The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1900-08-19


the federal statutes escape paying the
penalty.
few weeks ago complaint was made
TO the authorities that the Traders Inn
porting Company of Chicago was not all
il claimed TO be. The managers of this
concern gave orders for goods in all parts
of the country. To them IL did not mat
ter whether their purchases were cotton,
mats and caps wall paper. leather findings
silks of plowshares. They gave what
seemed to be satisfactory references. and
in most cases obtained the goods on thirty
sixty and ninety days time AS the goods
were delivered in Chicago they were at
once sold a greatly reduced values if
quick sale could be made; If not, they were
shipped TO another city and disposed of in
auction rooms and quick-sale stores to the
best advantage. OF course the company
paid for nothing, and what cash it re-
ceived was all velvet" The originators
of this clever idea are guests of Jailer
Whitman under a fifteen months SEN
tence.
One of the shrewdest schemes played by
a woman CON came TO, attention last
week. One of the principal dry goods
houses of State street received letter
from a lady, giving her address in one
of the best residence sections of Drexel
| boulevard. She inclosed a bit of rare
lace which she said was to be used in the
trousseau of her daughter. If the houss
had 100 yards would they kindly have the
same securely packed and sent C. o. d. to
the address given. The bill amounting
TO $40, was duly receipted, and with the
goods sent by trusted employee who. on
arrival at the address found a handsome
woman in rich costume, who handed the
! package to maid to inspect. before she
paid for the goods Presently she went to
desk and asked for the bill. Too bad.
| but she did not have quite money enough
to settle in full She would given the
messenger $40 on account and have him
leave the package just as it was, to the
'"To-be-called-for' counter. She would be
up the next day as soon as the bank open
ed and get the goods. Incidentally she
charmed the employe and delayed him as
long as possible in conversation.
The package was returned to him, and
by him to the store. The next day the wo-
man did not show up, and in the after
noon the package was opened There was
no lace there; rags had been substituted.
The remarkable part of this swindle lies in
the fact that over half dozen leading
firms lost from 500 to $500 each, all in one
day. The woman obtained access to the
house where the packages were delivered
by renting "a front suite of rooms. She
has not been apprehended.
Two important arrests were recently
made by Chicago postoffice inspectors, the
parties being charged with misuse of the
mails. The scheme as developed by the
evidence was this: Taking the list of pat
ents, with names and addresses of in
yentors, which the patent office sends out
weekly one of the conspirators would
open up correspondence with the inventor,
with view to buying. He would readily
agree TO almost any old price, the only
things which stood in the way being the
prospective purchasers fear that the pas
ent might not be good. If the owner would
agree 10 have Lawyer So-and-So who was
an expert on the matter of 'interferences,"
pass on the lesal status of the patent,
why. the deal would be through.
The owner of the patent would readily
give up from SOS TO 800 to the lawyer
named as an advance fee, and in return
would get an opinion that the patent was
not worth the paper it was written on,
Seven hundred and fifty dollars was about
an average sum which these swindlers
divided daily for the month they were
in operation. Their mail Is now stamped |
Fraudulent"
Recently the widow of william James, |
VI. D., then of Jamaica Plain, Mass, re- |
ceived a letter from a man in Chicago, |
advertising as real estate dealer and |
broker, informing her that unless steps /
were taken at once to protect the bond |
for deed given to her late husbafd on |
certain valuable fancy county (MssourD |
property there would ensue a forfeiture |
of all sums he had previously paid, |
amounting to about $500 The commune |
cation to Mrs. James conveyed the fur |
Their information that for 800, the same
being a deferred payment on the bond |
a good and sufficient deed would be made |
TO her. Mrs. James asked for further |
light, and was awarded by an abstract |
of title made by a corporation calling IL |
seld the Southern Abstract Company, |
showing title from the old Spanish con-
quest down to the present day, with prop |
erIy executed warranty deed TO her OF $50
acres Of land References were given her |
al Forsythe, fancy county, and she was
advised to inquire as to the value OF the
property The abstract and deed were |
sent by express, with privilege Of exam !
nation, c. o. ID. The whole deal looked
so fair that Mrs. Jane was about to pay
Sl05 and take the papers when she
CHANGED to meet Postofiice Inspector
Thomas Evans a Boston He advised her |
to wait little. Inspector Evans then
sent a decoy letter to the Chicago man. |
asking II he knew anything about GER
tain fancy county (Mo) lands, which his
brother had bought before his death He |
received an affirmative answer. The
dealers arrest followed, and he was tried
and convicted al the last term OF court
In Boston his sentence being a fine Of
81 900 which he at once puid.
The following advertise appeared |
in a recent is, Of a Chicago paper.
Refined young lady. good-looking not
poor, wishes acquaintance honorable man.
object matrimony. Address l."
A letter sent for information brought
a reply from a woman stenographer Of
Chicago, who claims to be operating a
matrimonial agency. An that she want
ed i'm order to connect The anxious inq1ir- |
er with The fined young lady was 81. A
further inves igetion OF this scheme dis
Closed the fact that the young lady" Is
a de partner and roomer with the agen-
cy woman or business manager. They oc-