Omaha daily bee., 1909-03-18
NEBRASKA MIKES RETIRING
Omaha Contributors to Maybrsy's Cof-
fers Laying Low.
ONE sToCKMAN ADMITS FALLING
Has Possession OF
correspondence that IL Likely to
cunt Heavily Against
Swindlers,

While a majority Of the swindles worked
up by J. C.. Maybray and his confederates
were pulled off in Council Bluffs, much
of the correspondence relating to the prep
a~rations Of the gang recovered by Postof-
flee Inspector J. S. Swanson at Little Rock,
indicates that the preliminaries were ar
ranged in omaha.
It was the intention Of the gang, after
completing the fleeing OF their victims at
New Orleans and Little Rock, to transfer
their field of operations to the Vicinity Of
New York. A letter written from one of
the agents of the gang from New York
stated:
New York will be a good field. Ii will
require $75 per week to fix the authorities.
We can hire a room near the city which
will be but a short distance from the BUSH
ness heart of the town, and while we can
fix the police authorities for a money con-
sideration. we will have to get some other
influence to work on the district attorney
The New York plan did not materialize
and then it was that the headquarters were
transferred to Council Bluffs, where the
conditions were ideal" other letters show
that the May bray crowd expected some as
sistance from Omaha, Agents were located
III Olldlldt WIN WIoNt lldN NHtS NClC III
touch with men who had plenty of money
and could be easily separated from It,
Names were not mentioned, but assurances
were given that the Omaha field would be
a most profitable one and that the banking
facilities were better than even at Council
Bluffs.
Another letter from Ed Ellis dated from
Joplin, Mo, February 1, 1909. stated that
tho ssppDdftipnab at Ga1aGhurU III wore q
little unfavorable at the start, but that
matters had been fixed and the field was
a good one, as was Peoria, and good work
could be expected from those points
This Was to he Banner Year.
All of this correspondence shows that
the gang expected 20 reap a good harvest
during 1909, and was in a position to do so,
but for the interception of their work in
the seizure of the Maybray letters at Lit
tile Rock, with all the memoranda and
records of past and prospective achieve
mensts.
IAN effort was made to r%eplevin these
letters said Inspector Swenson, but I
managed to keep them out of the way of
the process, and they will of course be
held as evidence against the swindlers.'
Thus far but two federal indictments
HdNt bttu lOuIlu dbdillSl NldS DlbS anu ~
two Indictments in the state court of Iowa.
The federal indictments are for using the
mails to defraud, while those In the Iowa
state court at Council Bluffs are for lar
ceny and conspiracy. 1t is possible other
indictments will be found against Maybray
In the state courts but that will depend
entirely upon the complaints filed against
them by their victims. Word has been
sent to all the victims to appear before
the grand Jury now in session in Council
Bluffs. but thus far only three, w. II. Bed
ford of Ray, Mo-, DR.. c. c. Vanderbeck Of
st. Louis, and Samuel Sutor of Cass Lake,
Mimi, have appeared. These indictments are
for larceny and conspiracy, and may involve
penalties of three and five years peniten-
tiary sentences respectively on each count.
The jury will continue in session for the
remainder of the week, and may possibly
run over into next week II other Mikes"
will appear against the parties.
It is not yet known when Maybray will
be brought to Omaha. He is now under a
federal order OF commitment from Little
Rock. Efforts have been made by May
bray's attorneys in Arkansas to have the
order for commitment set aside, but this
will hardly be accomplished unless upon
order of the federal department of justice.
In the meanwhile the bond of Maybray
has been reduced from SIS, 600 to 5000 on
each federal indictment. The federal court
will not convene at Council Bluffs until
October. In the event of Maybray securing
BAIL he will be Immediately arrested on an
Iowa state warrant. The Iowa authorities
cannot reach him until the federal author
tiles are through with him, or until he is
released on bail from the federal jurisdlc-
ton.
There are no particularly sensational
features yet to develop in the case" said
Inspector Swenson, 'other than have al
ready been published. There is nothing
especially discriminating regarding Omaha
parties other than prospective victims
HemeIbracht IL Frank.
]. Hemelbracht of Bancroft. who was
buncoed out Of 5000 on a fake horse race
last summer, is a stockman and farmer
of Bancroft, Neb., and had but recently
disposed of a big bunch of stock at South
Omaha, when he was approached by the
agents Of the gang. MY, my, hut dem fell
lers hat lots of money. / meier seed so
much money. Dey lookt all right and talkt
| all right, and dey got my monish all right.
/ vas yoost a tam fool and hain't got no
suueal. A man vot is sooch a noodle
cumpoop as to he skint by dem vellers
hain't got no excuse to squat. It vas a
smoot trick; / bite. Nopody is to plane
bud me. 1 am yoost 5000 wiser, dots ALL"
The Nebraska contributors to the swind-
lers' games are diffident about putting In
an appearance, and none have yet testified