The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1901-09-11
DOCTOR" BECKER Has SKIPPED.
Deserted Wife and Child and Leaves
Numerous Creditors in the
Lureb.
Lureb.

Or Arthur Becker, N. D., D. O.,
otherwise known hereabouts as the
Becker Optical Co., has deserted his
wife and child, jumped his debts and
skipped the country.
His wife is distracted with grief and
modification, his creditors are mourn
ing and those who are wearing Becker
eve glasses are looking cross-eyed.
DR.. Becker, according to the state
ments made to various parties when he
arrived in this city few months ago,
is native of Germany and graduate
of two medical colleges in Berlin.
He stated also that he had lived IN
Chicago for many years where ne
practiced his profession successfully
until his health failed and he had to
come South to seek milder climate.
He came first to Winnsboro, S. c.,
where he established himself as an
optician and lens grinder and resided
there for six months or longer. He
then moved to Manning, but kept
branch Office in Winnsboro. After re-
naming in Manning several months
he came to this city early this spring
and opened an Office on Main street.
He advertised himself as the only lens
grinder and manufacturing optician IN
the South outside of Atlanta. He
claimed to be doing fine business
and spoke of opening other branch
Offices in addition to those in Wins
boro and Manning. Recently he has
been absent from the city quite fre-
quently, ostensibly visiting his branch
Offices. His last absence being pro-
longed caused no comment until his
landlord became uneasy and took
measures to collect the past due rent
which the plausible optician had put
off paying from time to time. When
Mrs. Becker was called on this morn
ing by the agent of the landlord she
had just received letter from her
husband stating in the most cold
blooded and brutal manner that he
had left her and never expected to see
her gain, that she need make no
effort to follow him or attempt to find
him as before she received the letter
he would be in New York and out of
reach. The deserted wife is almost
crazed with grief, as she has been left
among strangers without money or
friends to call upon in her distress.
She says that she has telegraphed to a
sister in Florida who will arrive to-
morrow, and she will then take her
baby and return to her mother. She
also declares it to be her intention to
procure divorce from Becker at the
first possible moment.
Becker, it now appears in the light
of today's revelations, is ar all
round rascal and swindler. The fur
niture in his Office was never paid for,
but the Craig Furniture Co., from
whom it was purchased, held mort
gage on it and has taken possession Of it
and thus loses little except the damage
the furniture has sustained while in
use. But the list of mourners is nu-
merous already, and when others learn
of the opticians fight the list will
probably grow, for Becker not only
bought goods on credit, boarded on
credit, rented his Office on credit, got
credit for advertising in several news
papers, but borrowed small sums of
money from chance acquaintances.
Hence these weeps.
Becker's career in Sumter is but
another illustration of the strange
fact that it is easy for a stranger to
get credit anywhere.
The plight of the deserted wife and
baby is the saddest feature of the
whole affair and she will have not only
the sympathy of the people of Sumter,
but the kindest treatment of those
with whom she has been thrown in
contact since she has resided in this
city.