Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1914-10-29
DR. R. c. FLO " { R
BROUGHT To NJ. "
YORK A PRISONER

Flower. aged defendant in an indictment
brought against him here more than a
dozen years ago charging him with
swindling investors out of nearly 81 100000,
was brought here a prisoner tonight
from Toronto, where he was arrested on
Wednesday. Flower. now 20 years old.
jumped his bail of $4,000 in 1903 and has
since been trailed through many countries
in North and South America. disappearing
at times and when relocated and arrested
managing to obtain his freedom
New York city has wanted the Rev"
and DR." Richard c. Flower as badly as
it ever wanted any man accused of swim
ding and suspected of poisoning since
about May 20, 1903 Upon that date,
when he was to appear for trial. charged
with swindles aggregating around So 600. =
000, the doctor was missing and he has
been missing so far as this jurisdiction
has been concerned ever since.
Barney McConville, then a detective
sergeant assigned to the Wall Street
squad, now a lieutenant, has been close
to the fugitive many times He actually
had him In custody in Philadelphia in
January, 1907. They found him operating
his same old game in that city under
the name of DR. Oxford" but he man
aged to be admitted to bail while his
eight against eXtradition went up to the
Pennsylvania superior court, and when
he lost, the doctor, now &C years old.
was missing
Then they nearly had him year later
in Richmond, Va, where he was again
a doctor. After that Flower beat the
detectives over into Mexico from Arizona
They We're on his trail in Brazil; they
had word that he had gone to England
where they have a summary way OF deal
Ing with such matters and finally he dis
appeared, to bob up this last time In
Canada.
Flower came originally from a little
town along the Ohio river in Ohio and
started out in his young manhood as
a minister of the Campbellite Church
but he forsook that for "quack" doc.
toring and in that speciality he has al
ways been success. His principa'
/ victims have always been women. ell.
DERBY widows by preference, and after
he has persuaded them that they hav,
| been cured by some wonderful secret
of his he has always managed to in.
terest them in some little mine o,
other promising proposition.
DR.. Flower, who was running hotr
medical and mining schemes stimuli.
taneously in New York city came inc.
notoriety in this city in February
1903, when the relatives of Theodor,
Itasaman wealthy broker, who hat
died at the Waldorf. brought suit te
contest the division of his n 900 OOt
state
The ~olat!,cs lad received G,00C
and the widow. afteIward Mrs. Walter
J.. Dclaharre, Lad the balance Flow,
'r had been warm personal frlont
f the Hagamans and as the polic,
looked over his record they becam,
suspicious, The body Of the man wa.
'xhumed but 1t was too long after hi,
death for il to he determined whetho,
or not he had died from poison
1t was discovered that the widow ~
Mr.. Hagaman had transferred $500, 0no t,
Flower, and further that there was {
which showed that he had obtained
a bout 100000 Women who had invest
ed their money came to his rescue anc
sserted that I've was being persocute,
and maligned
he had promoted the Security Mininl
and Milling company and had mad
much money This enabled him to tax,
a mansion at Rutherford. \. j.: a suit
of apartments at the Waldorf, and a mos
ambitious business suite in Wall street
Then had come the Silver Cliff Minin.
company in which he had taken 81, POO
GO. according to his own statement Tha
had been succeeded by the Arizona an,
Eastern Mining and Smelling company
which guaranteed "a per cent dividend.
and actually paid them for one year
until they were successfully launched.
The feeder for these mines was tn,
Flower Medical company with its elaho
rate establishment in saith street Thi!
company cured anything and everythn.
and passed the cured over to the minnr
companies,
When investigation tore out the founda
tions and everything fell DR. Flower wa;
indicted because a Mrs. Taylor was per
suaded to testify against him. His bal
was placed at 100000, and this was prompt
~ furnished by wealthy Brooklyn widow
who announced that he had saved her life
The doctor called loudly for vindication
was not to be found on trial day TN
widow paid the $4,000.
The Flower indictments are still alive
as he was n fugitive from Justice. and tn
evidence against him IL still on file at tn
district attorneys office