The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1909-07-01
CUTS WIDE SWATH IN GEORGIA TOWN.
Escaped Convict Swindles People Right and Left in
Little Town of Climax, Ga.

Little Town {
Charles Harding, alias A. D. Oil
yer, confidence man, dnancier and
escaped convict, in Jail here, is want
ed in several States and a legal fight
over his disposition is anticipated.
His financial deals in this vicinity,
covering a period of four months, in
volve several hundred thousand dol
lars. Nearly a dozen banks were
caught by worthless checks and
many oe the most prominent and
substantial men of this and sur
rounding counties were also made
victims.
Hardin's bride has been served
with papers ordering her to produce
all diamonds and jewelry her hus-
band gave to her, and it Is under
stood that she will file suit for di-
vorce Oliver maintains stolid 81
lence, but he does not deny that he
escaped from the Mississippi peniten-
tiary last December, where he was
serving a long sentence for obtain
ing money under false pretenses.
Harding arrived in Climax last
January on a midnight train. He reg
istered as A. D. Oliver at the only ho-
tel in the little town. He remained
in the village several days before he
began his financial deals.
Then he purchased the Climax
bank, a private institution, giving in
payment a check on bank in New
York. He Immediately took charge
of the bank, retaining Cashier Hall
as his assistant. Then he began
buying all sorts of property.
Secretive About Antecedents.
Georgians are usually rather con-
servative, and they want to know
something about the identity and So
cial standing of the man with whom
they do business. Questions along
this line were propounded to the
stranger.
"My ancestry does not matter" he
said in reply. This is business
deal, and not a social affair. I will
pay for what I get. What more do
you want? The question of who l
am and where I came from is unim-
portant. This is case where money
talks"
This attitude impressed his listen
ers and the questioning was not
pushed. Oliver, as he was known
here, refused to say where he came
from, but as he used checks on a
New York bank and his converse
ton was filled with casual references
to New York men whose names are
known everywhere, it was assumed
that he came from the metropolis.
The stranger became busy at once
after buying the Climax bank. Moth
ing was too big, nothing too little,
for his consideration. Whatever he
bought he paid for, partly in cash
and the balance in deposit slips on
the Climax bank, or with checks on
New York.
AS the operations became more ex-
tended he used checks on the Climax
bank, these checks being certified by
Cashier Hall. The checks were taken
unquestioningly and the country was
flooded with them. The signer of the
checks was affable and talkative on
any subject except his previous his
tory and. ancestry. On these points
he continued silent. Apparently he
had no existence before the hour
when he dropped off the midnight
train at Climax.
Wins Wife.
Oliver began paying attention to
Miss Rosebud English, the daughter
of the landlady of the hotel in Gil
max. He was an ardent WoOer and
the young girl was captivated by his
polish, his manner and his fabulous
wealth. He had bought two automo-
biles and he often took her riding.
When she accepted his proposal he
gave her a solitaire diamond ring
larger than any ever before seen in
Climax. He followed this gift with
other diamonds and jewels when
they were married, and the wedding
was the most brilliant ever seen in
that town.
No one doubted that Oliver was
worth five or ten millions. Only a
man of such wealth could have car
ried out the financial and business
deals he had on hand. He bought
the hotel owned by his mother-in-
Id w, uC UcU6uI tuO oAly- 1o4QUSA yoAo
in Climax and he bought timber and
farming lands.
When he could not find an indus
try already in operation that suited
him he organized one.
He extended his operations from
Climax He bought the Bainbridge
Lumber Company's plant and he
bought banks in various places. In
other towns he organized banks, TAX
ing most of the stock himself, but
finding the money paid in by other
stockholders convenient in taking
care of such checks as demanded
attention.
He began the erection of fine
home for himself and another for his
brother-in-law, D. B. Price. They
are now nearly finished, work on
them having stopped abruptly when
the collapse of the house of cards
came. The lumber for the house
was taken from the lumber yards he
had bought and the workmen and
contractors were paid with checks on