ERDNASE

Discuss general aspects of Genii.
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Zenner
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Re: ERDNASE

Postby Zenner » September 25th, 2015, 6:24 am

Bill Mullins wrote:Peter -- if you want to believe that the upper floors of 325 State were a hotel/ rooming house/ lodging whatever, I've got no beef with that. Obviously a bunch of people lived there in 1900.


Oh Bill, how many times do I have to repeat this - I got the information from the 1900 Census. Jacob Schram [sic], "Saloon Keeper" and his "servant" were listed at 325 and William Kerr and his family and his 23 "lodgers" were also listed at 325. I assumed that because of them being at the same number, they were parts of the same business. My mistake was because of the "chaos" regarding street numbering before 1911.

William Kerr was described as a "Hotel Keeper". He had 23 "lodgers". This wasn't just a bloke with a spare room; it was a business - and as a business, letting furnished rooms, he was listed in that Business Directory you kindly provided a link for.

But there is no reason to believe that the upper floors of 321/323 was a part of the same hotel.


321 and 323 were street level businesses - the first was a saloon and the second was Dr Sweany's office during the whole of the Erdnase period. Neither businesses occupied the floors above them. They were accessed up the stairs through the door to the right of 323. They were occupied in 1900 by William Kerr and his rooms. Later, as shown in the photographs of the businesses on that corner, they were occupied by the army recruitment office and later still by the Stewart Radio Service, still using that door to the right of 323 and occupying both of the two floors above numbers 321 and 323.

The two upper floors WERE the hotel (or whatever you want to call it). It looks from your buildings plan as if Dr Sweany's office was only the front of 323, so MAYBE the "hotel" also occupied that space on the ground floor behind Sweany's office.

Arguing against it:

1. The fire insurance map shows a solid masonry wall from ground level to roof between 323 and 325. There was no internal access between the two buildings. I tend to think this is highly reliable, since this sort of information is exactly why fire insurance maps existed.


It is now obvious that there were two number 325s and they were in adjacent buildings. The confusion was sorted out in 1911 when the upstairs premises were renumbered 505 and the saloon next door (Schram's/Trogisch's) was renumbered 507. Yes there would be a solid wall between the door to 325/505 and the door to 325/507; they were separate buildings.

It's the "chaotic" numbering that has caused the confusion and your unwillingness to accept that there was a business on that corner where you could hire a room is making it more difficult!

2. The 1932 photo of 321 through 325 shows that the two buildings are separately constructed and are distinct from each other.


The original numbering of the businesses in that corner building was 321, 323 and 325. Then (unfortunately for me!) there was another 325 on the other side of that "solid masonry wall".

There is no reason to believe that 321 State/61 Congress had a hotel.


321 State was a saloon bar on the ground floor of a building also occupied by a doctor's office at 323 and up the stairs at 325 were Kerr's rooms. William Kerr referred to himself as a "Hotel Keeper" and Marshall Smith referred to it being a very cheap hotel. There is EVERY reason to believe that there was a business in that building on the corner of Congress and State Streets where you could hire a room. Call it what you like; it served one purpose - to let rooms.

And as far as Marshall Smith, I think he expressed confidence about the "East side of State", but not so much about the exact corner or address. So it could have been any of the hotels on that street, including the Bartl/State hotel (which, as I showed earlier, did have north-facing windows.)


Martin Gardner said that Smith recalled the occasion vividly. He is the only person who we know for a fact met Erdnase and yet you want to dismiss him. Why? There was a very cheap "hotel" (or whatever) EXACTLY where he said there was. Does the State Hotel look like a very cheap hotel to you?

I squinted at that map of the Chicago Business District and I didn't see any windows facing north. It had windows facing east onto State Street, south onto Harrison Street, and west overlooking that alley where the elevated railway ran (Victoria Avenue on your plan, now S. Holden Court) At roof level I saw a gable end higher than the building next door - but no windows.

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Re: ERDNASE

Postby Bill Mullins » September 25th, 2015, 11:03 am

Peter -- you keep losing me.

There was a building at the SE corner of State and Congress. For clarity's sake, I'm going to refer to it as the Siegel Building instead of by addresses.

I can see no reason to think that the upper floors of the Siegel building ever had the address 325 State St, but you seem to believe that was the case. Can you explain to me why you think so?

Peter Zenner wrote:I squinted at that map of the Chicago Business District and I didn't see any windows facing north. It had windows facing east onto State Street, south onto Harrison Street, and west overlooking that alley where the elevated railway ran (Victoria Avenue on your plan, now S. Holden Court) At roof level I saw a gable end higher than the building next door - but no windows.


I think you mean west onto State, and east overlooking the alley.

I've taken a screen grab of the image of the State Hotel and marked the north-facing walls which could have had windows. I can't upload it to a hosting site from work, but I'll email it to you. From the perspective of the artist, you can't see any windows, but a late 19th century hotel would have had them for illumination and ventilation.

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Re: ERDNASE

Postby mam » September 25th, 2015, 12:01 pm

Here's a 1902 photo of the department store on the NE corner which I, for clarity's sake, will not call the Siegel Building even though it was owned by Siegel :):

Image

In the lower right is the hotel where Erdnase and Smith met; the photo is actually taken on that very occasion, and if you squint hard enough you'll see Erdnase standing in the window doing one-handed shifts with both hands, one using red Bee 216's and the other using a blue deck of M. D. Smith's own design, which he drew from photos of diamonds.

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Re: ERDNASE

Postby Bill Mullins » September 25th, 2015, 12:51 pm

Actually the building was owned by Levi Leiter, and leased to the Siegel Cooper dept store.

The photo appears to have been take after 1891, when the Leiter building was built, and before June 1893 when the building we have been blathering about was constructed.
Last edited by Bill Mullins on September 25th, 2015, 1:27 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: ERDNASE

Postby mam » September 25th, 2015, 12:58 pm

(I wonder why the Chicagology website puts 1902 on the photo.)

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Re: ERDNASE

Postby Larry Horowitz » September 25th, 2015, 1:39 pm

Since much ink has been devoted in recent days to finding the exact hotel/ building, I ask this question;

Is there any reasonable expectation of reviewing the hotel registry for the several years preceding book publication?

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Re: ERDNASE

Postby Bill Mullins » September 25th, 2015, 2:19 pm

mam wrote:(I wonder why the Chicagology website puts 1902 on the photo.)


Dunno. But if you go to the website you linked to which hosts the photo, and scroll down to the next image of the Siegel-Cooper Store and compare the two, its pretty clear (to me, at least) that there are two different buildings at the SE corner of State and Congress.

