The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-02-07
BARON WHO RAIDED
BANKS, CAUGHT HERE
Dashing Swindler Of Many
Aliases Captured as He
StrOlls in Broadway.
LONG ELUDED SEARCH
Accused of Getting $4,000 in
Cash or Jewels in Tour
Of Big Cities.

Frank Won Gordon, a dashing young
man who is said by tho Pinkertons to
have swindlcd banks and jewelry shops
In big American cities of at least $50, 900
by means of his nerve. ready pen
and n long string of aliases. was ar
rested yesterday at Broadway and Forty
seventh street by Assistant Superintend-
ent John Graham OF the Pnkerton
agency and Police Detectives Siscilo and
Mccain. He was locked up on the charge
OF swindllng the Guardian Trust and
Savings Bank of Cleveland of $39272.
Won Gordon. as Baron Frederick Won
Coron Seefeld, got $4,000 from Countess
llka Kinsky-Palmay. an opera singer
from Budapest, In this city in 1905. The
singer said that the Baron came %
her with tears in his eyes after an ac-
quaintance of FIVE days and declared that
a heartless automobile dealer was going
to take his beautiful car away. She
gave him a check for the balance due
and later took him into court. The
baron" however made restitution and
then disappeared.
Won Gordon IL now under Indictment In
Chicago for using the mails to defraul.
lie is said 10 have swindled banks in
Toledo. Wilmington. Del. Seattle. San
Francisco. Chicago. New Haven. New
Orleans. Butte. Youngstown. Pittsburg,
Des Moines. Philadelphia. Boston, Wor-
cester. Rochester and this city.
spent Year in Missouri Prison.
Although his operations were extensive,
| his principal enforced exile was a year.
| term In the Missouri State prison for
| forgery committed at St. Louis in 1910.
The Pinkertons have been on his trail
| for several months Detectives located him
| recently at Wilmington. Del. and fol-
| lowed him to a hotel In this city. Mr..
! Graham finished the job yesterday as
Won Gordon was starting out for walk
| arrayed In fashionable clothing.
| In most OF the cities In which he ex-
erted his peculiar energies the young
| man thes only 2S) made practice of
! putting up at one OF the best hotels
| with coinely young blonde woman He
| described himself rs "A representative Of
| the Ohio Casualty Company, which
doesn't exist. and rented an office Then
! the P!nkertons say, he made friends with
| the supertntendent Of the office build
ing and asked to be made known to the
| officers OF a responsible bank. Won Cor
| don opened an account with real money
sometimes thousands OF dollars and later
! deposited worthless checks for large
amounts, after which he would check out
agains, the account and disappear.
! In Phlladelpnia ana tIeNeIiNr. tUt
! Pinkertons say. Won Gordon took a woman
| into iewelry shops, where she selected
earrings or wrist watches OF much value,
and paid for them In checks that In
| variably came back.
some Of the Aliases lie Used.
Among the names used by the youn.
| man as hotel guest and bank depos.tor
| In his business ramoes around the United
Stetson. Fred Smith. Lord ". Scoheid. r,
stanford and Fred Garden.
| After his d appearance from New YORK
| IN September, 1906, the fact was disclosed
that Baron Frederick Won Goron Stefeld
: had married a short tim" before tbs
/ daushter of a wealthy Southerner He
/ met her In New orleans. Her family or
posed the match, II was said, and the
young woman was obliged 10 flee from,
home in order to wed.
The Baron" cut much OF a swath at
Narraganse:t Pier In the summer OF 1905
until he was lodged In jail on complain,
OF Mrs. Louise T.. Cammack of this city,
who said tina, while she was living al The
! Waldorf Astoria IN May OF that year tn.
young man got s9s6 from her with which
to buy Union Pacific stock by represent
ing himself as a representative of "A brok-
/ erase firm. The Baron" disappeared
with his wife and the money and the
STOCK went UP. lie Was !nu!clSu iuE TINS
offence.
The Baron was sentenced TO spend
thirty days in the Providence jail In the
fall of 1905 for unceremoniously leavins
the Mathewson House at Narraganset;
Pier with his wife. child nurse and lug.
gage without settling board bill OF
s242. lie got out In 5000 bail in time to
avoid service OF New York warrant for
larceny,
Won Gordon Is a DISTINGUISHED looking
young man with "greensh eyes" Bank
tellers all over the country have been OF
the lookout for those eyes for many
months.