The Canon City record with which is consolidated the Canon City cannon., 1919-09-25
WHOLESALE FRAUD
CHARGED BY U. S..
AGAINST A HINDU
WHO VISITS CANON
Did Not Operate Here. Tho
Spent Week in Town-Taken
in Salida.

Five thousand victims were fieeced
and $4,000 OF their money taken by
Prof. Or. Tony w. Conrov, declares
Postoffice Inspector J. "a. Niles OF Ne
cedah, Wis, on whose order Conroy
was arrested in Salida last Thursday,
having gone there from this city. Con
roy planned TO open an office in Canon
City, ad spent nearly week here be-
fore going on TO Salida, evidently
thinking this town too wise for his
operations. Conroy has visited nearly
every state in the Union, says Nj
Niles, and has found ready victims
awaiting him. He has been operating
for II years, and the postoffice author
titles have been on his trail since April
of last year.
"Conroy poses as a phrenologist,"
said Inspector Niles. He declared he
is Hindu-lrishman, born in London.
and that he has special powers. He
says he is 81 years old, but the rec
ords of the grand jury in Michigan
show that he was indicted five years
ago on an uncomfortable charge and
that he gave his age as Sc years.
After telling the fortune of a vic
tim, Conroy induced the sucker TO
buy a chance in soap box lottery in
the island of Trinidad. He assured
the victim that the spirits had tod
him this victim would win $4,000.
tn civ victim the
lucky number for s61.9O and promised
to be in town on a certain date to get
the money out of the bank. A few
weeks later he wrote from another
city stating that he had MADE mis-
take and that the agent of the lottery
told him the price had been raised, so
that ii would be necessary to send him
$3.50 more. About the time The lot
terry money was due, Conroy would
write his victim from another town
thst he he'd lust returned from Cali
fornia where he had met bad luck. He
was robbed and beaten up and needed
money He asked for o12 to SIS.
This was the last the victim would
hear from Conroy. The number of
victims is surprisingly large and they
live in all parts OF the country. He
admits securing $4,000 in this manner
and he spent more than $4,000 in rail.
road fares in seven years.
"Conroy covered his tracks by in
forming the victim that a lottery is
contrary to United States law and
that il the police heard about il both
the victim and Conroy would be ar
rested. He induced the victims to
write their names and addresses on
several envelopes and these he used
in writing the letters later, so that
his handwriting could not be traced
He made his headquarters in Indian
apolis and sent certain letters to
woman there, who mailed an enclosed
letter to victim, so that Conroy ap-
peared to be in Indianapolis when he
was many miles away.
I'VE secured trace OF this woman,
who appears to be also an innocent
victim, and through her we secured
the information that he would be in
Salida this week. We wired to have
him held
When Conroy's trunk was opened it
contained the most varied assortment
of stuff imaginable. Everything was
wrapped in paper and tied with string
Letters from victims and other evil
dence against him were found. He
refused to acknowledge at first ant
victims, but as case after case was
presented to him, Inspector Niles
says, Conroy admitted them with
laugh.
Deputy United States Marshal Bur-
ris, son of Marshal Burris. came down
from Denver yesterday for the pris-
oner.
When Inspector Niles asked Conrov
what he had done with tne money col
lected from his victims, he stated that
he was one Of IL apostles working
under a chief who lives in San Fran.
cisco, and that one of the other apos-
ties would come weekly and take the
money. He said 1t would not always
be the same apostle, and that the apos-
ties used various names. Inspector
Niles regards these statements as fab
rication as well as his statements
about his age and that he is the ia
Their of six children born at the same
time.
The penalty for using the mails to
defraud, with which Conroy is charged
is fine of $4,000 and five years in
the penitentiary on each count