The older one appears to be shorter (the 1893 construction replaced a 2 story building), and the cornices and window trim are different. And its difficult to judge color on a B&W photo, but I'd say the cornices are much darker than the brick walls on the short building, while they are the same color on the Stewart Radio building.

Tom Sawyer
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Re: ERDNASE

Postby Tom Sawyer » September 25th, 2015, 2:33 pm

To me, the 321 building in that photo looks similar to the "Army recruiting" version. Personally, I think it is probably the same building. The window area looks quite similar, and even seems to have that curved brick area above the window.

There are differences, though, like there seems to be a long protrusion beneath the window area. I think part of that might be rolled-up awnings (based on what appear to be alternating light and dark, as in the case of stripes).

The coloration (or at least the densities of different parts) is different. The cornice looks different, but I think the corner is lined-up with something in the background that makes it look like it overhangs further.

It does give the vibe of being shorter, but I think that could be due to the positioning of the camera or the like.

The picture is unusual in that it seems to be a nice, clear picture, but when I study the 321 part, it is hard for me to figure it out.

Tom Sawyer
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Re: ERDNASE

Postby Tom Sawyer » September 25th, 2015, 6:14 pm

Hi All,

By the way, regarding the apparent argument that a street re-numbering was necessary to correct an (alleged) presence of a 325 address somehow existing above the 321-323 State Street address, this is very far from being flightworthy.

This is pretty clear from the fact that the floors above (as occupied by the Army recruiting facility) were at 323 State Street long before the downtown re-numbering of circa 1911 and also before the other re-numbering of circa 1909.

The Hathi Trust Digital Library (with an appropriate search) lists several references showing the address of the recruiting facility, and at least one such use of the address was July 1905.

--Tom Sawyer

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Re: ERDNASE

Postby Bill Mullins » September 25th, 2015, 8:56 pm

Another image:
Image

This link may be slightly larger.

Another:
Image

link

And another
Image.

This one is from an ebay auction, which may disappear after a while. The windows of 321 State have no arches, and the building appears to be at least 4 stories -- I wonder if it was "photoshopped" by an artist at the postcard company?

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Re: ERDNASE

Postby Zenner » September 26th, 2015, 6:07 am

Bill Mullins wrote:Peter -- you keep losing me.


Can't think why; I am being as clear as possible.

There was a building at the SE corner of State and Congress. For clarity's sake, I'm going to refer to it as the Siegel Building instead of by addresses.


That's OK. The site was purchased by Frederick Siegel, along with a single story saloon at the back, and the new building as we see on the photographs and artists' impressions was erected in 1893.

I can see no reason to think that the upper floors of the Siegel building ever had the address 325 State St, but you seem to believe that was the case. Can you explain to me why you think so?


I know so - and have explained this at length in previous postings. The three businesses in your "Siegel Building" all had separate street numbers. You have supplied links to the Business Directories and a close-up of the two troublesome doorways has been posted on here. There were two addresses with the number 325 up until the renumbering of 1911, when they became numbers 505 and 507 respectively. Where else in that block could Kerr's Rooms have been, other than upstairs where the army recruiting offices were later located?

Peter Zenner wrote:I squinted at that map of the Chicago Business District and I didn't see any windows facing north. It had windows facing east onto State Street, south onto Harrison Street, and west overlooking that alley where the elevated railway ran (Victoria Avenue on your plan, now S. Holden Court) At roof level I saw a gable end higher than the building next door - but no windows.


I think you mean west onto State, and east overlooking the alley.


You're quite right; I got disorientated. You are not the only one who can make mistakes. :-)

I've taken a screen grab of the image of the State Hotel and marked the north-facing walls which could have had windows. I can't upload it to a hosting site from work, but I'll email it to you. From the perspective of the artist, you can't see any windows, but a late 19th century hotel would have had them for illumination and ventilation.


I haven't had the e-mail yet but I have had a look at the fire insurance plan of the block which you sent me (Chicago+1905-1951vol.1,1906 69s). The State Hotel is clearly marked and there is no space between it and the rest of that block to the north of it. Go on Bill have a look at the plan which you supplied - any windows in the north wall of the State Hotel could only look into the premises next door!

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Re: ERDNASE

Postby mam » September 26th, 2015, 11:54 am

Here's a nice birds-eye panoramic photo from around 1913, and it has the entire block we are currently discussing near the center of the photo:

http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2007660802/resource/

You might have to download the TIFF file to get full detail.

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Re: ERDNASE

Postby Bill Mullins » September 26th, 2015, 10:41 pm

Zenner wrote:
Bill Mullins wrote:I can see no reason to think that the upper floors of the Siegel building ever had the address 325 State St, but you seem to believe that was the case. Can you explain to me why you think so?


There were two addresses with the number 325


You keep saying this, but provide no evidence to back it up.

Where else in that block could Kerr's Rooms have been, other than upstairs where the army recruiting offices were later located?


They were in the building labeled 325/327 on the fire insurance map. It had 3 floors plus a basement. Assume it was as big as the "Siegler building" -- 40' x 80'. Assume that all of the 2nd and 3rd floors, plus half the first, plus half the basement, were available as lodging space. That's 9600 sq ft. The Tenement Museum describes a small cheap apartment typical of the era as 325 sq ft. That allows for 29 apartments. You found 29 people living at the address. It had enough room to house everyone, without needing to take over space from the upper floors of the Siegel buildling. Recall that in five cases (Schram, Kerr, Pyrine, Reedle and Woods) there were families that could share an apartment reducing even farther the number of apartments required (so that they could be bigger).

Peter Zenner wrote:
Peter Zenner wrote:I squinted at that map of the Chicago Business District and I didn't see any windows facing north. It had windows facing east onto State Street, south onto Harrison Street, and west overlooking that alley where the elevated railway ran (Victoria Avenue on your plan, now S. Holden Court) At roof level I saw a gable end higher than the building next door - but no windows.


Bill Mullins wrote:I've taken a screen grab of the image of the State Hotel and marked the north-facing walls which could have had windows. I can't upload it to a hosting site from work, but I'll email it to you. From the perspective of the artist, you can't see any windows, but a late 19th century hotel would have had them for illumination and ventilation.


I haven't had the e-mail yet but I have had a look at the fire insurance plan of the block which you sent me (Chicago+1905-1951vol.1,1906 69s). The State Hotel is clearly marked and there is no space between it and the rest of that block to the north of it. Go on Bill have a look at the plan which you supplied - any windows in the north wall of the State Hotel could only look into the premises next door!


