Evening star., 1901-03-19
CONVICTED At CLEVELAND
ALLEGED AGENTS OF AN AssOCIA-
TION IN THIS CITY.
Fraudulent Representations Made to
Their Dupes Extent Of
Their Operations.

The commissioner Of pensions has been
officially notified OF the conviction at Cleye-
land, Ohio, of A. ]. Davis, alias r. D.
Burns. alias Ed Lynch; ]. Gibbons For
shaw, alias ]. Rowland York, alias John
Foster. and c. N. Folsom, alias r. G. Shee-
an, who represented themselves as agents
of the United States Army and Navy His
torical Association Of Washington. D. c.
The men were charged with the commits
sion Of q number Of crimes in Indiana.
Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Ohio.
The charges against them were those OF
obtaining money under false pretences and
of falsely representing themselves as OIL
GERS of the government.
In report to the commissioner OF PEN
sions It Is said that These men were sent
by the association for the purpose OF sell
ing to ex-soldiers, their widows and chill
dren work entitled The Manual of the
Civil War and Key to the Grand Army OF
the Republic and Kindred Societies. by ].
Worth Carnahan, and the Military Record
Of the soldier, as compiled from official
sources by the United States Army and
Navy Historical Association each military
record having impressed upon 1t large
and ornate gold seal.
Fraudulent Representation.
1.-The book business. honestly conducted.
seems to have been an Improbable occupa-
might live at the expense Of their dupes
they would represent that the volume was a
government publication; that they had been
sent out by the government to sell the work,
and that 1t was necessary for every soldier
to have 1t In order to get an Increase OF
pension; and that each buyer would be fully
protected in all Of his pensfonabie rights.
To widows these men represented that they
had been sent out by the pension bureau to
look up aged and INDECENT relicts of the de-
tenders Of the Union, and to Increase their
pensions when they were not getting suf-
ficient for their support, and for their pre-
tended services in that connection they
would obtain any sum from 81 up from their
victims
Extent of Operations.
It is related by the agent making the re-
port to Commissioner Evans that during
the summer of 1899 Folsom operated in Van
Buren, and other counties of western Mich
igan, swindling pensioners, stablemen and
boarding house keepers.
I'm October and November 1900, Davis,
Forshaw and Folsom hunted through the
southwestern counties of Pennsylvania to-
gether. and became so outrageous In their
methods that Davis and FOrShaw were ar
rested for obtaining money under false pre-
lenses by the authorities of Indiana coun-
ty, but through the efforts of Folsom they
were allowed to make restitution to their
victims Al Brush Nalley, fd., OH NOFeu1-
Der 10, 1900, Davis told Mrs Martha, Roser,
whom he had victimiZed out of S. that his
name was Evans. and that he was a rela-
tive of H Clay Evans, commissioner of
pensions. No member of the gang seemed
to hesitate to make any statement calcu-
lated to sustain their pretended official
characters and to wiring from unsuspecting
persons whatever money was in sight.
After their release the men reappeared in
West Virginia, and from there worked their
way to Ohio. Davis being arrested at Canal
Dover and Forshaw and Folsom at New
Philadelphia on December 27 on informa-
tions sworn out by Special Examiner E. c.
De Putron.
Claim of the Defense.
Davis, as the apparent leader, was tried
first at the United States district court at
Cleveland and based his defense upon the
alleged fact that the United States Army
and Navy Historical Association had en-
ployed him to sell the publications,
ana exhibited what he claimed to be
sociation as to how its agents were
to approach customers, to the end
that they might force sales by stating that
the Military Records emanates from
Washington over an official seal. They
were to make similar statements which
would be calculated to make even a per-
son of more than average intelligence be-
lieve that the whole affair was under gov
ernment sanction and that the purchase Of
the book and record was compulsory.
Neither the jury nor the judge believed
that the defendant had the right to repre-
sent that he was government officer and
to swindle his dupes under cover of his
pretended official position, either with or
without the instructions of his employer.
He was promptly convicted and sentenceu
to three years imprisonment, and Forshaw
and Folsom thereupon entered pleas of
guilty and were sentenced to two years
each in the penitentiary.''