The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-04-14
FLY CROOK NABBED
j. II. SINGLETON FELL VICTIM TO
HIS OWN ACUTENEsS.
MADE BOLD BY SUCCESS.
HE TRIED TO PLAY THE SAME
GAME TWICE IN SAME PLACE.

NAAy, Is1H& Ane name OF U. L. IAB-
gart-WouId Personate MIR. Tag
CART In a Conversation over the
Phone and Then Come and Get the
Goods He Had Ordered-Tried the
Game Once Too Often-Arrested Mt
Second Attempt to Fleece ii. r.
Kuck and Now Nursing a Closed
Eye and Bruised Face in a Prison
Cell.
]. H. Singleton, colored, is a prisoner
at the police station, where he is
nursing an injured optic and striving
to forget the pain of wound on the
side of his face. His incarceration
springs from an impression. very gen
orally entertained by the INSCRIPTIONS
of his race, that because a piece of
roguery has been successfully prac-
ticed several times it's perpetrator is
immune from detection and arrest;
the wounded eye and face are the re-
suit of Singletons impudence and eff
frontery.
For some time the negro has been
calling up by telephone merchants in
various parts of the city. representing
himself to be either G. 1. Taggart or
one of his sons, and ordering various
articles. For these the voice over the
phone would inform the merchant
that boy would>be sent. In the course
of few minutes Singleton would make
his appearance on the scene, obtain
the articles he had himself ordered
and take his departure.
=, D.
tor of grocery at Anderson and Aber-
corn streets, answered a ring at the
phone.
rs that Mr.. Kuck?" said the voice
1T is" responded the owner of the
name.
''Well. this is MIR. G. l. T2ggart. 1
want you to send a bottle of whiskey
and a box of cigars around to my resi-
dence on Jones street"
"All right sir" said the groceryman
Just wait a minute, though" con-
tinued the voice. "Tll send my boy
around Tor those things and you can
turn them over to him."
Got WhisISey and Cigars.
This suggestion also seemed to be all
right to Mr.. Kuck and he assented, af-
ter learning the brand of whiskey and
cigars his customer desired. In few
minutes Singleton appeared, introduced
himself as the representative of Mr..
Taggart, was handed the whiskey and
cigars and left
Yesterday morning there came an
other ring at the phone and again Mr..
Kuck responded. 1t was the voice of
the night before.
This is Mr.. Taggart," it said
That's a good brand of cigars 1 got
from you last night, and you can send
me another. box. I'll send around the
same boy who brought the Others"
Mr.. Kuck assented to this PROPOSE
ton also, but its receipt left him a lit
tie dubious. He began to reflect that
Mr.. Taggart was favoring him, in the
beginning of their business, with
rather more orders than seemed en-
tirely natural. The result was a talk
with Mr.. Taggart, in the course of
which Mr.. Kuck was informed that
Mr.. Taggart had neither ordered nor
received any whiskey or cigars. He
was further informed that some per-
son had been playing the same trick
all about town and that several mer-
chants, in various lines of business,
had fallen easy victims. Preparations
for the reception of Singleton were at
once begun.
Mr.. Kuck was standing in the lane
in the rear of his store when an Aber-
corn trolley car deposited Singleton
within a few feet of him.
I've come for those cigars for Mr..
Taggart," said the negro
Just come into the yard, and, I'll
get them for you," said Mr.. Kuck.
Covered with Guns.
Singleton walked in and the grocer
followed. The negro was left in the
yard, while Mr.. Kuck walked on into
the house. When he returned he was
accompanied by one of his clerks, ana
both of them were armed with revolv-
ers of imposing dimensions and large
caliber. In a moment they had them
leveled at Singleton's head.
Then the groceryman walked up TO
take charge of his prisoner but Sim
gleton resisted. With an oath too vile
for repetition, coupled with an epithet
of the same degree of offensiveness
that he applied to Mr. Kuck, he tried
to drag himself out of the clutches of
his captor. Mr.. Kuck whacked him
on the side of the face with the re-
volver, closing his eye, laying open his
cheek and Telling him to the ground.
1t was five minutes before the buckets
of water that were thrown on him
sufficed to revive him.
When Singleton recovered he was
carried to the nearest Gamewell box
trolman Harry Lang, who sent him
in"
In his cell Singleton had the effront-
cry to declare that he is absolutely
guiltless. He declared that he had not
been to kuck's grocery on Saturday
night, nor had he gone back there yes
terday morning for the cigars. He
swore he had never used Mr.. Tag
CARTS name for the purpose of order
ing whisky or anything else and that
altogether, taking him all in all, he
was the most abused and cruelty
treated person Savannah could boast
of.
Notwithstanding this, the evidence
against him is sufficiently conclusive,
not only to send him to the gang for
obtaining the whisky and cigars by
the use of false pretenses, from Mr..
Kuck, but also for half a dozen other
offenses of the same character.
Among others he has obtained goods
from j. j. Joyce, and w. A. Bishop,
in each case using the name of Mr..
Taggart and following the same course
he used with Mr.. Kuck. He has made
unsuccessf ll efforts to obtain goods,
on the same plan. from Cad Bryan and
Hugh Logan. This much is known
and there may be a half dozen other
charges against him before the day is
ended.