The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1901-09-11
doctor" BECKER HAS SKIPPED.
Deserted Wife and Child and leaves Numerous
Creditors IN the Lurch-A Foreston
Girl Missing Also.

DR." Arthur Becker, NJ. 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
inc and those who are wearing Becker
eye 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 a native of Germany and a graduate
of two medical colleges in Berlin. He
stated also that he had lived in
Chicago for many years where he
practiced his profession successfully
until his health failed and he had to
come South to seek a milder climate.
He came first to Winnsboro, S. c.,
where he established himself as an op-
tician 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 out side of Atlanta. He
claimed to be doing fine business
and spoke of opening other branch
offices in addition to those in Wins
bore and Manning. Recently he has
been absent from the city quite fire.
ouently, 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 a letter from her
husband stating in the most cold
blooded and brutal manner that he had
left her and never expected to see her
again, 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 sister in Flor
ida who will arrive tomorrow, 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 an all round
rascal and swindler. The furniture in
his Office was never paid for, but the
Craig Furniture Co., from whom it
was purchased, held mortgage 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 numerous
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 nm credit, got credit for advertis-
ing in several newspapers, but bor-
rowed small sums OF money from chance
acquaintances. Hence these weeps.
Becker's career in Sumter is but an
other illustration of the strange fact
that it is easy for stranger to get
credit anywhere.
The PHI ght of the deserted wife and
baby is the saddes5 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
Sumter Item, Sept. 10.
DR.. Becker visited Foreston frequent
ly and beautiful young woman from
that place left there sometime ago, os-
tensibly for Georgetown.