Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1922-02-16
Contemplate I'M
POSTER B.F.DUFfLEY
YEAR IN JAIL

Bangor. Me-. Feb 15-Bernard
Francis Duffley, alias H. S. Leland,
alias F. 3. Dufi1ey, of Newport and 20
years ago a resident of Andover,
pleaded guilty Tuesday in the United
States district court here to two in
dictments for violation of the act Of
April IS, 1884, now Section so Of the
United States Criminal Code, his Of
fence being the impersonation OF a
government officer. He was SEN
fenced to years imprisonment on
each, the sentences to run concur
rently.
The imposter operated extensively,
people in Old Town, Saltwater.
Orono Veazie, Corinth. Charles
ton. Sebec. Dexter, Bangor. Brewer,
Hampden, Prospect, Stockton and
many other places including Augusta,
Hallowell, Manchester. Gardiner and
elsewhere in the lower Kennebec Sec
ton, as well as in Cumberland and
York counties.
1t is said to have been his custom
to inquire for all pensioners in any
| locality visited and then convince
| them Of a duty to cooperate with
the United States government in cor
recting and replacing military rec
ords of the Civil War. which he rep
resented to be crumbling or faded,
and alleged that he had been sent to
| interview all veterans and widows of
veterans. His intended victims were
| nJaSfjnnaA-slC IN on6 rnoi-
ment and pretense made of taking
notes. after which each was told that
a new record of the veterans service
would be prepared on some indie
structible material and that they, by
a payment then and more when the
J record should be delivered, would
| be furnished duplicate of the gov
| eminent record in form suitable to be
an ornament and family heritage.
! The story differed somewhat as diff
| fcrent homes were visited. some be-
ing made to think that the record
would be on a flag, framed certifi-
cate. book. or bronze medal.
Some who declined to pay were up
braided with lack of patriotism and.
| in case of widows, with lack of re-
gard for the deceased soldier-hus-
band
Poverty or ill-health on the part of
a victim did not deter the imposter.
At North Bangor totally blind vet
eran paid $3.50 on demand Of the i'm
poster: at Neaze q naval veteran,
! blind in one eye and with partial
paralysis contributed like sum,
while those pitifully lame, so deaf as
to be unable to realize much Of what
was said, and some so critically
i'll that death came a few days later,
were the subjects of imposture
| through the belief on the part of
their relatives that an interested and
| appreciative government was about
to perpetuate their service record and
that an official memc-.to of their mil
itary service could be had for preser-
walton by their posterity.
| TO a veteran in Brewer lie claimed
| TO have visited and arranged for de-
| livery of records" to 2,S00 persons in
Maine.
None Of the victims has received
anything in return for what was eX-
| torted.
Some impotence with the delay in
bringing the case to trial may have
! been felt by those who have heard
within the year and q half of the i'm
| posters work, but, as stated by Judge
| Peters in his admirable address of
| instruction to the present Federal
grand jury last week: Under our
| system of government there can be
no crime against the United States
unless made so by statute; that is by
| an act of Congress-, and, while the
| man might be punishable under State
| laws for "obtaining money by false
prctenses,' the only operations which
could bring him into the United
states court would be such as were
| in conflict with law passed in Pres
ident Arthur's administration which
| made penal offense of pretending to
be It government officer or employee
and obtaining money or other things
of value by such prctense.
1t was inevitable that with such a
proportion of his victims infirm or
very aged. many would be found who
would have no very clear recollection
of the imposter's language and who
paid him without much thought other
than that here was an opportunity to
cooperate in good work: and that
they got the impression that the
government was being represented,
without being able to quote the words
of the imposter by which he created
such an impression.
The bureau of pensions at Wash
ington first learned Of Duff1ey's OPP
erations through a complaint made to
+. l.. Howard, special pension exam
iner in the New England district, by a
member of a family of a Bangor
pensioner. which was followed by one
from Stockton Springs Mr.. Howard
was directed to investigate and has
taken much testimony tending to
show Just what the imposter was do
ing and which has formed the
grounds for summoning witnesses by
the United States Attorney, J. +. A.
Merrill, of Portland.
The commissioner of pensions at
Washington has taken much interest
in the effort to bring the imposter to
punishment and protect pensioners
from further imposition. Special Ex-
aminer Howard was authorized to CO.
operate with both Federal and State |
officers to that end.
United States Attorney Merrill in
his address to the Court before SEN
tence was pronounced. stated that |
the crime and practices Of the impos-
ter in swindling class Of persons