I was referring not to the Fire Insurance map, but the 1898 bird's eye view map. Here is the Bartl/State Hotel building, with the north-facing walls marked.

Image

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Re: ERDNASE

Postby Tom Sawyer » September 27th, 2015, 12:15 pm

Hi All,

The bird’s-eye view photo that mam posted a link to (in his most recent post) is really a remarkable photo. As mam says, you can see the entire block that has been under discussion. Thanks for posing the link, mam!

One of the confusing things about the photograph is that State Street seems to sweep downward from the upper-right, then at approximately the State Hotel it begins to sweep upwards to the left. This is just a feature of the panoramic nature of the photograph. In reality, the street was straight (a least in this area).

Because of the domed building in the background (the Federal Building), that big, wide street (in the left half of the photograph) that is nearly vertical and kind of vanishes into the distance is Dearborn -- which in reality is PARALLEL to State Street. The vertical street in the right half of the photograph would be Harrison, just to the right of the State Hotel (running along the south side of the hotel).

You can easily discern the Siegel-Cooper building, of which Bill recently posted various postcard images. Going across the street the viewer’s right, you can see the 321-23 building with the whitish awnings (three groups of two). Then to the viewer’s right there are apparently three buildings, then the very tall building, which was the Hopkins Theatre in 1902, then three buildings progressively taller.

Then comes the State Hotel. You can the indentation Bill recently discussed, and which is evident in the little map extracts he recently posted in the post immediately preceding this one. Additionally, there is an opening in the top of the building, so it seems that there is another surface there with probably north-facing windows.

Anyway, it’s an amazing photo!

--Tom Sawyer

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Re: ERDNASE

Postby Bill Mullins » September 28th, 2015, 10:26 pm

Having seen the 1913 photo linked by mam, I realize that the 1898 Bird's Eye Map isn't 100% accurate.

There are 3 exterior north-facing walls in the State Hotel at the NE corner of State and Harrison, not 2 as I showed above.

From the 1913 photo:
Image

The wall marked "A" is simply a north-facing wall, exposed because the building at 347/349 State doesn't extend the full depth of the block to Victoria, as do the buildings at 351/353 and 357/359 State.

"B" and "C" are the north-facing walls in atria in the hotel. These empty shafts are meant to provided sunlight and ventilation to rooms that would otherwise be wholly interior to the building. And while it has been suggested to me off-line (hello, Peter!) that they aren't apparent on the Fire Insurance map, I think they are:
Image

If you look carefully, within the rectangles that define the atria is written "1B". If I read the key for the maps correctly, that indicates that these spaces are 1 story tall with a basement. I also think the southernmost one has a skylight of some sort (which would be appropriate if this were the lobby or another common area of the hotel).

So, to summarize what I've been getting at for the last few days:
1. Smith said they met on the east side of State, possibly the SE corner of State and Congress.
2. The SE corner of State and Congress had no hotel, so it couldn't have been there.
3. So Smith was wrong about that point, but still could have been right about the general location.
4. There were many hotels in the immediate area.
5. A strong possibility is the hotel at the other end of the block -- the Bartl Hotel, later called the State Hotel. Despite initial appearances, maps and photos show it had several north-facing walls which would have had the windows Smith described.

After studying this area for a few days, it occurs to me that it's odd that Smith described the location the way he did -- "the SE corner of State and Congress". If I were describing the spot, especially to another native Chicagoan, I would have said "across Congress from the Sears Building" (as it had come to be called). I don't know what to make of this, other than maybe Smith gave directions differently than I would have.

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Re: ERDNASE

Postby mam » September 29th, 2015, 1:47 am

Thank you Bill for a very good summary, and some really clear illustrations.

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Re: ERDNASE

Postby Richard Hatch » September 29th, 2015, 8:15 pm

For those who collect variant editions, I just received the Martino reprint, which is strangely a reprint of the retypset Dover edition, without Martin Gardner's introduction and with the later Drake "Congress" copyright statement added. It is likely a print on demand title and I expect Dover may try to protect the copyright on their edition, so this may not be available long. Here's a link to the amazon listing: http://www.amazon.com/Expert-at-Card-Ta ... 614278644/

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Re: ERDNASE

Postby Tom Sawyer » September 30th, 2015, 10:24 am

In reply to Larry Horowitz's question above regarding hotel documents, I think that is definitely a possibility, but probably a very remote one. If you look on eBay, you can see a number of old hotel registers listed, including one from 1904 and one from around 1896 -- not from Chicago. So, such items exist. I do not know whether there are any repositories that hold a concentration of such items from Chicago.

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Re: ERDNASE

Postby Tom Sawyer » October 3rd, 2015, 7:16 am

Hi All,

One of the issues that faces everyone thinking about the Erdnase case is this: Assuming that “S.W. Erdnase” is in some way related to the author’s real name (but not necessarily an exact reversal), one wonders just how far away from a perfect anagram is acceptable.

Example: W.E. Sanders is a perfect anagram. It uses all of the letters and adds no letters.

Another example: M.F. Andrews in nowhere near perfect. It adds two letters to the title-page name (“M” and “F”) and takes away two letters (“S” and “E”).

Of course, one probably tends to be more lenient with real names that have “Andrews” as a surname, though I am not sure why, exactly.

But let’s assume that you are willing to look at names that add two letters and delete two letters. Then you would probably be interested in the name “Dr. Sweany” (if you count “Dr.” as a part of the name).

If you take the first seven letters of DR. SWEANY (one of the tenants at or near the southeast corner of State and Congress [according to many posts on this thread]), they rearrange into the first seven letters of S.W. ERDNASE. That is, DR. SWEAN can be rearranged into S.W. ERDNA.

You could look at “DR. SWEANY” as adding one letter (a “Y”), and taking away two letters (“S” and “E”). (I gather, by the way, from a couple of sources on the Hathi Trust Digital Library website, that "Sweany" was not the man’s real name. Example: Link.)

--Tom Sawyer

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Re: Meet Charles E. Andrews

Postby Todd Karr » October 6th, 2015, 6:55 pm

An Erdnase Manifesto
Todd Karr


The details of a number of swindles and crimes committed under various aliases by swindler E. S. Andrews and later, I believe, under his actual name of Charles E. Andrews (b. 1859 in Indiana, d. Aug. 26, 1907 in Chicago) from 1901 to 1907 make me feel he is a strong candidate as the author of The Expert at the Card Table.

