New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-12-11
victrola Swindler, Four
Time Offender, Comes
Up for Sentence
CRIMINAL CAREER
COVERS SO YEARS
Finally Brought to End
Through The Tribune
Bureau

Charles r. Ackron, the swindler who
,,l8 fake Victrolas 70 any one who had
ESQ until The Tribune exposed him,
,,obsblv will conclude his long and
erin. flled career as an active life
member OF the Sing Sing chapter Of the
Mutual Welfare League. Unless some
legal .cchricality intervenes he is GER
tain % be sent away for life term
when hc comes before County Judge
pike for sentence to-day.
tctron IS : fourth offender. and the
law holds that q man found guilty for
n. fourth time must spend the re-
mainder % his existence behind bars.
Although the jury which convicted the
prisoner recommended clemency, Judge
Dixie has no choice in the sentence
which be viii impose to-day.
The swan song played by Ackron's
bogus Victro,as IS the finale Of an epic
o. crime which began in 1877 and in
eludes forgery, fraud, assault and bat
ferv. sw.ndling. conducting a disorderly
house and three previous sentences for
grand larceny.
Fake Yictrola Scheme
The story Of how he induced gulible
persons 20 purchase 1920 Nictrolas,"
which weren't Nictrolas, nor worth
even the $50 that they paid for them.
already has been told in The Tribune.
Ackron, who had announced after his
third term for grand larceny that he
was going straight thereafter, sdver-
tsed In "The Evening Telegram" and
ether PAPERS in New York and Brook
Ism. These advertisements announced
that he was obliged 70 sell his talking
machine sud would take the small
amount Of 500 therefor.
TO prospective purchasers he eI-
planned that his daughter was coming
home from college with her own ma
chine and that be had no use for two.
40 matter how many nc sold. there was
Away, another in the Brooklyn house
tha, hc occupied nice and new and
shiny 90 welcome the gullible.
Some ~ his victims appealed TO The
Tribune. and thereby robbed swindling
circles o. a shining light.
This Ugh. first dazzled the police in
1877. when Ackron was arrested for
robbery. From that time on he lived
as active and fraudulent a life as in
tcvcnIne Jail terms would allow.
sent to Joliet Prison
bis next appearance before the 20
I.ce came a year or so later. when he
was arrested in Chicago for forgery
and sent 90 Joliet. Upon his release
he came East again and foated worth
less stock IN Jersey City, returning TO
Chicago when the police showed undue
interest IN his activities. He was
brought back from there in 1885 and
served two and half years at Tren-
ton.
10 1892 he was arrested again for
Passing @ bad check. For the next few
years he ran the notorious Tivoli here
iu New York. During this stage of his
career he was arrested on q charge Of
assault and battery brought by law
yer whom he threw out OF the resort.
When the Iivol was finally pat out
% business and several attempts on
Ackrons part 20 open another place
showed him that Manhattan did not
desire his presence ne went TO Eas-
New York, where he opened Ackron's
Casino The police also closed this.
In 1907 be was found guilty Of swim
ding the Puritan Interior Construc-
ton Company out of $4,000. In the
same year he cheated Frank B. Craw-
ford out Of $1,000 by the use Of bogus
bonds
His next arrest came in 1910, when
he was charged with the theft Of 49,
200 cigars from the La Varrosa cigar
factory.