St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1915-09-11
Swliini,d;lert' lii,d;le ri IN i N" o.. q"
Gets e. a Good I, J. Sum SUI Il
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ITO 81 u. i.-.5l- Gi A. a.I.
Confidence Man Sells 'Gold
Dust for $500. The
t. Same Old Story 1-."a ... !

New Orleans. Sept. "a firm OF
New Orleans jewellers paid $1,000 in
United States currency, Wednesday.
for bag Of worthless brass and
copper, hltngs that had been repre-
sented. to them a. pure gold dust re-
Gently taken from Mexican mine.
David r. Miller & Bros. are the VIC
TINS. The alleged confidence man i
4 Porto Rican who was operating
under the name of Ramon Perez,
and who said he was q deserter from
the Carranza, army in Mexico.
The deft manner in which Perez
engineered the oft-worked swindle.
and the sudden manner in which he
drooped from sight after he had re-
ceived genuine bank notes Tor nie
bag Of worthless filings, convinced
the police that he Is q professional
confidence man, who probably mas
worked similar swindles In Mexico
and other Latin-American countries.
Superintendent of Police Reynolds
issued an. all-station, order for his
arrest and within two hours after
the crime was committed, half =
dozen Of the city's best detectives
were It work on the case, Descrip-
tions OF the aileged' swindier were
delivered to every conductor OF out
xoinE passenger trains, and every po-
,emarr III the city heard the order
Of arrest and description read at roll
call. .it'..
Perez came to New Orleans about
q month ago with a woman he rep
resented, as his wife. He said he
came from Mexico. and exhibited
passport he said had been given him
BY the Aiieffcan consul at Vera Cr1s:
His extremely dark complexion and
kinky hair caused many persons with
whom ne came in contact to believe
him a. negro. He denied this, how
ever. and variously represented him
self as q Porto Riean and as Mexi-
can. aEi alta fiA9 1aa ;itPfa tsh1
u laying Of the Plot. i5h 80
According to the information CIV
On the police by David r. Miller,
head Of tho jewelry '4irm which paid
out the $500, Felix Ferrer, OF
Of Claiborne, La., (St. Tammany par
ish), former proprietor OF the Old
Absinthe House in Bourbon street.
and q friend Of the Miller brohters.
called at the latter's odice in the
Maison Blanche building several days
ago, and informed them that fAexi-
can army officer who had recently de-
serted the army and escaped from
Mexico. had a large quantity Of gold
dust for sale. Ferrier suggested that
the jewellers probably could purchase
the dust" for much less than its
real value. ON account OF the fact
that the Mexican was in hiding, and
in need Of funds. After talking the
matter over with Ferrer, Mr. Miller
suggested that the former procure =
sample of the dust. selecting II At
random from the bag which the Mex
ican had. On Tuesday Ferrer aud
Ramon Perez called at the office OF
David r. Miller & Bros, 731 Mafson
Blanche building, with sample OF
the DUST The sample was melted in
the Office and proved to be pure gold,
18 karats fine.
Perez went away. leaving Ferrer
to conclude the trcde with the jewell
ers. Perez said he had thirteen
pounds of dust and wanted $1,000
tor 1t. He. said 1t came from gold
mine in Mexico in which he had IN
interest. When he decided to de-
sert the army, according to the story
he told. he took several bags with
him. Before he could reach the
border he was captured by Villa SOL
ers and sprobably, aweuld have beea
xaa. ,et ha 1s,net sr.eN oee et-lhe
S%eess Sa Tsscs e 1es him s., sssaRs. H ss,e
thirteen poaA of hislvAluable metal
left: He knew perfectly WE'LL hs
said. thatzt Y4s wgrth, shout 134p0,
but as fs Sts 1,rd W, be xas Hilll.