MODERN BUCCANEER

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21542, 14 January 1932, Page 14

MODERN BUCCANEER

ASTOUNDING ESCAPADES KIDNAPPED CABINET : Nothing that Mr Edgar Wallace has written is more exciting and more astounding than many of the stories which Mr Charles Carew recounts in a book of the methods by which masters of forgery have defrauded banks. The book is a portrait gallery of misguided geniuses who possessed originality, executive ability, and audacity that must have won them eminence among honest men. Instead, they dissipated their gifts by methods that almost inevitably earned for them early death or imprisonment (says a writer in the Melbourne Argus). “ Commodore ” Weever, the confidence man, of Boston, is conspicuous even among such an impressive collection of warped characters. Mr Carew says that “of all plausible and clever swindlers there is none more amazing,’’ and that the career of Weever, who died a few years ago in San Francisco, is “ surely unparalleled in the annals of international crime.” Weever was brought up in a strict Methodist' home in Washington, and he became a candidate for the ministry. An Armenian Christian, persuasive and humble, appeared in the district of the theological college, and told harrowing stories of the sufferings of his fellows at the hands of the Turks. Weever attached himself to the Armenian, and soon the subscriptions, which were deposited in a bank, amounted to a large sum. One day Weever found that the Armenian had drawn TOGO dollars (£200). The next morning Weever drew 31,000 dollars (£6200). The Armenian howled with fury, but Weever calmly denounced him as an impostor. He produced evidence which entirely discredited the visitor, who fled. Weever left also, taking with him the 31,000 dollars. He went to Boston.

In Boston, Weever lived a double life. He lived respectably with his wife, a young woman of good family, and at the same time haunted the “ underworld.” One of his respectable friends was a bank manager. One night the manager was robbed of his keys, and 20.000 dollars (£4000) was stolen from the safe at the bank. Weever was supected of having directed the robbery, but there was no evidence against him until a shopkeeper recognised a note which Weever tendered as one that had been taken from the bank. Weever quickly sensing bis peril, ran from the shop. A SPECTACULAR FLIGHT.

Weever was an excellent sailin'. With the police of Boston almost at his heels he took a small boat and rowed into the harbour. There he saw a splendid little yacht, the property of a member of the wealthy Vanderbilt family. tie boarded the yacht, and soon sailed from the harbour. Unaided lie reached Key West, in Florida. There he sailed into the harbour, fired a little three-pound iron in the bow, and dropped anClior He confronted the Customs officers, dressed in a smart yachting suit. The story he told was a brilliant invention. A hurricane had struck the ship, he sail, and he and the crew were being transferred to another ship when the ropes broke, and be was left alone on the yacht. In the morning the storm abated and he was able to make port. Weever was bailed as a hero, and as a feted guest he found opportunities to employ the knowledge which he had gained in the “ underworld ” of Boston. A bank advanced him 20,000 dollars (£4OOOI upon the security of the yacht, and in three days he slipped away with that sum and 100.000 dollars £20,000) more which he had won in the most exclusive and most speculative gambling club on the coast of Florida. Weever sailed back to Boston. He went to the owner of the yacht aud told him

that lie had stolen his vessel and had sailed to Key West and back in it to win a wager. Not only did he tender apologies, but he offered to buy the yacht. The millionaire was a sportsman. He congratulated the,young man, and sold him the yacht cheaply. Weever then returned home, and within 10 minutes he was arrested and was charged with having uttered a stolen note. His defence was a complete alibi. He produced three persons who swore that they had seen him off for Key West the day before the alleged offence had been committed. One of' the witnesses was the millionaire. He had been tricked into undertaking to give such evidence whenever called upon on the plea that Weever might otherwise find himself in trouble for having stolen the yacht. Weever bestowed upon himself the rank of “commodore,’’ and sailed for Nicaragua. KIDNAPPING A CABINET.

