Bisbee daily review. [volume] (Bisbee, Ariz.) 1901-1971, 1908-12-25
GERMAN HAS
COME To GRIEF
IN PORTLAND
Made a Good Round Up Here
and Departed For Pastures
New, But Lands Behind Bars
In Oregon Jail.

Benjamin Franklin German is ;
character who will be remembered bJ
a large number of Bisbee people fol-
several easons. For one thing ht
heralded himself far and wide as hay
ing been at one time chef to Grover
Cleveland. For another thing he left
here owing number of the business
houses OF the city sums varying from
$50 to $500, debts which he had made
while in the restaurant business here
4 for very few weeks. But of more
interest at the present time is the fact
that he is at present behind prison
bars in Portland, Oregon, ON a charge
OF obtaining money under false pre-.
lenses. II will also occasion little sur
prise to the people of Bisbee to learn
that he has confessed to having served
term in the penitentiary on a charge
of bigamy
The story OF his troubles at Port
land is told in the following dispatch:
| PORTLAND, Ore, Dec. 22.-Benja-
min Franklin German. who has been
operating an employment agency here
for several weeks, and who claims TO
have been ar one lime ca"f f. + The late
Grover Clevelant Vas arrested here
today charged with obtaining mnrey
under false pretenses.
Germans accusers, who are mostly
women, declare that they deposited
fees with the agent ranging from SO
to 80, for which they were to be fur
nished positions. They state that he
furnished none of them with working
places. ... .
Today an irate crowd of women who
believe they have been defrauded by
the agent went to Germans Office de-
handing their money back German
finally broke away from the women,
and getting his family, drove in a car
riage to the depot.
A mob followed him thither, arriy-
ing before the train pulled out. Ger
main eluded his pursuers a second
time by going to a hotel, where he
registered as ]. r. ellis and wife, of
New York. Here he was discovered
by the police, and arrested. German
admitted to the police that he had SER
we'd term at San Quentin for bigamy.
German was a. smooth article-in
some ways. AS a gafter, however, he
seems always to have played a game
in which he was caught in a very short
time. He said he was a Frenchman,
looked it, and had the suave manners
for which the Gauls are given credit
There is also no denying that he had
the art of serving and preparing things
good to eat down to a fine art. But
all the time he was ingratiating him
self with his customers. he was night
ly putting away the major portion of
the cash receipts 10 where he thought
they would do the most good
Mr. MrS nh
lived in Bisbee for years, and who
are now at Tempe. were the principal
victims. German induced them TO nut
up the coin, and while his wife was
fine silk stockings and sport
ing diamonds. they were endeavoring
to satisfy creditors. They got off with
loot of about $1,000, representing
hard-earned savings. German left
mere between suns. and from that day,
which was about six months ago. to
THIS, has never been heard from until
the story of his arrest reached here.
II is perhaps not strictly correct to
speak of Germans wife. It would
De more accurate TO say the woman ,
with whom he was living, as il was
learned after he left here, that he
was not married TO the woman, but
io'u pIShed ueF up IN MEXICO, where he
was for some time.
Gemain was as crooked as a barrel
Of snakes, and it is probable that no ,
one here is either surprised or panied
to learn that ne has come to grief. In
TACT, most OF those who know him
here are of the opinion that if he gets
a good long sentence, it will be but a
slight punishment for the crooked |
deals which he has been guilty OF
working during his career.