The Savannah morning news., 1901-12-30
LATEST CONFIDENCE GAME.
Swindler Got an Agents Mail and
Money Then Came Easily.


said President Edwin r. Hurley, OF
the Standard Pneumatic Tool Company,
OF this city. you run against some
OF the topnotches occasionally in the
smaller towns, and when you do the
boldness and novelty of their opera
tons is startling"
Mr.. Hurley had in mind a telegram
from New Orleans that gave the news
of bold game that had temporarily
embarrassed James H. Manning, the
Western agent of the Standard COM
pany. Mr. Manning makes his head
quarters in San Francisco, and had
been notified by President Hurley to
go to New Orlenas and visit the firm
or Payne & Joubert, on Carondelet
street to inspect some new machinery
furnished by the Standard company.
incidentally, Mr.. Manning was adVis-
ed that his mail including a remit
lance of $342 would be forwarded to
him at the st. Charles Hotel. Man
ming reached New Orleans on time,
but found no mail. This was a sad
disappointment, as he had urgent need
for the $342 He kicked to the suave
clerk, and the latter was at first in
clined to brand him as an imposter
Mr.. Manning was here two or three
days ago and got his mail" said the
clerk, haughtily.
uCSS lOl, Sdlu MdnnlTE. L was
on the road many miles from here
two days ago.
Explanations followed, and convinc-
ed at last as to the identity of his
guest, the clerk told the story OF one of
whe bolGe,St confidence games ever
worked in this country, although at
the time he did not fully realize what
he had been up against, the particu-
lars being brought out by the inves
fiQa finn which i'm 1adia falr la
by Mr.. Manning.
Two days before the arrival of the
real Manning "a well-dressed man, ac-
companied by a valet carrying a bag
of golf sticks, stepped up to the desk
at the st. Charles and asked if there
was amy mail for James H. Manning
There was, and the clerk handed out
about Ia dozen letters, which the
stranger coolly proceeded to open and
read while standing at the register.
Having gone through the correspond
ence at his leisure, he went away ac-
companied by his valet and the golf
sticks. Later he appeared at the of
fee of Payne e Joubert and intro
duced himself as James H. Manning,
of the Standard Pneumatic Tube Com
pany, and said he had come to install
their new machinery. This was In ac-
cordance with the advices the firm
had from President Hurley in Chica-
go, and Mr.. Manning's" identity was
| fully established. He said he would be
too busy to visit the factory that day,
and made an appointment to meet
Mr.. Joubert there the following morn
ing and explain the workings of the
new machines. A little chat on gem
eral topics followed, and then "Mr.
| Manning asked permission to run
over his mail and write some letters.
All this was very bvsinesslike, and
there was no suspicion when, a few
minutes later, he handed. out the $342
| check, saying:
''Ill need some currency tonight.
Can you accommodate me by cashing
this check?"
! 1t was after bankink hours, and the
| firm did not have $S42 in currency in
| the office. "Mr. Manning" needed the
money badly, so Mr.. Joubert had his
| cashier draw two checks on the firms
bank, one for 800 and one for $242.
| Then he took Mr. Manning" to the
| latter cashed the $242 check. Later
another concern gave him the curren-
cy on the 500 check.
Saturday morning Mr.. Joubert's sup
erintendent got a telephone message
from NH. Manning" conveying his
regrets that 1t would be impossible to
| visit the fac tory that day, but assur-
I
early Monday morning. Mr.. Joubert
was surprised at this lack of business
courtesy. He was still more surprised
about O'Clock that afternoon when
| the real Mr.. Manning arrived, having
been detained by other business. Man
| ming was somewhat prepared for the
explosion that followed after he had
| made himself known, as he had pre-
| viously called at the hotel, where he
| learned of his advance agent of the
same name. Mr.. Joubert was soon con-
| WINGED that he had been imposed upon,
| and Joined with Manning in an in
vestigation While they were In con-
sultation a telephone call was made
for Mr.. Manning.
Don't forget that dinner engage
| ment for tonight" was the message.
who are you" was the reply from
Manning. II have no engagement
"Oh, yes you have was the asser,
ton of the man at the other end of the
| wire I'm Mr.. -" mentioning the
name Of a prominent merchant on Ba-
| rome street.
That's another of that id ras-
| calls tricks" said the real Manning
now thoroughly incensed.
| Detectives were called in and soon
| found that the bogus Manning had
| left town, taking with him not only
the 1912 obtained oA the Standard
| Company's checks, but 5000 more OBJ
| tanned on an Il. o. u" from the Ba-
rome street man. The bogus Manning
| is an Englishman and a devotee OF
| golf So is the Baroone street man.
| When they met, which they did
| through the medium of the stolen mail,
they naturally got to talking of Eng
land. King Edward, golf, and kindred
| topics, and incidentally drank number
of Scotch highballs to the health OF
| Britian's monarch, the glasses being
| afterward broken lin order that no
| plebeians might desecrate them. Both
| were seemingly quite melloWed by the
| insidious influence of the Scotch whis-
| ky, but 1t is probable that "Mr. Nam
| ming was shamming. At amy rate he
| had his wits about him when he got
the Baronne man no fadvancel him
$500 when the latter was taking his
last highball. They parted with the
understanding that they were to meet
| at dinner the following day. II was
| this engagement that brought the tel
ephone message to the real Mr.. Man
ming at the Office Of Payne e. Joubert
This particular dinner has not yet
| come off, and there Is one man In New
Orleans who holds am J. o. y. for
5000 that has not been honored.
That chap was entirely the smooth
| est article in the way of a confidence
man that ever struck town" said the
| clerk of the ST. Charles, when asked
for a description of the swindler
why i thought a real English lord
had come to town when he walked
In here. He had broad accent, and
= .