The times., 1899-11-27
THE SYNDICATE SWINDLB
Brooklyn Police and Detectives Tn
able to Locate Miller.
The Manager Of the Franklin Con
Germ StiH Missing Information
Secured by the Authorities Re
a;ardinE His Former Record-MaiI
Held Up by the Postmaster.

NEW YORK, Nov 26.-William Miller
did not disclose his whereabouts to the
Brooklyn police today The police know
just as much about the whereabouts of
Cecil Leslie Miller's advertising agent as
they do about Miller The day did not pass,
however. without several pieces of not un-
interesting information about Miller and his
operations turning up. It was pretty well
settled, for instance, that Miller, in spite Of
his statements to the contrary, did not be-
gin to operate the Franklin Syndicate
until the fall of 1898 II was learned that
in March. 1898, ne was discharged from the
employ Of Joseph II. Lester & Co., mer-
chants, at 81 Wall Street. After his dis
charge Miller was heard of after a while
as a frequenter of bucketshops. 1t was
learned today that at one of these bucket
shops he met one of the men who figured
in the E. S Dean Company, and was ar
rested on account of his connection with
that concern.
The information secured today proves
that Miller was wrong when he said last
week that the Franklin syndicate had
been running three years, and it also in
dicates that story published this morning
10 the effect that Miller was convicted of
forgery in Lynn, Mass, and sent to the
Concord reformatory, in whose gallery his
picture was No. 27S, is without foundation,
The Franklin syndicate" had evidently
not been doing a rushing business up to
September of this year. Miller had, how
even, an auxiliary scheme TO help boom the
syndicate" This was a scheme known
as the Paris Exposition Club" which
guaranteed to all members who paid $lO0
to the treasurer to take them to the Paris
Exposition and return, give them first
class hotel and steamer accommodations,
permit them to stay as long as they
pleased, and pay all expenses. The pro-
moters expected to make money out of the
enterprise by investing every 800 received
in the Franklin syndicate" Not long
after this the Club apparently went out
of business, as nothing more was heard
of it.
Brooklyn bankers will aid the police in
probing the Syndicate" to the bottom.
They have recalled that for the past ten
years at almost regular periods banks and
the general public have been duped by
some such concern as the Franklin Syndi-
cate" They recall, also, that about the
first of the more elaborate of these swind-
ling games was worked about the time
that man who figured in the E. S. Dean
Company, and whose name has frequently
been mentioned in connection with William
f. MilleTs, first gained a certain kind of
prominence in New York. These bankers
say that all these enterprises have showed
the same master mind, and they believe
that the Franklin Syndicate" was pro-
duct OF this mans brain, and that William
f. Miller was simply a pawn. They be-
lieve that at the proper time, they can
furnish enough evidence to the proper au-
thOrities to cause the arrest, Indictment,
and conviction Of this man and his subse-
quent sentence to State prison.
1t is estimated that Postmaster Wilson
has in checks, money orders. registered
letters, and cash not far from $50 600 which
has come in from all parts of the country
since Friday addressed to the Franklin
Syndicate.
Detectives loitered around the Washing
ton Syndicate Company's" establishment at
81 Green Point Avenue, Brooklyn, on Sat
urday night until John G. Agnew, the re-
puted manager, closed it up. Every per-
son who entered was watched. Detectives
will be at the "Syndicate's" office again
tomorrow.
This is the concern that, like the Frank
lin Syndicate" offers to pay depositors an
exorbitant interest. 1t was asceTtained
that Agrew was an old policy man. The
detectives have made thorough inyestiga-
tion of Agnew's syndicate, the result Of
which has been laid before the District
Attorney Detectives warn all prospective
customers not to make deposits.