The Savannah morning news., 1902-12-18
GOT COSTLY GOODS
AND THIS YOUNG MAN DIDN'T PAY
OUT A CENT.
WORKED TWO MUSIC HOUSES.
SUFFERING FROM sUNSTROKE
HENRY RUFF DID QUEER THINGS.

Purchased $3.50 Piano and CeciIinn
Piano Player, Tried to Buy Mu-
sic Hall Figured en- buying an
Automobile. Rode Man Who Want
ed to Sell 1t Into a Ditch and Yet
Had no Money-City Paid Half OF
Cost of Sending Him Away Back "a
His Home.
Claiming to he a locomotive en-
gineer and having the gift of CAB,
Henry Duane Ruff. young white
man, purchased q piano valued at $3.50,
a Cecilian piano player, costing in the
neighborhood Of 5000. attemoted to
purchase the Royal Music Hall for ST.
800 and was negotiating for an auto
mobile when his pipe went out, and his
game was exposed yesterday morning.
The piano and the piano player were
actually delivered. and. too, without
Ruff having expended a penny. He
had made both purchases on time,
and the plausible story that he told
those from whom he made the pur-
chases was not questioned. 1t was
while negotiating for the purchase of
! the automobile that the exposure was
made. but Ruff was not arrested and
no complaint against him was lodged
with the police A gentleman who the
| young man came near victimiZing said
that he had ascertained that Ruff suf-
! fered from sunstroke several years
ago, and that his mind is affected. He
at times really believes that he has
! money.
The discovery that Ruff was a fraud
| came about under rather peculiar cir
| cumstances. He purchased the piano
from the Ludden e Bates Southern
| Music House, and agreed to make the
first payment on next Saturday. He
had the piano sent to a West Broad
street address, after ascertaining that
he was employed by the Seaboard Air
Line, and ran between Columbia and
! this city.
Ruff next visited Macarthur & Sons
| Co., and told the same story to rep
resentative of that firm. 1t worked like
| a charm-the warn of the locomotive
engineer with a good salary and anx-
ious to spend some of it for a Cecilian
piano player. The instrument was sent
to the West Broad street address. Ruff
told the firm from which he bought this
piano player that he had purchased a
piano from Ludden e. Bates, and for
that reason could pay nothing on it
until January. This arrangement was
perfectly satisfactory to the firm.
Moved to TcnderliOn.
A day or two later the self-styled
railroad man had the piano and the
player carted to a house in the Ten
derloin. He had entered into a COM
pact with the proprietress to have his
automatic piano player do stunts
nightly at $40 per week besides his
board. The woman, however, called
the contract off after the first night.
She didn't like the idea of the ma
chine playing through an entire mel
ody before it could be put to work on
another. 1t was a case of Ruff looking
for another home for himself and his
belongings.
He was not at all embarrassed at his
turn of luck, and called upon Near
thur & Sons once more. He stated
that his run had been changed and
that he would have to move his fam
| lily to Columbia. He did not wish to
trust his piano with any of the trans
fer companies, and asked the music
firm to move it for him. A represen-
tative of the firm agreed, and an adj
dress on Perry street was furnished
by Ruff.
1t was the house in the Tenderloin
and there was only a side entrance on
Perry street The man who removed
the piano and the piano-player, men
toned the character of the house to a
member of the firm and the property
was taken to McArthur's storehouse. II
was then ascertained that no such per-
son as Ruff worked for the company in
any capacity. The piano was sent
back to Ludden & Bates, counsel was
sought, and it was found that no ac-
tion could be taken against Ruff This
, | 10 m "a m : r
houses were concerned.
wanted Music Hall.
Saturday Ruff called upon E. A
Massart and announced that he de-
sired to purchase the Royal Music
Hall Massart readily agreed to sell
and named, it is said, 1900 as the
figures. Puff said that he had been
left a large sum of money and that
he would pay that amount. He sought
out an attorney, and expressed a de-
! sire to take charge of the music hall
at once. 1t was explained to him
l that the place is in the hands of a
received and that a transfer could not
be made until the creditors had all
} | been seen.
The young man who wanted to have
/ ! soubrettes of his own got busy chasing
, up creditors and kept his lawyer hus
e Ting at the same time. He was unsuc-
r cessful, however and dropped the mat
s ter when some of the creditors refused
to permit the sale.
Then Ruff took a new tack and call
ed upon T. A. Bryson for the purpose
of purchasing an automobile. A gen,
tleman who wanted to sell his ma.
a chine was communicated with and ex-
: pressed a willingness to sell at a stated
;. figure. Ruff said that he liked the
looks of the auto, but that he would
5 have to go out and try it first.
Il Mr.. Bryson was engaged upon Other
e matters and the gentleman who owned
q the machine agreed to take Ruff or
> the road The two started out witt
e Ruff hand>;ng the auto. He had only
gotten a short distance out of the city
II when he very cleverly di.caed the ma
: chine. He was spilled with his com
u panion, but neither was injured. TIL,
Il automobile suffered somewhat and haC
: to be put in the repair shop. In tho
l. meantime Mr.. Macarthur had seer
Ruff knocking around, and Mr.. Brysor
was made wise.
! RUIZ Admitted His Guilt.
When Ruff put in his appearance a
Bryson's yesterday morning to lool
. the automobile over again he was Civ
:, en- a talking to. The gentleman VIII,
owned the machine, and who had beer
so ruthlessly ditched by the individual
with so much imaginary money. wal
somewhat angry He threatened tn,
man who had worked the music house,
and who had a penchant for music
u halls with immediate arrest. Ruff