The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-12-23
FOUND 1T EASY FISHING
SMOOTH YOUNG MAN GATHERS IN
SUCKERS AND SHECKELS
Had Plenty of Ideas, Many Partners
and Assistants, and Finally
Vanished With All
the Funds.
Special to The Globe.

Special to The Globe.
NEW YORK, Dec M.-Some of the
latest schemes for fleeing people in a
petty way crop up in the heart of the
shopping section. The ingenuity of some
of these crooks is interesting when it is
original.
The latest of these adventures to cause
ripple in the busy life of the city was
a young man who up till a week ago
presided over a handsome. suite of offices
on Fifth avenue.
For several months past the offices were
a scene of constantly increasing activity.
A force of about twelve, men and
half score of typewriters, eacn supplied
with roll top desks, were busy developing
schemes which the energetic proprietor
had formulated He himself sat in little
inner glass-encased office continually busy
directing the energies OF his staff of
assistants.
The business was primarily a publish
ing and advertising one, but there had
been appended to it some half a score of
others, including a circular delivery
scheme, patent fish bait idea, and others
too numerous to mention.
One day the manager, or proprietor,
did not come down to the, office, and it
was stated that he was sick from over
work. He continued to absent himself
from the office, and when pay day came
the typewriters, getting no pay, quit In
body. Then it was learned that the
gentleman had gone away for his health,
taking with him all the funds of the con-
cern. Inquiries elected the fact that
the ten or a dozen men around the ONCE
were all special partners with the ab-
sc0nder.i With head full OF IDEAS,
where taken from no one knew, this en-
,;r;,, ,i,,c-1 1a6 tn
and advertised for partners Of his
ideas he had made the best possible use.
From each of them he had received in re-
turn for a deed of half partnership sums
varying from $500 to $780, In this way ne
was supposed to have accumulated Sa,VVo
or $4,000 He had mortgaged all the
furniture, so that when he Went away
the special partners had nothing What-
ever to realize upon One OF the men
who claimed to have been sWlndled Sc
cured a warrant for the promoters ar
rest shortly after he had gotten safely
awav. Several persons who were not
previously known to have any dealings
with the Young man and who are suppoS-
ed to have been taken in by him as
silent partners. were looking for him
after he decamped. The majority of his
partners. however, were so Illuminated
by the way in which they let themselves
be talked over that they shouldered tnelr
losses without any complaint only too
glad to escape the rldlcule OF Iheli
friends by keeping quiet
One of the most distinguished success
es the promoter had was man.
He was a young man with an intellect
nal countenance and a manner so en-
gaging that all the dopes with whom
he came in contact had the most thor
onrh confidence in him. He could have
even borrowed money from the once
boy.
He talked of his plans in quiet man
ner. but was not looking for partner,
because he had very good thing to
himself. Some of the telephone patents
had run out, and he was taking advan-
tage of that to make new connections
at a great cut in prices. He had come
from San Francisco, where he had nXed
ND several of the big hotels. passing
thence to Salt Lake City and other
points, where he had done good business.
He talked familiarly of the hotels and
their propretors. Then he started out
to take contracts in New York. He
soon had imaginary arrangements con-
cluded with some large hotels and lew
big dry goods houses Ito fill in time
With. He had only taken desk room
down town, but upstairs he had hired
whole floor for workshop. Very soon
loads Of goods from electrical supply
houses commenced to come in and the
top floor got very crowded
One night all this material was re-
loaded again to be taken down town to
what the telephone man said was new
workshop he had just rented.
Then he disappeared.
Inquiries commenced to come in for
Mr. Blank from firms who had sold him
goods on credit and others that he
had contracted with to Put in phones, but
he had left no address and could not be
communicated with
He had gotten clear away with about
a couple of thousand dollars worth OF
supplies, and had probably gone back
to somewhere to fill some uncompleted
orders.
1t only took the telephone man two
weeks to make his haul and his nice
manners are still talked about around
town.
But reams could be written of the
many similar operations which are be-
ing pursued in this neighborhood, and
yet a new scheme can be worked Sue
cessfully any day in the week, it seems,
without danger to the operator. Doubt
less if the police looked the matter up
they would find the features of at least
half these schemers in the rogues' gal
1orIy -INilIiopo RoU