The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-04-30
SOLD FAKE PECANS
sTYINDLER ANDERS, EXPLoITER OF
WORTHLESS TREES.
WAS DIGGING WILD PECANS
IN MISSISSIPPI SWAMP WHEN LO-
GATED BY OFFICERS.

Arrested by Mississippi Deputy Mar
shall in "A ViclSSburg HOspitaI-Had
Been on a Prolonged Spree and His
Excuses Had Infected His Brain.
Thought He Has Consented to
Come 10 Savannah-Anders Was
Engaged i'm Digging wild Pecans
and Shipping Them to His Custom
crs When DiscOvered-AdNer tfsed
Pecan Trees of Remarkable Va
riety.
]. Lucien Anders, alleged owner of
pecan orchards in various sections of
the South and now under arrest for
operating a scheme to defraud through
the use of the United States mails,
is on his way to Savannah in the GUS
tody of a United States deputy mar
shall from Vicksburg, Miss.
The warrant for the arrest of An
ders was sworn out before Commits
sioner Ryals here by Postoffice Inspec-
tor Lewis and sent to the Mississippi
marshal with instructions to cause the
arrest of the defendant. When An
ders was found he was in a hospital
at Vicksburg. to which he had been
conveyed after a desperate and pro-
longed spree. 1t was believed at the
time that the mans brain, had given
away as a result of his potations and
some doubt was expressed as to the
safety and propriety of bringing him
on to Savannah.
A telegram from the Mississippi mar
shall to Mr.. Furman B. Pearce, office
deputy in charge of the marshal's
forces in this division of the district.
which was received last night brought
the information that Anders in charge
OF a deputy, had left Vicksburg for
savannah. No proceedings have been
instituted in Mississippi to secure a
warrant for his removal here, and from
this fact it is inferred that he con-
sented to make the trip and stand
trial.
Anders an ArtfuI DOdEer.
The advertisements that Anders in
serted in the newspapers and the cir
eulars that he sent through the mails
conveyed the information that he was
the owner of various extensive pecan
nurseries, on which a pecan tree of
superior excellence was grown. Trees
OF this variety he offered to sell to an
NeeAiiS puDilC.
His victims have been almost as
numerous as the sands of the sea.
Ihey are residents of almost every sec
tlon or the South and very probably
OF other parts of the country where
pecans may be successfully cultivated.
Anders is the possessor of a bland and
seductive address, which he has no
dlthculty of conveying through the
medium of printers ink. 1t has won
MIN many victim and brought many
a dollar to his TIN.
In some cases Anders sent no trees
at all to those whom he caught on his
DOCK to others he forwarded the trees
ne was engaged in gathering when he
was located in Vicksburg.
The swamps in that locality are ful1
OF wild pecans. that bear the outward
appearance, so far as bark and leaves
are concerned. of the cultivated trees
II they are not exact reproductions
they are sufficiently like the real thing
TO deceive the inexpert eye and for
Anders' purpose they suficed very well
indeed. When he was located near
Vicksburg he was down in the swamns
lndustriously digging up wild pecan
sprouts and sending them on to his
conhding customers. Save for orna-
mentation these sprouts are practically
worthless for every purpose whatever.
Complaints without Number.
Complaints without number have
poured in upon the postofice depart
ment and several fruit journals have
described at length the method of his
operations. All this does not seem Sc
riously to have interfered with his
business.
inspector Lewis, who swore out the
warrant for the mans arrest, has in
his possession two or three hundred
complaints from Anders' victims. ali
of whom have been mulcted of various
sums. Most of them have received. in
response to an order, accompanied by
the money, for trees of the extraord
lnarily excellent variety Anders offer
ed, the wild pecan sprouts of the Mis-
sissippi swamps.
Anders and the deputy who has him
in charge are expected to reach the
city either tonight or tomorrow
morning and as soon after their arri-
val in town as the witnesses can he
conveniently secured there will be a
preliminary hearing before the COM
missioner