New-York tribune., 1911-02-28
Fake Chicago Merchant Gives
LARGE Orders, Then Gets
Cash and Apparel.
INITIATES FIRM SIGNATURES
Complaints from Other Cities
Indicate That Band Has
Worked Same Trick
Extensively.

comfy heen operating in this city, and
whose new and plausible methods tooh
IN several firms for an aggregate amount
not vet known. because the number OF
victims has not been ascertalned' IN
Ne5' n h; revealed that the band
has been active also in several cities
including Rochester. Cleveland, Phila-
delphia and Reading. the number or COM
plants by the persons who were duped
indicating that the swindlerS covered a
wide area and cleaned up large amount
of profit by their operations.
While there "as Only one man clearly
identified here with the swindles in the
complaints of the merchants. there were
indications that he did not work alone.
and that at least there was a woman
with him. The man. who made good
appearance and slowed an acute knowl-
edge of business and merchandise. rep
resented himself to be f.. 4. Lange. head
of the T.. \. I.angc Company. which mas
2 large department. store in Chicago and
sail he had come to New York 10 buy
goods TO- his store He carried cards
which bore the name Of the firm and of
Us HtdU. f'NlbfS lillSs Nv hiSbl0. W
knowledge II the Company's affairs and
also simulated the signature Of i. A..
I.angc. Ills familiarity with affairs Of
the company enabled him to pick out
As victims such firms as were not already
doing business with the Lange concern.
Then he established a sort Of endless
chain Of victims, who, having received
good sized order from him. and having
tishcd thems elves Of the credit of the
firm ne pretended to represent, We're
pleased to pass him along TO some friend
with q card Of introduction. 1t was
quite easy when the swindler got started.
he firs: link in this endless chain Of
fraudulent operations was q letter Of in
PRODUCTION TO a New York merchant
which. in tltr igh, Of subsequent events.
WAS probably not genuine.
The fraudulent Mr.. Lange was equally
1T home with any kind Of merchandise.
snd did not limit his operations to any
particular line. And he preferred the
leading firm i'm each branch of indus
Try he visited
After calling in turn on several manu-
facturers. be visited the establishment
Of A. Davis & Co. cloak and suit manu-
facturers at Nos. 33 and 80 East DIST
street. where he introduced himself TO
the mead of the firm, who readily vel
coined the new customer and showed
him his goods. The stranger was liberal
IN his purchases. and gave an order for
$500 worth of cloaks. promising to re-
turn the next day to look at some
dresses.
He came back. and after being i'm the
Davis esta blisbment a while he recalled
that his firm had special order from a
customer for suit. He had little bag
gage with him. and thought it a good
idea To take the suit back with him in
his trunk. Tho manufacturer agreed.
and the swindler selected one costing
SIG 80. Then he remembered also that
he was short of cash. and. as the banks
were closed, asked Mr.. Davis 10 accom-
modate him to the extent of so. The
money was produced. and the stranger,
taking out a checkbook. signed check
for that amount with the name of T.. A.
Lang.
Then the swindier said he was going
out TO buy some mems clothing, and his
system, which had brought him to the
Davis firm through introduction from
another manufacturer, worked again
He was referred 10 the firm OF Lipps
Brothers. clothing manufacturers, No.
G22 Broadway. Again the glad welcome
and the liberal order, this time amount
ing to $500. lie also told about the spe-
cial order he had To execute. This time
it was for two suits. which he took with
him, after the same story about his trav-
cling lightly laden.
When the swindler had left the Lipps
place a member of the firm called Mr..
Davis by telephone 10 thank him for his
good turn. Incidentally. he mentioned
about the two suits that the customer
took with him. That started Mr.. Davis
thinking; the more he thought. the more
he became convinced that there was
something suspicious about Mr.. Lange.
He got busy at once to prove these sus-
picions by sending TO the Chicago COM
pany q bill for the suit the man had
taken with him. The cloak manufact-
urer had not long to wait, for in three
days there came from the Z. A. Lange
Company a letter that said that neither
Mr. Lange nor any other person repre-
senting the firm had been in New York
buying goods. and which added that the
firm had received similar bills from firms
in Cleveland. Rochester Reading and
Philadelphia which the firm never
bought.
Then Mr.. Davis communicated with
Police Headquarters. Mr.. Davis said
that besides getting from the man who
represented himself as the Chicago mer-
chant card bearing his name, the
stranger signed his name 10 the check in
a WAY that bore close resemblance to the
signature on the letter of the Chicago
concern. indicating that he knew much
about the affairs Of the Lange company.
The check he gave for the money ne re-
c,iyed was on a banker in La Sale
street.
The swindler was in New York as late
MS last Wednesday. dispatch from
Chicago has since announced the arrest
there OF a band OF three men and two
women who. il was said, were held on
the charge Of defrauding persons in the
Iast with worthless checks. Mr.. Davis
thinks that the man that duped him and
oilers here is one Of that gang. lie sent
q telegram Yesterday 20 the Chief OF Po-
Zoo of Chicago. telling him of his eX- !