I'm detailing all my research here for you to examine as you like.

I am also providing a free download link to the 1907 news photo of Charles E. Andrews and his wife, plus two key articles: http://we.tl/AvDxQ2HYJ9.

I'll post another link on this thread soon so anyone interested can download all my documents and sources.

As I explored in my Erdnase Scroll research, I have been following the trail of con artist E. S. Andrews for a number of years, but his trail ran cold around 1905. I figured he was either dead, had gone straight, or was using another alias, and when I investigated Charles Andrews, his activities fit perfectly into the gap.

There are also several elements of Charles E. Andrews’ life that mesh well with other accounts of Erdnase, like Martin Gardner and Marshall D. Smith’s accounts, Richard Hatch’s research on Edwin Sumner Andrews, and the McKinney bankruptcy records. He’s the right age, height, and demeanor as described by Smith, liked Chicago hotel rooms, and his hands look like the drawings. (I’ll add that Martin Gardner liked my findings on E. S. Andrews, and Dick Hatch says he's excited about my latest research.)

He also meets many of my personal criteria of what I would expect from someone who wrote The Expert: a gambler, connections to Chicago and England, an aspect about writing, a con man, smart, used aliases, gentlemanly, spectacular in some way, and left words that sound reasonably like Erdnase.

One article about his death states that he was "a gambling king in northern Indiana."

As always, these are only theories, backed up by what seems to be evidence. Without any explicit connection between the book and a person, there’s no solid proof of any theory about Erdnase’s identity, and when all the leads in my research are explored, my suggestions may turn out to be completely off-base. I wouldn’t mind if it means getting closer to the truth and credit this amazing author.

Please feel free to investigate all the following clues and paths, if you want to get closer to definitive truth.

Correct my mistakes and poke holes in my ideas, but let’s find the whole story. There are court records to read, arrest reports to uncover, and a lot of missing information that hopefully still exists preserved somewhere. And I would love someone to find his grave in La Porte, Indiana, and send me a photo. I’d like to finally to pay my respects someday.

If it’s all just another false lead, I’m still pretty happy to have uncovered a character like E. S. Andrews / Charles E. Andrews, bamboozler of professionals and police, ladies’ man, traveler, and scoundrel. The stories of his cons are larger than life and I’ve had immense fun chasing this colorful man through history, whether or not he wrote the book.


E. S. Andrews, Swindler
From 1901 to 1905, a con man using the name E. S. Andrews, which seems to have been one alias among many, pulled off a series of smooth schemes and crimes around the United States that bilked professionals in towns around the U.S.

The following selected articles and documents on E. S. Andrews provide information I have published before and present here to provide the complete story.


Kokomo, 1901
On November 23, 1901, just before the 1902 publication of The Expert at the Card Table, the Fort Wayne News reported on a scam perpetrated in Kokomo by "A stranger giving his name as E. S. Andrews of the Brandon Commercial Company, Chicago." The news report stated that the con man had a clever collections-agency scheme that succeeded in bilking forty local merchants and physicians.

Andrews had come to Kokomo three weeks prior and convinced the businessmen and doctors to hire him to collect their debts. Each participant paid Andrews a "membership fee" of $15 (or about $900 total). The newspaper reported that "Before leaving, Andrews collected several accounts from debtors, all of which he took with him, the merchants or physicians receiving nothing."


Dubuque, 1902-1903
In December 1902, the Dubuque Telegraph-Journal announced the new local address of the Charles Brandon Commercial company at the Bank and Insurance Building, noting that "Mr. E. S. Andrews is in charge."

A month later, Andrews had fled town with over $1500 in $25 membership fees and collected debts. As the Davenport Republican reported on January 31, 1903, the swindled subscribers were reluctant to admit they had been conned.

One of the professionals stated: "We were all a lot of suckers and should not have let Andrews go as long as we did. He did not live up to the contract he made with me, and I understand that he did not live up to the contract he made with others. I was to pay him a commission of five percent on all collections made on current business, and he was to get 10 to 25 percent on all debts that he collected. I gave him my note, and so did other members, while others paid down their $25 fee.

"I estimate from the number of subscribers he had to the 'Charles Brandon Commercial Agency' that he must have got out of town with from $1500 to $1800. He would have no trouble in negotiating the notes.

"His subscribers included lawyers, doctors, and businessmen. He was to make reports of collections every twenty-fours hours and remit a check for the amount collected, after the commission was deducted, but he forgot to make the report and send me the check."

The article says Andrews was arrested but not only avoided charges by threatening the witnesses (perhaps with a countersuit) but also managed to have his accuser held liable for the costs of his arrest. As the swindled businessman explained: "One of the subscribers had Andrews arrested and got the worst of it, because two or three others were afraid of the bluff made by Andrews. The subscriber paid the costs, amounting to $2.50."


Fort Wayne and Oshkosh, 1904
E. S. Andrews appeared again in Wisconsin in 1904 pursuing the same scam, only this time the law caught up with him. Andrews had set up another collections scheme as the Charles Brandon Company, in association with local law firm Finch and McPhall in the Pixley-Long block in Fort Wayne. Andrews again skipped town with membership fees and debt sums, returning to Indiana, the scene of his 1901 swindle.

Oshkosh Sheriff M. K. Rounds (the Fort Wayne Press gave his name as "J. M. Rounds") was sent to arrest Andrews, who was working in association with a law firm. The firm protested his extradition and the Wisconsin lawman was forced to get permission from Indiana's governor before being allowed to arrest Andrews and bring him back to Wisconsin for trial.

Andrews was arrested on July 7, 1904 on a warrant from Justice Skelton and was held awaiting the arrival of the Wisconsin sheriff.

Four days later, Andrews left Fort Wayne at noon in the custody of Sheriff Rounds. The Fort Wayne Evening Sentinel reported that Andrews had embezzled money and had also used his notices of collection to purchase "a number of diamonds and other articles." The newspaper noted that "Judge O'Rourke was called upon to remand him into the custody of the Wisconsin sheriff on a requisition honored Saturday by Governor Durbin."

A Daily Northwestern reporter interviewed Andrews in his jail cell in Wisconsin and quoted him at length in an article in the newspaper on July 12, 1904. The speech reads glibly, but I do not believe these are his exact words, since in those pre-taping days, a reporter jotted notes and typed them up later into coherent prose:

"Mr. Andrews was seen by a Northwestern reporter this morning while in jail. He is a bright-looking young man whose appearance is that of a shrewd and honest businessman. He said he did not care to talk for publication, but in answer to questions and in the ordinary conversation, he did say to the reporter:

"This is the first time I have ever been arrested. The jail here is a palace compared to that in Fort Wayne. That is a bad place to be in.

