The Savannah morning news., 1900-07-26
LAWYER BEHIND THE BARS.
G. r. DILLON OF sANDERsvILLE
USED MAILS TO DEFRAUD.

erS All over tnc OhAh
Write Letters, Ordering Books,
signed with a Fictitious Name.
Giving "a False Address and En-
closing worthless Check-HHs
Been Carrying on the Scheme for
Tears-BibIes and Law Books the
Works He Most Dcsired-COmmit-
ted to Jail to Await Examination.
George R. Dillon. a practicing lawyer
of SandersvfIle was before United States
Commissioner Lewis yesterday on a
charge OF using the mails TO defraud. In
default OF bond he was committed to the
county Jail to await preliminary hear
ing before the commissioner.
Dillon is charged with having defrauded
publishers and booksellers in various parts
of the country by means of a scheme
that - not without its merits, in point of
originality and effectiveness. His exploits
in this direction are said to have extended
over a number OF years. but just how
many he has victmized and just what is
the total amount of money or goods he
has obtained in this fraudulent manner
are not now definitely known.
The prisoner was arrested in Sanders
VILE, by United States Postoffiee Inspec-
tor Fred D, Peer, by -whom he was
brought to Savannah The evidence against
him is too clear to permit successful con-
tradiction or denial. and it is understood,
in addition 10 this that Dillon has made
an at least partial confession TO Inspec-
tor Peer.
The method he pursued was simple and
effective For the last ten or twelve
months he has lived and made his head
quarters at sandersv1lle, ana from that
point he operated laying his lines for FISH,
large and small, with bland and cheerful
impsrtiaJity. He would write a letter from
some village or town IN the vicinity sign
it with a fictitious name ana enclose a
worthless check, drawn upon a bank in
Savannah, Macon or Augusta to which
the same fictitious name would be ap-
pended The letter would be addressed ana
mailed to some firm of publishers or book
sellers, ordering a quantity of books,
shipped to the address given.
Impressed by the apparent good faith,
that the enclosed check seemed to evince.
the firm would honor the order and ship
the books. Before they could send on the
check for collection and receive a reply
stating IT to be worthless, Dillon would
have called on the express or freight
agent, taken out the books he had ordered
and quietly returned to his home. Arrived
there he would sell the books for any
thing they would OTing always managing,
however, as they cost him practically
nothing. to realize a GOOD profit on the
transaction.
How long this practice has been kept
up is not known, but it is said to have
been continued by Dillon for at least four
years He vas admitted to the bar at Nc
to l. ss,
1896. and since that time has I'D a wan
dering and nomadic life. Previous to his
admission to the bar he had been a school
teacher, and he pursued this vocation as
occasion served, even after he had begun
the practice Of law. He had been prac-
ticing law a Sandersville since he located
there, though it dsd not appear that his
practice was either very large or very lu-
crative
Dillon has obtained consi gnments of
books from houses in Atlanta, Nashville,
New York. Detroit, Rochester, Boston
and other places, within the knowledge
Of the postofhce department. and has
doubtless been equally as successful in
dozens Of other instances OF which it has
never been advised. He has ordered
books under the name of Walter NJ Mills,
at Tennilie; J. S. Hunter, at Gordon and
Sofkee; J. s. Bell, at Gibson; w c. Dun
can, at Milledgeville; and E. J. Watts, at
Tennille and other places. These are some
OF his aliases and the places to which he
has had goods shipped; there are many
Others.
Complaints TO the postofiice department
have been frequent within the last year
and for the last three months Inspector
Peer has been at work on the case Be
cause Of the rapidly and dexterity with
which Dillon would wing his flight from
one place 90 another and the various
aliaz he he ID
more convenient transaction of his bust,
ness, the inspector found il difficult 20
get on his trail. Recently, however, Dill
ion attempted a fraudulent piece of work
tha< has already resulted in his arrest
and will ultimately, in all probability.
serve 10 place him behind the bars of
the pententary
Under the name of E. ]. Watts, he or
dered a package of law books from the
Williamson Law Book Company of Ro-
chester. n. Y, directing that the books
be shipped by express to Langley S. C.
He inclosed with the order a check upon
an Augusta bank. which, Of course was
perfectly worthless.
Dillon wrote the express agent at
Langley and directed him to forward the
package to Sun Hill, station a few miles
from TenniAe. AS there is no express
office at Sun Hill, the package was sent
TO Tennille instead, and Dillon, under his
assumed name OF w ats, was so notified.
On July 16 he called upon Express
Agent Irwin. at Tennille. and asked for
the delivery to him Of the package ad-
dressed to Watts, saying that he was that
individual. The agent Told him ii would
be necessary for him to get some one TO
identify him. This requirement. evidently
startled and frightened the swindler, for,
saying 20 the agent he would be back in
minute, he ran out into the street,
through an adjoining store and disappear
ed for good and all. After a day or two
he must have believed chat his fright
was unnecessary. for ne wrote the agent
directing him to express the package of
books TO Oconee.
Inspector Peer was notified Of this cir
cumstance and of the belief, current in
that part Of the country, that Dillon was
the man who had been defrauding the
publishers. The inspector went yesterday
10 Sandersville and had Dillon arrested,
just as he was mailing another letter to
the express agent at Tennille, which was
signed IA. J. Watts. The handwriting Of
this letter and Of Others known to have
been written by Dillon, correspondent ex-
actly with that of a number Of other let
tiers, in the possession of the inspector.
upon which books had been frsudulently
obtained Agent Irwin also identified him
as the man who had called for the pack
age addressed to A. ]. Watts.