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Show MDHEWEALTH Swindler Who Jumped His Bail After Conviction in Los Angeles Resumed Operations in Gotham. DETECTIVES NOW LOOKING FOR HIM Operated in Oil Lands Under Un-der Partial-payment Plan and Made His Getaway With Much Cask -VF.W YORK. Feb. 11. Pr." .1. Grant Lyman, who is being sought by the federal authorities here on a charge ot' swindling investors in minim: stocks out of MOO.OOO or $1(10,000 by illegal use of the mails under the name of John 1-1 . Tut nam, lias been engaged in Gorman propaganda, according to a statement made tonight by post office inspectors. It is charged that ho has been supplying men prominent in governmental gov-ernmental circles in Berlin with information infor-mation obtained from the wife of an F.nglish army o flic or said to be a member mem-ber of the British general staff serving serv-ing in France. Lyman, the authorities say, met the British officer's wife in London, where he went after being convicted in Los ' Angeles in 1!'14 for mail swindles and jumping his bail. It is asserted that she came with him to this country, but returned some time ago. Member of Stock Exchange. Lyman, it also developed tonight, was once a member of tiie .New o; k stock exchange, lie was forced to sell i stat. it was .-aid, because he engaged en-gaged in the promotion of questionable question-able enterprises, including zinc mines, and the governors of tue exchnuge feared his operations would cause a scandal. The authorities say Lyman's proiits under the name of John H. Putnam f during his recent brief operations in this city were small as compared with sun's obtained in other parts of the country. Aside from cleaning up a fortune on Panama land development frauds, for which lie was con-d con-d in California, Lyman is cred-Td cred-Td with having made 5;i'io.i(:0 (T through his connection a few years ago with mining promotions. sqfts on Trail. Durham Tufts of Los Angeles, who was one of Lyman 's bondsmen when the swindler was convicted in the western city two years ago, has been on the fugitive's trail for six months. Tufts who has been in Xew York since ' last September vainly trying to locate 5 Lyman, said tonight he had spent more J than S3000 for private detectives. Al- f though Lyman was doing a thriving business in this city, the detectives reported, according to Tufts, he prob-ablv prob-ablv was in Europe. Tufts said he did not know of Lv-man Lv-man 's connection with Putnam & Co. until the concern collapsed yesterday. Destroyed Books. Lt is believed that Lyman Failed for Europe on the steamer Baltic yesterday, yester-day, and the polite of Liverpool, tiie vessel's first stop, have been asked by-cable by-cable to look for him. The receiver appointed for Putnam & Co. says that before leaving Xew York Lvnian destroyed de-stroyed the books of the fjrm"and took whatever assets he could find. Lyman is about 33 vears old. He first came to this city in 1838 and studied medicine. A lew years later he attracted attention by announcing the invention of a gold ear drum, with the aid of which, he claimed, the deaf could hear. Next he was heard of in Chicago, but returned here and established estab-lished himself as a broker. He apparently ap-parently had little difficulty in passing as a person of more than usual con sequence in the world of finance. In 1901 he became a member of the stock brokerage firm of Joshua Brown i Co. on lower Broadway. Putnam &: Co., which began business here on December 13 last, engaged in the sale of oil company stocks on the partial payment plan, promising returns of o0 per cent to investors, all over the country, according to the postof-gK. postof-gK. fie authorities. Investors who could " "W'1 1,:I-V ca-h are said to have been re-: ; iNired to deposit collateral. The value of th" collateral thus obtained has not been b-arned. but the authorities esti-i mated the firm's receipts in cash ag- I i gregated between $300,000 and ,400 - jooo. Thornet early todav joined with a (former employee in filing an involun-Itary involun-Itary petition in bankruptcy against John H. Putnam & Co. l.vman, accord-I accord-I ing to the authorities. d"rew $300,000 j from one bank here before he disap-l disap-l pea red. Thornet Confesses. Thornet, who o; 6rst insisted that j he had obtained employment from Ly- ,' man through answering an advertise- ment in a newspaper, admitted after ; his arrest tonight, postotiiee inspectors i said, that he. had known Lyman for vears and that in January, 191 1, he helped him escape from a ' prison 'hospital 'hos-pital at Oakland, Cal., where he (Thornet) (Thor-net) was employed hh a nurse. Lyman, he said, had injured his leg in previously pre-viously trying to escape capture. The escape from the hospital was accomplished with an automobile, but. Lyman and Thornet were caught a week latgx and sent to the McNeil's island prison. Cpon his release two vears later Lyman was returned to Los Angeles, where he was tried for Panama land development frauds, lie is said to have won the sympathy of many persons, - including a clergyman and a wealthy orange grower, by reporting re-porting his own trial for Los Angeles newspapers. The clergyman and orange or-ange grower, according to Thornet, furnished fur-nished a bond of $20,000 for him to appeal from the verdict convicting hiin, : but fearing an adverse decision, Lyman .lumped the bail. Career on Coast. PA X FRANCISCO. Fch. 11. "Dr." John Grant Lyman was reported to be In France, possibly in the allierl trenches, according to Paul Scbenck of Cos An-eelcs. An-eelcs. RUorney for l.ynuin. who appearprj Monday in the Culled States circuit court nf appeals to ask that res of about $1500 for an appeal on a sentence of eighteen moii'lts. for usins the malls to flefraud. lo liven". Me offered two-year-old aftl-ifunts aftl-ifunts of pove'le made by Lvinan The j iu.nl refused to accept Lyman's uld afli- davits of pauperism and domanded morn recent ones. Schenr-k. it ks3 nnid, holds Lyman's' note for $2.1,000 lor lecal servjros. Lyman w:is reputrd to have rb?alt with the Inte King Leopold of Belgium. During Dur-ing his trial v. itnesses oLime from many parts of the world to testify roncernine the alleged sa! of l;nid in Panama at S.ri an acre. Whllp held on another charge here. Lynum csr-npod and fuhsr-quentlv served tun yr-ars t Mr-il's island (oi his bioak for llhcrty. lie H HL la mo un bail bund uf $l'U,Oou pending his appeal. J |