"I did not read the complaint against me and do not know exactly the technical charge against me. In a general way, I know what it is, but I say technically, I have not ascertained.

"I believe in being philosophical, however, and while I should not be pleased to stay here long, I can stand it for a time if I can have plenty of reading matter and plenty of fresh air.

"I shall have good legal counsel, but I do not think I will need it. I have nothing to fear and believe I could go into court representing myself and convince the court that the law is on my side.

"So far as my not going under my own name in Fort Wayne is concerned after leaving here, that will have no effect in the case. It may, to the outsider, give rise to the opinion that I was trying to hide, but while that is true, I had no idea I was wanted here on a criminal charge.

"What I did here was business and in a business-like way, and I could have been found by letter at Fort Wayne without the sheriff coming after me.

"Sheriff Rounds has treated me very nicely indeed, and while I shall be glad to leave him and his custody, I shall remember the kindnesses he has shown me.'


"Sheriff Rounds is loud in his praises of the assistance rendered him by Superintendent of Police Henry Gorseline at Fort Wayne, and the latter held onto the prisoner in the face of all the efforts made by lawyers to free him."


Remember also that Indiana magician James Harto claimed to have known Erdnase.

The seemingly media-savvy conman E. S. Andrews went out of his way to deny using a false identity in a note published the next day in the Daily Northwestern: "It was incorrectly stated in your account of an interview with me that I was known while in Fort Wayne under an assumed name. I was known there as E. S. Andrews, representing the Charles Brandon Commercial Company: This is my name and the company is the same as I represented here, and I never used any other name and do not intend to. Yours truly, E. S. Andrews."


The Oshkosh Trial
On August 8, 1904, the Daily Northwestern reported, Andrews was charged in Oshkosh Municipal Court with embezzlement. The original charge had been filed by fur merchant E. F. Steude, who had been bilked of $108. The hearing had already been postponed due to the absence of a prosecution witness, attorney A. C. McPhall, one of Andrews' legal associates in the scheme.

The following day, a Daily Northwestern article announced that after intense arguments by Andrews' defense attorneys "Maurice McKenna of Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, and E. P. Finch of Oshkosh" the judge had found adequate cause for Andrews to stand trial on embezzlement charges.

This news report states that Andrews took a number of precautions to legally justify his financial shenanigans. Andrews had clients sign contracts with a fine-print clause authorizing him to make deductions from the money he collected. He had clients make out their checks to his partner, who then paid Andrews (Small note: Funds were deposited in a bank; Erdnase paid Smith with a bank check). In court, Andrews claimed innocence by shrewdly stating the attorney had never paid him the full amount of the money collected.

Finally, in a footnote of possible support for magician Hugh Johnston’s later story that he had met Erdnase in Denver, the article also specifies that Andrews had incorporated the Charles Brandon Collections company in Colorado and was its manager.

Bail was set at $2000 and promptly posted by his legal team. Further procedural challenges from Andrews' attorneys delayed the trial until matters were cleared up sufficiently on August 17, when municipal court Commissioner W. W. Waterhouse concluded Andrews had to stand trial.

On August 23, Andrews appeared in municipal court, this time represented by attorney Henry Fitzgibbon of Menasha. The trial was adjourned until August 27.

The trial was either prolonged or postponed, since it was not until September 28 that Andrews was finally found guilty of embezzlement, though for a reduced sum of $37.50. The trial took place in Milwaukee, and the jury took only a half hour to reach their decision, the Daily Northwestern reported on September 19: "The jury, in view of the whole circumstances, found that Andrews was working what is popularly known as a 'graft' and that he willfully retained the amount charged against him. The penalty for the offense is from six months to one year imprisonment in county jail or state prison." All the above information is from the Daily Northwestern, which covered the trial with regular news articles.

The court sentenced Andrews to eight months in jail. As the Fort Wayne Sentinel stated on October 14, 1904, Andrews had already spent four months in custody, and the judge noted this in his sentencing.

Other articles following Andrews' case focused on the misconduct of one of his associates, attorney A. K. McPhall, who disappeared after Andrews was arrested but was spotted in Oshkosh by acquaintances after Andrews' sentencing.


In a related case the following April, with Andrews still in jail, the Oshkosh Municipal Court issued a decision in favor of one of his victims. A Dr. J. M. Conley had hired Andrews to collect debts and gave him a promissory note for $42.63 as a retainer. Andrews went to a local store Birely and Son and traded his note for Conley's debt for a diamond. The court found in favor of Birely and Son, agreeing that Dr. Conley was still obliged to pay the amount of the promissory note to whomever held it.

Chicago, 1905-1907
Shortly after the end of Andrews' jail sentence, he apparently set up shop again in another location, this time Chicago. The Chicago Tribune of December 20, 1905 notes the incorporation of the Charles Brandon Commercial Company, based in Pueblo, Colorado, with capital of $5000 in Pueblo and $2500 in Illinois.

On July 14, 1907, the Chicago Tribune reported that E. S. Andrews was conducting a collection-agency scam again, this time in connection with attorney W. V. Tyler as the Tyler Company Limited. The duo received dues of between $40 and $50 from over 62 merchants before collecting debts and pocketing the funds. Tyler was arrested for obtaining goods under false pretenses and embezzlement. However, the newspaper stated, "Andrews has disappeared."


Meet Charles E. Andrews, Sr.
The Cook County, Illinois, death record for Charles E. Andrews Sr. states he died at age 48, meaning he was born in Indiana around 1859. The 1860 U. S. Census for Peoria lists a Charles E. Andrews born in 1859 in Indiana.

Andrews’ mother, Affia, is 29, born in New York. His father, Edward A. Andrews is age 48, born in England, and his profession is listed as “Local editor.” The British lineage and literary connection may explain the unusual copyrighting of The Expert in England. Edward, who used initials in his professional name, E. A. Andrews, had in fact been co-owner since 1860 of the Peoria Transcript. I’d imagine his son would pick up at least a minimum of writing skills and would likely have connections to printers and other aspects of publishing.


Aliases and New Scams

One might reasonably imagine that upon his exit from prison, E. S. Andrews would use another name if he resumed his con games, and it looks like he used several. The crimes that Charles E. Andrews committed and the locations involved lead me to feel that he and E. S. Andrews are the same person.

