Indiana daily times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1914-1922, 1920-01-05
CHAPPIE Barred
AS MAN BEHIND
GRAIN SWINDLE
POstoffice' Inspector Gets Phila'
delphia Record of Prisoner
Here.
WAS KING WIRE TAPER

Further exploits of Charles "Chappie"
Moran, held in the Marion county jail
awaiting sentence upon his plea Of guilty
10 a federal grand jury indictment charg-
ing him with having been member OF
the Muncie fake fight swindle gang are
revealed in a clipping from the Phila-
delphia North American, which reached
the hands OF PostoGice Inspector H. Il.
WATSON here today.
Moran was well known to the police
and newspaper men Of the cast before
he began to operate In the middle west
several years ago, the article indicates.
The story printed by the North American
IL as follows:
contributors to the expensive up
keep of Charles ("Chapple'') Moran in
every state in the union, and particularly
in Philadelphia, will find tid1ngs OF great
Joy in the news that he was surren-
dered to the police, this time in In
dianapolis.
CALLED BRAINS OF BIG
GRAIN sWINDLE GANG.
"'Chappie' has a habit of surrenderinQ
every time the cops have about given Up
hope of finding him, but this time he is
under conviction for participation in the
notorious Muncie swindles for which
Mayor Rollin Bunch of Muncie and Hor-
ace Murphy, lawyer are HoN SeA FlA-
prison terms
am this CITY Moran is best known as
the man behind the big grain and broker
age swindle exposed by the North Amer
lean in 1908 when it was shown that Mo
ran was the brains of Clark, Drake y
Harper This firm had offices in the
Bourse building, two doors from those
Of the Con stock exchange, and Its
rooms also connected with the offices Of
one Of "Chappie's" pet copper swindline
companies.
f'FoIlowing the North Americans expo
sure. all these offices were closed. Moran
and Larry Summerfe1d his partner, were
held in heavy bail here. They promptly
Jumped 1t. But that reminded New Yorl
authorities of some wire tapping swindles
Moran had worked there, and he was ar
rested when he reached New York.
after being a fugitive from Justice II
this city for six years, Moran showed VI
well dressed and nonchalant as ever il
federal court He managed to conviRe'
the court that he was only an employ'
of his swindllng companies and he was
released with a fine of $50. 'Chappie
had hard time not to laugh right out
loud in court.
SOMETIMES CALLED
KING OF WIRE TAPPERs.
moran sometimes IS called the k1ng
Of wire tappers.' He was first arrested
as far back as 1900 for taking a New
Yorker into camp on this scheme, which
was then relatively new His plan wa
to tell his sucker that he had means Of
tapping wires to pool rooms and coulC
get advance information on results o.
the races.
Ordinary confidence men gave III
this scheme as impossible years ago. Blu
Moran worked 1t in nearly every stat
in the east and generally made his get
away before the police got on the Job.
by way Of variety, he showed IN II
Chicago few years ago and convince,
rich widow that he was her nephew
The story came out after she discovere,
that Nephew Chappie' was expensiv
and that he had cost her about $500
and had blamed It on somebody else.
1.-THE grain swindle operated in thi
city by Moran advertised to investor
that their money would be placed in