed The hearing was continued to-day by the Federal Commissioner the man is technically in the hands of the State authorities the Federal Gov ernment cannot take him. He will be Lyant nndar surveillance.