The sun., 1919-06-07
SWINDLER HIT RICH
NEW WORKERS HARD
"Count Loudon" With U-Boat
Weapon and Daniels Forger-
les Got About 81, 100000.
LONG CRIMINAL RECORD
Arrested in st. Louis and Will
Be Brought Here to Face
Dupes in Court.

Swindles and forgeries totalling per-
maps a million dollars figure in the lat
est adventures OF that lurid character
known as Count Max Lynar Loudon."
A Number of prominent New Workers.
are cast as victims in the drama barred
by the arrest Of the Count on Thurs
DAY night In St Louis, while letters
bearing the forged signature Of Secretary
OF the Navy Daniels and patents for a
boat that wac 20 have overcome the
submariae menace form some of the
many theatrical properties used.
The man who again presents Count"
Max" to the public Is Detective Joseph
Russo of the District Attorneys office,
who traced Loudon TO his Western re-
treat after an investigation of four
weeks Russo 10 on his way to St Louis
to take charge of the swindler and bring
him back to New York.
This latest episode In the career Of
the bogus count Is the more amazing
because he was able TO perpetrate Il
without any disguise and under the
same name that he had used for pre-
vlous operations. 1t was as Max Lynar"
and Max Lynar Loudon" that the pub
lie read of him In 1915, when he was
sent to the penitentiary by Judge
RosalslSy for having three wives. and
when he told the court that he had
saved Canada from invasion from the
United States by an army Of German
reservfsts. At that time he boosted in
timacy with Won Bernstorff, Won Papen,
Rintelen and other German plotters, and
said that he had been hired to recruit
force Of 10000 Teuton reservists here
Tor the purpose OF taking possession of
the Welland Canal munition centres
and other strategic points IN Canada.
Jumps His $1,000 bail bond.
1t was as Max Lynar" that he finally
got out OF prison on q writ OF habeas
corpus, furnishing a $4,000 bond, which
he has now forfeited, and 1t was as
Max Lynar" that he jumped a $4,000
ball bond in Newburgh, where he is
named In eleven indictments charging
him with defrauding James D. Lacey,
wealthy timber man, OF $4,000.
Nevertheless It was under the same
name that he was able about a year ago
to win the trust and confidence Of Will
lam II. Barnard. secretary OF the In
ternational Salt Company. and OF l.. NJ.
Rankin. wealthy shipbuilder. and to get
Joel Mitchell Chapple. editor of the Ma
tiond! MoodEine, to give him a pun in
the form OF an article boosting q boat
Of his invention.
This boat was the motif Of his extern
sive get his quick operations He OBJ
tanned patents for II on March 3 of last
year, at which time it's good qualities
were supposed to lie in the fact that II
had no hold at all. 1t lay on the sur
face Of the water on totally fiat
bottom, for which reason a torpedo
which Is designed TO strike ten or twenty
feet below the water line would pass
nicely under II. The boat as patented
had I'm keel
One small craft was constructed along
the lines indicated In the plans for pur-
poses OF demonstration.
From what followed Il appears that
Max Lynar's" interest centred not 90
much upon tho service which his in
vention was to be to the world as upon
the amount of cash that he could realize
on It by fair means or foul before the
police should get on his trail.
Accordingly. he set out cultivating
wealthy acquaintance. making a deep
impression upon Mr.. Barnard, who ad-
vanced him funds for expenses and per-
United his own address at Eighty-ninth
street and Riverside Drive TO be placed
upon 'Lynars" cards.
Thus established under the wing OF
one we'll known in the business and
financial world. Count Max" proceeded
to make the best of his opportunities.
He opened offices at 116 Nassau street,
where he had a staff of employees and
pretended to carry on business for the
Tonga Trading and Transportation
Company, Inc" and other corporations
of his Imagination.
Finally the Count was inspired to 20
to Washington at Mr.. Barnaru's expense
ostensibly for the purpose OF visiting
the Navy Department with small
model OF his boat and arranging q big
deal with the Government.
According to reports from The Navy
Department. however. he saw no one OF
consequence at, the national capital. He
visited the Navy Department Just lone
enough TO steal a batch OF Official letter
heads, which he took to his hotel. Upon
these he wrote strong letters OF praise
for his boat, IN which IL was stated that
the Government would be glad to grasp
the opportunity offered by the invention
Each OF these letters he signed "Josephus
Daniels. Secretary OF the Navy"
Max wired Mr.. Barnard for $3.50 for
expenses and got 1t. Then began the
grand cleanup. Exhibiting these letters
to rich residents OF this city whose
names the District Attorneys office re.
fused 10 divulge yesterday the Coun,
negotiated for the sale OF his interest In
the patents.
Loudon found his game easy. and with
lightning speed he sold his interest over
twenty times within few days. getting
always good sized bundle of cash.
In addition. he suddenly launched a
mass OF forged checks. being clever
enough to present none Of them for pay
ment himself. His scheme was to sign
tho name OF one or his influential friends
and then get another to cash 1t for him.
So he stung a prominent lawyer with
offices in the Woolworth Building.
One sample OF the Counts handlwork
made the formal basis OF a complaint
against him. was a $500 check. to
which he forged the name Of his bene-
factor. Mr.. Barnard. He cashed this
with another OF his acquaintance.
Time for Max 10 Disappear.
Obviously the time had come fU
Count Max" to vanish from public life
as he had done on various occasions be-
fore. So on May ~. when the checks
began to come back through the mails
he was among tho missing.
Various wealthy New Workers. began
at once to clamor to the police and great
was their surprise when they recognized
the Rogues Gallery portrait OF their
friend and learned OF his long, long
record in courts. jails. ct cetra.
Detective Russo was put on the trail
with Detective Joseph Lustig. also OF the
District Attorneys stan. assisting him
and together they worked day and night
covering certain old cronies Of the MISS
ing Max. Finally Russo found In q
three room apartment on Third avenue
near Fourteenth street a woman who
proved to be the none other than the
Countess Leila Jensen AIlendorf, who
was one Of LYnar,a thrAa wlYea for n