The Robesonian. [volume] (Lumberton, N.C.) 1870-current, 1909-04-19
RIVENBARK'S RECORD.
The Man Brought TO Jail Here
Last Monday Engaged in Ex-
tensive Operations.

LII L AAoA quay 1SOOCoOlElCtll oil
account was given of the impris-
onment here of All. Rivenbark,
charged with using the mails for
fraudulent purposes. Fridays
Raleigh News and Observer gives
the following account of Riven-
bark and his extensive opera
tions:
allie H. Rivenbark, at one
time employed in a cotton mill
here, his people being also cotton
mill employees, has been arrested
at Hamlet by Postoffice Inspector
Mitchell for using the mails in
sWindling transactions, this upon
complaints of the Kucanola Com
pany, of Atlanta, Ga, a number
of Northern firms, and the At
lantic Coast Line people.
''Rivenbark, who, besides his
work as a cotton mill operator,
had at one time been a baggage
master for the Seaboard Air Line,
was arrested at Hamlet in the
baggage car on his way to Co.
lumbia, his description having
been secured from his mother,
who lives at Laurinburg. He
was taken to Lumberton by In
spector Mitchell and is in Jail
there, while Inspector Mitchell
has gone on to Washington.
"Rivenbark is a young man of
about tWenty-one years of age,
and lately he had talked to sever
al people here, saying that he was
going to Wilmington to open up
a bottling plant for soft drinks,
and that he would also build a
knitting mill. His purpose, he
said, was to make brick out of
sand about Wilmington, which
he said was quite easy. Asked
how he would do this as he had
no means, he said that parties
with money were backing him,
} and that he had valuable proper
ty in Norfolk.
''Rivenbark had goods shipped
to him in Raleigh under the name
of the ALL Rivenbark Company.
About ten days ago a shipment
came over the Seabord Air Line
to him from the Burg Compress
, sor Company, of Erie. Pa, but it
2 was not delivered. The mater
ials for a bottling COMPRISING
plant were shipped to deliver, but
the road was notified immediate.
2 ly after the arrival of the goods
, not to deliver till the draft sent
r Rivenbark was paid and present
ed by him. Rivenbark did not
V call for the goods.
n Investigation shows tina
Rivenbark went into the business
t with big knife wide open, anc
e that he had ordered some ter
g thousand dollars worth of goods
n in the consignments being outfit'
e for bottling soft drinks and fol
d making candy, automobiles an(
v other things. He had sent or
d ders to Charlotte firms as we'll a.
d to Northern firms, the shipment
l. being ordered sent to Raleigh
a Laurinburg, and at various point
d on the Seaboard Air Line ant
e the Atlantic Coast Line. Their
= are two carloads Of goods sent t
ID him here that are held by tn
+. railroads.
a 'Rivenbark sent out notices t
le firms of his having a company
lie Raleigh, the firm name being A
" H. Rivenbark & Company, wit
a Mr.. John T. Pullen, the presider
h of the Raleigh Savings Bank, 6
a president, and Mr.. E. N. .McDor
lg aid, a cotton mill engineer, as
+ member of the firm. Both thes
b. gentlemen deny having any col
lie nection with Rivenbark, or {
Id knowing anything about his a
ut fairs, a card having been issue
n. to this effect by Mr.. Puller
of Rivenbark had mail addressed
1g D. M. Williams at Raleigh, who
lv he gave as a reference, this
no fictitious name. Securing thes
eli letters he would reply, sayir
nv the firm was all right. By tn
lis means he reported to Bra
en- streets that he had 5000 in a
he sets in Norfolk, besides re
ed estate.
av ''Rivenbark's mother az
h. family live at Laurinburg, al
lid great stacks Of mail, some ff
it letters a day, came to Rivenbal
no there, it being to Laurinbu1
ice that an automobile was shipp'
:" to him. The firms sending goo
yle to him began to get uneasy al
an investigation was beg1
is through the Postofice Depal
e ment. Inspector Mitchell we
to Laurinburg and on Tuesd
est spent the day acting as delive
will clerk at the postoffice. Rive
bark's mother called for his me
o. but the letters marked "pe
. sonal," and there were ma
of these, were not delivered
ems her. Without knowing what W
the to happen she gave a descripti
and of her son, of whose doings S
are are later declared she knew nothi1
at Up Before the Bar.