The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1905-04-18
BRUCE 10 FACE
SERIOUS R CHARGE | |.
Hill Directory Company and
Merchants Are After \.
b Him @
DETECTIVE D: 6 /. WORKING CASE As
Agent OF american Association
Of Directory Publishers Is3S
Here Yesterday. 4 h

~. A. Brucc.tf who claims to be the
representative of6tfc Publishers, Collect
ing Agency. OF No. 373 b road way, New
York, fl locked up IN jail awaiting trial
upon the charge of forgery
He was arrested upon The complaintof
thes1Iill. Directory Companyson Saturday.
tingthe store OF Mr.. w. r. Lcngworth,
LonEworth swore out the warrant. Ser
II geantg5Nvren made the arrest. z y
lasT The game alleged In the warrant to
have been worked By Bruce and his
confederates is a new one. as far as this
part OF the country is concerned. ! is
called the directory "a me. We 55 e, & !. d
a we'll dressed man. with good address.
came to Richmond on n Fl brnary 1st,i
and began tos solicit n Jllcadings"
for directory. n He called on n number.
Il Of merchants and offered them space a :
the low price OF =. 81 This man succeeded
IN obtaining g. number Of sn bscript ions.
and collected In each case. Now comes
the game. He persuaded each sub
scrlbcrsto Sign n "voucher''E for q. which
f .svouchcr" set out that the, person signing
had paid 81 to8thc Publishers Collecting
Agency. At the top of each voucher.
were the w0fd: II have paid. !" he man
& explained that he was obliged to turn IN
these youchcrsSto the home Office.
These vouchers were then "a octored.lF';
+ The word II have paid y were cut OF
and a regular g''agrcemcnttt to pay printed
above the signature OF Tho victirn he
Il figures 81 were erased and larger amounts
Inserted In their place, SO that the old
',vorcl,er''s became n promise to pay
y for consid cradle sums
Bruce Arrives.
After q delay Of two and a half months
4 ~ "a. Bruce arrived IN Richmond and
began to collect the promi scs H 70 pa "
In many instances merchants could not
remember the former ansaction. anu
rather tina u have a suit brought against
them. paid the amounts claimed .48 one
merchant paid 81. say wing tina q ne " !. 3
III and did not ca re to have suit trou gn NJ
Detectives Statement.
When Bruce was arrested he had q NUM-
ber OF vouchers in his poss s' 9: some
ofs which ta d not been doctorcd.
& Detective William e. Bishop. OF New
York. who is employed by the American
Association OF IN Directory Publishers.
reached Richmond on ycsterda " to look
after the case. When seen la at Mig Mt q
said So "a * 55
s1,Brucc claims TO have an office at No.
S7a h Broad way. New York here 5ts q
ma Il ma med Levy. who has @ Ia rye room
nc that number on Broadway. In which
there are seventy five desks. which u. he
rents 10 1peIsoLSa" ~ !.
they have ansof flee in a respec ia bic part
OF New York This MAJ ma have rent
ed al desk There, but sgSif he has. no one
has been ~, IA RI 1t for thrse Wee@Ss past
.Thcrrs Ia mo sicl, dircc tory as the p tlb-
3lislcrs Collecting Agcncy,6as far as y We
can learn The game they are charged
with playing here, has been worked l.. a..
over tie country, and a u every, point
agents have been a Bile to take + aWaySta
large amount OF money. They have about
twenty forms OF vouchers" similar TO
the one used in Richmond, and ali OF
them are printed in such amer nat az
they ca n be easily changed into a con-
tract to pa y money. The merchants whom
they deal with cannot remember when or
how he signed. \ but he knows his 81 gna--
@turre and pays. rather than face g suit
we have Bruce all right. and A1r. Wren
did good work in running him down. Y s4