In addition, there are also several aspects about conman Charles E. Andrews that surprisingly intersect with those of the railroad agent E. S. Andrews that Richard Hatch has pursued. My feeling is that conman Charles E. Andrews may have known or been related to Edwin Sumner Andrews.

In July 17, 1906, the Albuquerque Evening Citizen reported that a conman named W. B. Andrews was posing as an agent for a supposed “California Southern Railroad,” recruiting young women from a secretarial school as stenographers to work at a fictional “central office” in Los Angeles and point leading to it. One lady was apparently given a position as stenographer at the Grant Hotel in Peoria, but the newspaper implies that Andrews pressured her for intimacy.

The aspect of the stenographers and school are significant. As Richard Hatch has pointed out, Erdnase told artist Marshall D. Smith that he was related to renowned artist Louis Dalrymple. This artist's mother may have been related to Dollie Seeley, Edwin Sumner Andrews' wife, was a stenographer and ran a secretarial school. Perhaps this is where Charles E. Andrews met and seduced his victims.

If railway man E. S. Andrews was indeed not Erdnase, perhaps Charles E. Andrews was using his name and railroad access to impress his victims, plus showing his name on a copy of the impressive Expert. If Edwin Sumner Andrews and Charles E. Andrews were related, that would explain why Erdnase would say that he was related to Dalrymple but perhaps not necessarily that his own wife was the one whose family had the connection.

The August 17, 1906 Davenport Argus said that Andrews had been captured in Logansport, Indiana, and called him “one of the cleverest of confidence men,” with a long history of crimes. Pinkerton agents had followed his trail after he conned a young woman in Hampton, Iowa, named Grace Gukert. Andrews’ scheme was to promise an $85 monthly salary for office work. Once they reached a strange city, Andrews would ask for the victim to pay for a certain kind of typewriter as a required tool for the job, then skip town with the money, stranding the trusting girl.

In Grace Gukert’s case, Andrews brought her to Chicago and just before arriving asked for her purse containing the claim checks for their luggage, then disappeared with her handbag and $40 inside it. She contacted the police, and Andrews was followed to St. Louis before his eventual capture in Logansport, Indiana.

A month later, Charles E. Andrews was arrested in South Bend, Indiana, convicted, fined $25, and sentenced to three years in Michigan City prison, as the September 26, 1906 Indiana Morning Star stated. The article says Andrews had also used the aliases Charles Adams and E. E. Smith and wanted by police in Illinois, Iowa, and Missouri, as well as a number of counties around Indiana. During the trial in Logansport, Indiana, two other victims testified, Margaret Loftus and Jennie Gregg.

Other victims, according to the news item, included Jesse Hoover and Glen Brown, students at the Huntington Business College.

The article adds that “His occupation formerly was railroad construction boss on California and Mexican railroads. He speaks English and some Spanish.”

On October 4, 1906, the Plymouth Tribune ran a late report of the sentencing, adding that Andrews had brought victims to Indianapolis and Chicago.


The End of the Expert
On August 26, 1907, Charles E. Andrews shot his wife India Ethel Blaine, 25, to death during an argument at the Saratoga Hotel in Chicago, then killed himself.

Newspapers from coast to coast put together the story, the most thorough in the local Chicago Tribune’s August 27 article, complete with a photo of the ill-fated pair. He looks gentlemanly and well-groomed, and his small cuffed and jacketed hands resemble those in Marshall D. Smith’s drawings.

Years before, Charles E. Andrews had apparently lived in Elkhart, Indiana, since about 1897 and started a restaurant there, then ran away with a waitress, Grace Bennett, around 1900, leaving behind his wife and son, the now-23-year-old Charles Jr.. Andrews took Bennett to California, then reportedly deserted her. His wife divorced him and remarried grocer Edward Paul and later moved to California herself.

Sometime after his exit from prison after his Logansport conviction in 1906, Charles E. Andrews met India Ethel Blaine of Flora, Indiana, and they became involved. Around June 1906, Andrews moved her out of her parents’ Indiana home and off to California, where they ended up in Covina, where Andrews ran a shooting gallery.

Around Saturday, August 24, 1907, Andrews and Blaine traveled to Chicago and checked into room 842 of the Saratoga Hotel. The following Tuesday, August 26, one of Andrews’ last acts, ironically was to leave behind a piece of writing, directly dictated from his words and heart. Andrews began composing a letter to his son, which the woman began handwriting for him. He asked Charles Jr. to get his mail in Elkhart and asked him to come to see him and Ethel in Chicago, then told him to mind his mother and not to talk to anyone.

For those who are interested in comparing Andrews’ letter to the text in The Expert, the following words and phrases appear in both: “We have been,” a form of the verb intend (“intended” in Erdnase), write, past, several, occasions, “to get,” know, myself, address (mail meaning), general, feeling, reason, last, mind, wrong, “have to,” explain, and opening a sentence with “However."

The letter ended abruptly. Whether out of a petty argument over the phrase “obligations to” instead of “obligation to” or the mention of his ex-spouse, Andrews suddenly shot Blaine twice. A waitress, May Williams, ran to the room and saw Andrews standing holding a smoking gun. He turned it on himself next and shot himself in the head. He died on the way to St. Luke’s Hospital.

His son, Charles Jr., tearfully claimed the body, brought it back to Indiana, and had his father buried somewhere in La Porte. He stated that his father had been in dire financial circumstances and perhaps was already panicked over the possibility of losing India Ethel Blaine. Faced with his act and a certain return to prison and perhaps execution, Andrews went over the edge. The Indianapolis Star said on August 29 that Knights of Pythias members served as pallbearers and that the son was the lone mourner.

In California, Andrews’ former wife spotted the coverage and asked the Qunicy, Illinois, lodge of the Knights of Pythias to check if it was indeed her ex-husband, which its members confirmed, according to the September 1, 1907, Los Angeles Herald.

Covina neighbors stated Andrews ran his shooting gallery there under the name C. Andrews (the headline states it as “C. J. Andrews”), saying he and Blaine had left some unpaid bills behind. The September 14, 1907 article in the Covina Argus describes Andrews as a “short, thick-set man,” matching Marshall D. Smith’s description of Erdnase’s stature.

Another Smoking Gun
A state away from Indiana in Tennessee, one newspaper covering the episode reported something extraordinary, perhaps a fact that reporter there knew from experience. The Nashville Tennesseean of August 27, 1907 article began with the headline: “Bloody and Mysterious Tragedy in Chicago Hotel: Former Gambling King Guns Down Girl and Then Sends Bullet Through His Own Brain.” The body of the piece describes Andrews as “a gambling king in northern Indiana.” (The later Covina Argus article mentions this as well, but it seems to be simply rewritten information, rearranged as “Andrews was at one time known as the king of gamblers in northern Indiana.”)

