The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1937-08-26
Stamp Out Gigantic Stumble
in the United State Mails

Postmaster General James A.
Farley announced last night that,
through the efforts of the Post Of
flee Department, another gigantic
swindle carried on through use OF
the United States mails, which net
ted it's operators approximately
one million dollars and numbered
among it's victims individuals in
every state of the Union, Canada,
Mexico and Cuba, has been stamp
ed out. It was also pointed out
that twenty-four members of var
ious groups engaged in this fraud
against the public have been
brought to trial and convicted.
This latest swindle to receive the
attention of postal inspectors in
volved the promotion of the myth
cal Baker" or Becker estates in
the State of Pennsylvania, particu-
larly in the city and county OF
Philadelphia. The promoters OF
this racket represented to their
victims that they had indisputable
proof of the existence of these es-
tates, which included properties in
the very heart of Philadelphia,
worth approximately sixty million
dollars. In addition, Independence
Hall, Franklin Square and the
grave of Benjamin Franklin, as
well as the Post Office and the
United States Mint in Philadelphia
were included by these promoters
as being Baker" property. Broad
Street Station Of the Pennsylvania
Railroad and the abutments on the
Philadelphia side Of the Delaware
River Bridge, were, likewise, given
as part Of the Baker" estate,
Then, to make the proposition
more attractive to the intended vic
TINS, there were added to the Bak-
er estate eleven thousand acres OF
valuable coal, lead and zinc lands
throughout the State of Pennsyl-
vania.
A so-called will, dated December
u, 1889, and claimed to have been
executed by one Jacob Baker, was
used by the promoters Of this
swindle to obtain money from
their victims. The will purported
to dispose of the valuable property
mentioned in the City Of Philadel-
phia and the mineral lands through
out the state to so-called heirs of
Baker. The scheme of some Of the
groups carrying on the racket was
to solicit money through the mails
and otherwise for the pretended
purpose of probating the alleged
will. If the perosn solicited was not
a Baker or Becker descendent,
then he was sold a share in the
mythical estate. Other groups SOL
icited "enrollments" at ten or
twenty dollars each. In addition
to membership" with monthly
dues.
Inspectors assigned to this work
thought it very unusual that an
authentic will to such valuable
property should remain unprotected
for almost one hundred years.
Through court proceedings the al
legged will was obtained. Inspectors
caused the paper and the writing
thereon to be analysed by a chem
ical engineer and handwriting ex-
pert. It was discovered that the
paper on which the will was writ
ten was not manufactured until
about 1890, over fifty years after
its date. The paper had been arti-
ficially aged. The signatures OF
the witnesses to the will had been
forged, it was discovered. The in
formation thus obtained by the in
spectors proved beyond a doubt
that the promoters were attempt
ing to pass off forged and spur
ious instrument to the thousands
of persons, who believed and were
led to believe they were heirs to a
vast estate.
AS the will in question and re-
presentations of the promoters
called for property throughout
Pennsylvania as part of the alleged
inheritance, it became necessary
for the inspectors to trace IN ana
out of the name Of Baker or
Becker" and various companies
in which they were interested
every piece of real estate In the
sixty-seven counties of Pennsyl-
vania from 1852 to the present
time. Over four hundred days were
consumed in this work. The search
disclosed that none of the property
called for in the alleged will was
owned by a Jacob Baker or any
other Baker at the time it was
purported to have been executed.
It was further ascertained that
there is no vast unsettled and UNI
distributed Baker or Becker es-
tate anywhere in the State Of
Pennsylvania
Another false claim Of the pro-
moters Of this swindle was that
Jacob Baker or some other Baker
had executed a 99-year lease to one
Martin Yalas on property upon
which most Of the buildings In
Philadelphia now stand.
The inspectors found that the
promoters had represented tina.
various banks and trust companies
in Philadelphia were holding mil
lions Of dollars for Baker heirs
which sums were supposed to re-
present rentals and other collec-
lions resulting from the alleged
09-year leases executed by the Ba-
ker ancestors years ago. Ut was
discovered by the inspectors that
not q single penny was held by
any Of the financial institutions