Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-05-29

a sensational romance Lawyer Joseph
Fried. who until yesterday has declined
to take the public into his confidence.
said:
Our Investigations show that the Ex-
port Shipping Company began opera
tons about eight years ago. with F. CT.
Bailey as president. There is nothing
10 indicate that the concern did other
than a legitimate business up to April
last.
We have reason to suspect that the
firm was then in a bad way and failure
seemed inevitable. Ii was then that
Bailey played his new card. the General
Supply Company of Townsville. Queens
land
There is no means OF learning how
long he worked at the idea, hut We all
believe that some shrewd legal mind
directed him at every move. Certain
persons are under suspicion. but of that
nothing can now be said for publication.
In April. when the General Supply
Company made its appearance the
scene. Bailey was living finely in Brook
lyn. 1t is said that he owned the house
"a fine one-in which he resided He
was w!dower with two children. a
boy of sixteen and a girl OF twelve.
His maiden sister kept house for him.
The only other inmate was A. w.
Bailey. his brother. second in command
in the Export Shipping Company. He
was a bachelor. 1t was a quiet. SEEM
ingly prosperous family which kept TO
NSelI. pdl0 It's pllfS ana n6lQ the respect
of the neighborhood.
But all this time Bailey was playing
game of singular daring Posing as
the purchasing representative of the Gen.
eral Supply Company in distant Queens
land, he flooded the country with letters
to manufacturers. The Queensland con-
Germ wanted a little OF everything Amer
lea manufactures.
No honest agent could have been more
eager to drive the best possible bargains
for his nrinoin9t He happla6
but never failed to come TO terms at last
Care ully avoiding the dangers of big
orders which might have led to inquir es,
Bailey went through the mercantile world
as with fine tooth comb.
Drafts on London.
Not suspicion of the man seems to
have entered any head Mr. Fried con-
tinued. Bailey let it be understood that
money to meet all demands had been de-
posted by the General Supply Company
in London. Merchants and manufacturers
selling goods to this new customer were
instructed to send the merchandise and
drafts to the Export Shipping Company.
Bailey was to forward the goods To
Queensland and the drafts to London
What happened was quite different
The goods gathered from all parts % the
country went into a warehouse in Front
street. The drafts were cashed by differ
ent banks in this city and Bailey pocket
ed the cash.
ITO guard against unt,mely detection
Bailey dismissed the entire clerical force
of the Export Shipping Company early in
April, just before the launching of his
scheme. He kept only a girl stenosra-
pher who was ignorant o. her employers
plan and is now aiding us TO the best
Of her ability.
realizing that exposure was inevitable
with the return of the unhonored drafts
from Queensland Bailey's next move was
10 prepare for fight. He had accumu.
lated nearly $4,000 in cash ana as mucl
more In merchandise. He needed ship.
and as we have learned. his agents began
quiet search for vessel. The ancient
clyde liner Goldsboro was finally rur-
chased. We have every reason to believe
th lat. bailey paid or the ship in cash
The Colds boro was locked at South
brooklyn and the merchandise was hur-
RED aboard. The strange variety of the
Goidsboros cargo became known in some
way TO the customs officials and the shin
was carefully searched at her dock. The
men on board We're questioned and their
explanations were so satisfactory that the
snip was permitted to sail