The self-styled commodore presented a draft for 30,000 dollars (£6000) drawn in his favour by a business house at San Francisco on the Latin South American Bank. The draft appeared to be in order, and it would have been honoured except that Nicaragua was in ' a condition of political unrest. Every foreigner was suspected of gun-running or other rebellious practices. The bank delayed payment of the draft in order to show it to the military commander. In the meantime it was found that the document was a forgery. Weever was arrested and his yacht confiscated. That night the Conservative President wag arrested by rebel forces, and a Liberal leader and insurgent was placed in a very shaky Presidential chair for the time being.. The coup d’etat was the signal for a general “ gaol delivery.” Weever convinced the authorities that he was a soldier of fortune, who had come to Nicaragua to place himself, his yacht, and Ins wealth at the disposal of the Liberal leader. The charge of forgery, he alleged, was a fake. Weever was taken to the President’s palace, and was treated with signal honour. The new President feared the old Cabinet. So long as the Conservative Ministers remained alive they were a menace, but to have them killed would be to make them martyrs. Would Weever ship the old Cabinet away? Most assuredly he would. The temporary administrator of the bank was directed to honour the draft, and the former Preident and his Ministers were smuggled aboard the Norn,i and were placed under hatches. Off Lima the Norna fell in with a Greek schooner that was flying signals of distress. Fever had killed many of the crew, mutiny was feared, and the captain begged the “ commodore ” to let him have several men. The Cabinet was transferred to the schooner, and it was compelled to make the dread journey round the Horn in mid-winter to Australia. Weever asked the Greek captain to work the chief of police, who hud had him arrested, very hard at some particularly dirty job. TERRIBLE REVENGE.

Upon his. return to Nicaragua Weaver proceeded to make hay while the Liberal sun shone. American banks were tricked with forged draft after forged draft, which purported to be made out in favour of Wecvcr by men who were in the Nicaraguan prison. It was difficult to prove the forgeries, and it was impossible to refuse payment, because, however much the documents might have been suspected to dishonour them might have kept innocent men in prison. A counter-revolution succeeded, and the Liberal President and Weevcr fled to San Francisco. Weaver’s object was to clear bis box at the safe deposit, hut he wag arrested and charged with having forged and uttered a number of bank drafts. His box at the safe deposit was opened and bank notes were produced which, it was proved, had been paid to Weever through Nicaraguan banks. While the criminal prosecution was proceeding Weaver's lawyers won an action against the Safe Deposit Company for having interfered with the property of their client. An appeal by the company was

pending when news arrived of the kidnapping of the Conservative Cabinet of Nicaragua. San Francisco roared with laughter and Weever was regarded as a hero. There were others who did not treat the escapade lightly. An arrangement was made to extradite Weever, and the former Liberal President on charges of having “ kidnapped men , with intent to make' profit by their enforced labour. Weever discreetly , forfeited the bail to which he had been admitted by the Criminal Court, and once again he disappeared. Upon the afternoon of the departure of the Norna an Albion man left a large, heavy package at the safe deposit. That night the safe deposit was destroyed by a terific explosion. One policeman and four night-watchmen perished. The Safe Deposit Company had beaten Weever, but his revenge was terrible. TWICE MORE.

Having successfully resisted proceedings to have him extradited from San Sebastian (Spain), Weever sailed to Hongkong. With a- man named Pearson he bought a valuable Chinese concession in Chile and paid for it with a cheque and a draft, which apparently had been drawn upon the Bank of Australasia by a wealthy Australian. Then lie was arrested. The American Consul sought to have him extradited on charges of murder, the destruction of the safe deposit at San Francisco, and the frauds in Nicaragua. The proceedings lasted for some weeks, and in the meantime the draft and the cheque on the Australian bank were returned marked “ Forgery.” Weever then boldly withdrew Iris objection to extradition, and he was taken in custody to San Francisco. The evidence against him was woefully weak, and lie was discharged, to fall into another net. The bank at Hongkong demanded, his extradition there on a charge of forgery. When he appeared in the court the wealthy Australian explained that there had been an error, acknowledged the signature on the cheque as genuine, and publicly apologised to the “ commodore. ’ The truth was, it is said, that the concession in Chile had trebled in value, and Weever had thus been able to extricate himself from bis dangerous situation. ROGUES FALL OUT.

Wecvcr, who had now acquired a piquant reputation as a sportsman, and as a victim of political rivalries in South America, wandered about Europe in his yacht. At Cowes, in England, he claimed the acquaintance of Lord Charles Beresford, who presented him to King Edward, then Prince of Wales. He won £14,000 at cards in two days. While in Britain ho interested an influential syndicate in an island in tiie Pacific, and decamped with £20,000. The island, however, proved to have the mineral deposits which Wcever claimed that it had. and eventually it turned out to be an excellent speculation. He travelled to watering places in Europe and Africa, and operated various “ confidence ” tricks with Pearson. Then Pearson was arrested, and Weever left him to his fate. After having served a sentence of three years. Pearson began a long pursuit of his former confederate. His rage was intensified when he learned that his beautiful wife had divorced him and had become Mrs Wecvcr. The two swindlers met in San Francisco. Wcever sought to trick his enmity, but eventually Pearson shot him. Before he died a miserable death. Weever made a confession in which ho admitted many crimes, including the destruction of the safe deposit at San Francisco. His wife obtained his estate of £150.000. and then she returned to live with her first husband, Pearson.