If Andrews is indeed the man we’ve been seeking, it would explain why he was never heard from again, why he did not reappear to enjoy his well-earned credit.

I hope he’s the expert, the brilliant mind behind the intricate array of techniques, precise explanations, vivid observations, and techniques he was bold enough to name after himself. He deserves a final bow.
Last edited by Todd Karr on October 7th, 2015, 1:34 am, edited 7 times in total.

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Re: ERDNASE

Postby Richard Hatch » October 6th, 2015, 7:26 pm

Wow, fascinating stuff, Todd, thanks for sharing it. A couple of quick questions for clarification: If Charles Andrews Sr. was 48 when he died in August 1907, his birth would have been around 1859, not 1852. Is this a typo in your posting?
Your note mentions "E. S. Andrews" swindling activities dating from 1901, but a March 1899 front page story in the Buffalo (NY) Courier has an E. S. Andrews pulling this collection scam in Erie, PA for Wingate's Trade Exchange (a collection agency). Assuming (as I do) that this is the same "E. S. Andrews", this would indicate earlier activity along those lines using that name [I think Bill Mullins found this article some time ago].

Also, a March 28, 1904 article about E. S. Andrews (the collection agency swindler) in the Oshkosh Daily Northwestern describes him as a "young man" of "pleasant address... said to have claimed to be a student at Yale who wished to make money to continue his studies." That would imply someone who in 1904 appeared to be in his early twenties, much younger than recalled by Smith.

Still, very exciting information. It will be interesting to see where it leads. I wonder if the Indiana connection leads to French Lick?

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Re: ERDNASE

Postby Richard Hatch » October 6th, 2015, 8:01 pm

How strange, too, that this candidate (Charles Andrews) died in a hotel room after shooting his mistress (having left his wife and child) and then turned the gun on himself, just like the official version of Milton Franklin Andrews' death in Berkeley two years earlier!

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Re: ERDNASE

Postby Richard Hatch » October 6th, 2015, 8:19 pm

Todd, if Charles E. Andrews, the man who was conning stenographers, was convicted and sentenced to three years in Michigan City prison in late September 1906, how did he end up killing his girlfriend and himself in a Chicago Hotel room less than year later (August 1907)? Different Charles E. Andrews?

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Re: ERDNASE

Postby Richard Hatch » October 7th, 2015, 12:20 am

Todd is apparently unable to get onto the Genii Forum at this time, but wanted me to post that the 1852 birthdate for Charles E. Andrews is a typo and the correct date is the 1859 date given earlier in his post. Dollie Seeley was the wife of Edwin S. Andrews (the train agent), not Louis Dalrymple (also a typo in the above). Todd also indicated that Charles Andrews apparently only served 11 months of the 3 year sentence. Much of this will apparently be clarified when he posts the many other newspaper citations he has found on this candidate.

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Re: ERDNASE

Postby Todd Karr » October 7th, 2015, 12:55 am

My bad. I wish posts were editable!! My thanks to Dick Hatch. Yes, the correct birthdate is 1859, Dollie Seeley was married to ES, and as for the sentences, all his sentencing seems to vary wildly from the time eventually served, much like today's briefer-than-expected sentences for various reasons. A lot of these questions will be answered when I post all the primary documents...I'm just cleaning them up before uploading them, which will be asap.

And it may turn out there's more than one E. S. Andrews here. DIck and I have chased down many E. S. Andrewses, including a despondent Canadian government printing office official and others that initially looked promising. For comparison, remember that magic currently has a Greg Wilson and a Gregory Wilson, and TV had a Mike Douglas and a Michael Douglas (We had a Michael Douglas, too, now known as the prize-winning jazz-influenced magician Mon Dre).

Another aspect I didn't mention: If you think about the scope of the book, Andrews had to have it written down and probably typed, and the stenographers, if he used them more than a dalliance, would have been helpful.

All the debate and nit-picking is great, and I hope it leads to something, even if my guy's just another character (or characters). There are many possible leads: his restaurant in Elkhart, the other complaints, news items, and court hearings, and hopefully family members with papers.

Also, if anyone has any questions or thoughts, feel free to email me at toddkarr@aol.com. I don't post here often.
Last edited by Todd Karr on October 9th, 2015, 10:49 pm, edited 4 times in total.

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Re: ERDNASE

Postby Todd Karr » October 7th, 2015, 1:03 am

Also, Richard asked about the "young man" references. The Chicago Trib says Andrews was 50, and the death certificate says 48. In 1904, at 44/45, I'd say that's close enough, especially because it's a subjective term (an older man will think a 30-40ish man is young, but a teen will think he's a geezer). It's important to use caution when accepting second-hand deadline-news judgments as airtight boundaries, so I try not to make the reporter into an infallible source of history.

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Re: ERDNASE

Postby Roger M. » October 7th, 2015, 1:09 am

Wow!, what a fantastic "share" Todd.
I've been aware that you had a "new" candidate for quite a while, it's exciting to finally read some of the details.

I look forward to reading your additional material.

Some of the personal characteristics as you describe them certainly begin to align with those one would expect Mr. Erdnase to display.

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Re: ERDNASE

Postby Todd Karr » October 7th, 2015, 1:19 am

Looks like I managed to edit my post in time after all. I've corrected the 1859 date and restored Dollie as E.S.'s bride.

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Re: ERDNASE

Postby Todd Karr » October 7th, 2015, 1:24 am

I neglected to follow up on the McKinney element. The record shows "E. C. Andrews," which is pretty close to "C. E. Andrews."

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Re: ERDNASE

Postby Scott Lane » October 7th, 2015, 3:08 am

I am glad you are sharing some of your research concerning Charles E Andrews. When he was in jail talking to the reporter he stated:

"I shall have good legal counsel, but I do not think I will need it. I have nothing to fear and believe I could go into court representing myself and convince the court that the law is on my side.”

This may be an indication that he was either “not guilty” or that he had extensive political connections having the “law (is) on my side.”

I am finding in my research that there was a group of people that would use E. S. Andrews and anagrams of S. W. Erdnase to help them get out of trouble. As they got farther away from Indiana the political connections were not as strong.

I believe you may find some of your answers if you look at the aliases that he used:

Charles Adams and E. E. Smith

Due to the research I have been doing I do not believe that C. E. Andrews wrote EATCT but I think there may be some connections.

