Twenty Years a Detective in the Wickedest City in the WorldWooldridge, Clifton R. (Clifton Rodman)
History
Twenty Years a Detective in the Wickedest City in the World
Wooldridge, Clifton R. (Clifton Rodman)
Crime -- Illinois -- Chicago; Police -- Illinois -- Chicago
No matrimonial agency in the world can do this for you,
nor do I think such an opportunity will ever occur to you
again, so kindly sign the enclosed form and return it to me
immediately with the small fee necessary, or do not write
me at all. No harm will have been done by having submitted
the proposition to you, but if you cannot take immediate
advantage of it, I simply will not correspond further in
the matter. Trusting that you will see your way clear, and
wishing you well, I am,
Very sincerely,
G. H. CANNON.
[Illustration: OPINIONS DIFFER]
The above are illustrations of the method. Cannon, Rev. Spencer and
Attorney Edwards are all one and the same man. We now turn to a
few special examples of differences of procedure among the various
bureaux.
A PERSISTENT OFFENDER.
One of the most successful operators who ever invaded Chicago with
matrimonial schemes was one John Carson, who, on April 8, 1908, was
fined $1,000 and costs for misuse of the United States mails after
he had plead guilty to the charge, which was preferred by Inspector
Ketcham.
Carson, at one time or another, operated no less than eighteen
concerns of this nature. He was first discovered in 1902 in Chicago by
Detective Wooldridge, operating no less than five matrimonial and fake
concerns simultaneously. These concerns were:
The Loretta Matrimonial Publishing Co., 98 Ogden Ave.
The Unida Matrimonial Publishing Co., 408 Ogden Ave.
Mr. John's Matrimonial Publishing Co., 565 West Madison St.
Mr. J. C. Hills Matrimonial Agency, 565 West Madison St.
The Chicago Mutual Securities Co., a Chicago Medicine
concern, 567 W. Madison St.
Carson evaded arrest and fled to St. Louis, where he was shortly
afterward arrested by the postal authorities and sentenced to eighteen
months in the State Penitentiary at Jefferson City, in addition to a
fine of $500.
BOBS UP AGAIN.
In 1904 Carson bobbed up again in Chicago. Since that time his record
is best given from a report made to Chief of Police John M. Collins
by Detective Wooldridge, who repeatedly broke up Carson's games. The
report, in part, is as follows:
Feb. 9, J. H. Carson Woods' Advertising Agency, 62 Ada St.
Goods confiscated; fined $25.
March 9, 1904, J. H. Carson, Mill's Advertising Agency, 71
W. Lake St. Fined $15.
May 4, 1904, J. H. Carson, alias J. H. Hayes, 408 Ogden
Ave., raided. Literature seized and destroyed by order of
court.
May 4, 1904, J. H. Carson, alias J. H. Hayes, 255 Madison
St., raided. Literature seized and destroyed by order of
court.
Nov. 15, 1904, J. H. Carson, alias J. W. Bessie, 480 Ogden
Ave., raided. Arrested; released; writ of habeas corpus.
Nov. 15, 1904, J. H. Carson, alias J. W. Bessie, 67
Flournoy St., raided. Arrested; released; writ of habeas
corpus.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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