The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1915-11-20
CONTRACTORS
IN bRANO-REW WAY
Get Certified Checks Put Cp As Evil
dencc OF Good Faith to Erect
Exposition Building.
SW1NDIIER CLAIMED TO BE
AGENT OF HAITI-SAN DOMINGO
Wanted $4,000 House Built and Re-
CURED Builders to Put Up Checks
For Ten Per Cent OF Contract
Price, and Got Them Cashed.

New York. Nov. IA suit filed
in the Supreme Court against Richard
Whitlock and other defendants re-
yealed the fact that Whitlock has
been wanted by the Federal authori-
ties here on a charge OF using the
mails to defraud contractors of San
Francisco. To carry on his scheme,
which Is said to have netted him over
$50. 900, Whitlock. it Is alleged. rep
resented himself us purchasing agent
for the San DOMINICAN and Haytien
governments. and pretended that he
had been requested to arrange for the
erection of a joint building for those
two governments at the Panama.
Pacific exhibition.
The warrant against Whitlock also
mentions a man by the name of Fred
erick w. Lamon, but Assistant United
States Attorney Edwin NJ. Stanton be-
lieves that IAmon and Whitlock are
one and the same. Acc ording to the
information in the hands Of the Fed
seral authorities person calling him.
self I4amon appeared n San Fran
cisco in August. 1914. and took rooms
lat one OF the most expensive hotels
there. He began Immediately to send
letters to the leading contractors. tn-
forming them that no represented
Mhitlock, the purchasing agent for
tHayti and San Domingo, and invit-
ding them to submit the bids for the
exposition building for which the gov
ernments were prepared &c pay about
$4,000.
, All those who made bids wore 10
send on $40 for the plans and spsci-
ffcaHona and were to submit Certified
checks for ten per cent of the en-
tire amount of their bids. The bids
were not to be opened until the fol-
lowing December, when the checks
su omitted by the unsut cessful bid
ders would be returned.
Number Are Bitten.
A number of contracts entered the
competition, sending checks for from
$1,000 to $4,000 as a guarantee o.
their good faith to Whi.'ock, at 222
West Twenty-third Street. this city.
Long before December, however,
cashed and they instructed their at
,torneys to consult with the Hayden
land San DOMINICAN representatives
habout the matter.
Investigations made disclosed that
Whitlock's business address was the
Chelsea Hotel, and that he had left
there suddenly.
The San DOMINICAN aud Haytien
authorities branded the scheme as q
fraud.
John Monk Among Victims.
The suit brought in the Supreme
Court yesterday was fled by John
Monk, contractor Of San Francisco.
who offered to erect the San Do
mingan- Haytien aircastle for 1882
and sent along a check for $t.939.
Monk wants the check back and
names as co-defendants with Whit
lock In the suit the Twenty-third
Ward Bank of Chicago; j. Wilson
Bryant Whitlocks attorney here
and David McKown, an inspector for
the department OF sewers in this city
The names of Bryant and Mckown,
according to the complaint. had ap'
peared on Monks check as endorsers
when 1t finally reached the Twenty
third Ward Bank
The complaint sets forth that the
defendant McKown vas also hood
winked by Whitlock and had been in
duced to discount the Mon< heck Tor
/. ~ AGO