Scott Edward Lane

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Re: ERDNASE

Postby Todd Karr » October 7th, 2015, 5:32 pm

Here's a download link for 38 documents on E. S. Andrews and Charles E. Andrews. PLEASE CREDIT TODD KARR IF YOU USE THESE MATERIALS. THANKS! http://we.tl/oF6kMAs014

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Re: ERDNASE

Postby Richard Kaufman » October 7th, 2015, 8:03 pm

Great work, Todd! And thanks for sharing here.
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Re: ERDNASE

Postby Todd Karr » October 8th, 2015, 10:34 am

Richard Hatch asked about the E. S. Andrews who managed Wingate's in the 1890s in New England. I have many records on this agency and this E.S. but eventually decided this E.S. was a different man based on the years, location, age, and because although there was a scam connected with the agency, it seems the culprit was Bert Hilliard, an associate that this E. S. helped bring to justice, according to the news items.

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Re: ERDNASE

Postby Todd Karr » October 8th, 2015, 9:27 pm

Clarification: Charles E. Andrews appears to have been arrested in South Bend in 1906 and tried in Logansport.

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Re: ERDNASE

Postby Todd Karr » October 9th, 2015, 10:51 pm

Richard Kaufman wrote:Great work, Todd! And thanks for sharing here.


Thanks, Richard.

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Re: ERDNASE

Postby JHostler » October 10th, 2015, 4:07 pm

Open Q to Messrs. Karr, Hatch, et al:

To what extent has contact been made with descendants of your top candidates? Given that the primaries are long deceased, it seems likely that a "smoking gun" - if one exists - would lie buried in a box in some unsuspecting family member's basement or attic.
Last edited by JHostler on October 10th, 2015, 5:25 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: ERDNASE

Postby Richard Kaufman » October 10th, 2015, 5:07 pm

If anyone has located a descendant, I haven't seen it mentioned.
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Re: ERDNASE

Postby Bill Mullins » October 10th, 2015, 6:27 pm

W. E. Sanders died without descendants, I believe. Richard Hatch found family of Edwin Sumner Andrews (that's how he got the photograph). M. F. Andrews had a daughter, I believe, but nothing is known about her.

I'm sure Chris Wasshuber is checking into family on Gallaway, and Peter Zenner has contacted Harry Thompson's grand-daughter.

All of the above is documented earlier in this very thread.

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More Aliases and Swindles of Charles E. Andrews

Postby Todd Karr » October 10th, 2015, 10:48 pm

Here is a link to another batch of articles and documents about Charles E. Andrews. Again, if you use these, please credit Todd Karr. Thanks!

29 items – 1900-1907: http://we.tl/XnUuYOtSwd

Some highlights:

1. Two May/June 1901 Paducah KY Evening Sentinal articles about Charles Andrews (described again as a "young man") who set up a gambling operation at the water works building, with cards and dice confiscated as evidence. (Note also that even a few years later, articles called Andrews a "young man" at the same time they are saying he's around 40-something to 50.)


2. A long Aug. 16, 1906 Huntington IN Herald article "Wanted Everywhere: Man with Many Aliases in Logansport Jail" giving many in-depth details about Charles E. Andrews (here under a number of his assumed names) with an astounding explanation of his swindling methods using the rails and conductors around the country.

Note that he had fake train passes printed and that the Illinois printer was being pursued.

Richard Hatch was right about working the railroads, covering a large area with multiple swindles.

I love that they mention a no. 8 Remington typewriter.


3. A January 13, 1900 Indianapolis News article detailing Charles E. Andrews' debts. This would be right before the composition and publication of The Expert. Remember Erdnase's introduction: "...if it sells, it will accomplish the primary motive of the author, as he needs the money."


4. December 10, 1900 LA Times article on C. E. Andrews, who had skipped town in Portland after moving there briefly, leaving behind bills and lovers, plus a tale of being in Cuba during the Spanish American War. (One of the earlier articles I posted mentions Andrews speaking Spanish.)

It has all the earmarks of Charles E. Andrews' m.o.

1900 is the year when Charles E. Andrews apparently left behind his wife and son in Elkhart with a waitress, then left her in California. The article says New York, but an abandoned wife anyplace in the east would fit the bill.


5. An important July 12, 1904 Daily Northwestern piece on E. S. Andrews' arrest in Indiana by Sheriff Rounds, which I may have left out of my first batch of material. It has the great jailhouse interview with Andrews.


6. An April 11, 1906 Sedalia MO Democrat article on the arrest of C. E. Andrews alias G. W. Forder alias A. Johnson, J. A. Johnson, and J. J. Shutt. There's a physical description that matches. He was all over the map, and everyone seems to have been looking for him.


7. An extensive August 27, 1907 Chicago Inter-Ocean article on the Chicago tragedy, with ANOTHER photo of Andrews.


8. Coverage in the August 27, 1907 Indianapolis News, focusing on Andrews' ill-fated wife, local resident India Ethel Blaine, who was a nurse at two Indiana insane asylums. Many details and the astounding fact that Blaine's sister had also been shot to death by her husband. There's also a better copy of the same photo that appeared in the Chicago Tribune. I have included a cropped copy of this image.


9. Charles E. Andrews Jr.'s 1918 draft registration: He was born Sept 1, 1884.

From this and other census records: His mother, Sadie E. Andrews, born around 1864, was married and divorced from Charles E. Andrews Sr., married Edward Paul in 1905, and listed her age as slightly younger on later census forms. Charles Jr. remains listed in city directories in various odd jobs for decades, living with his mother and Edward Paul.


10. Several articles from the 1906 Logansport arrest involving Andrews' stenographer scheme, including the fact that one of his female victims recognized and subdued him until police arrived.


Plus a number of other items of interest.

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Re: ERDNASE

Postby Ron Giesecke » October 11th, 2015, 12:05 pm

Upon finding myself flailing about in the agitation cycle of life, and being nearly completely absent from Magic Forums completely for a few years (with a few aberrant exceptions. I'd hate for the doggedly-incredible research aggregators in here to find some wayward post that proves I wasn't completely absent and make me look stupid), I marvel at one thing, and rejoice at another.

Marvel:

That this thread is alive and well--YEARS LATER. Someone mentioned way back that they hoped this thread was being preserved. I agree. It should perhaps be a book in and of itself.

Rejoice:

That the jury is still out on all of this. I for one would become slightly depressed, if the entire issue was completely resolved. I own the Dover, 1995 edition, and I simply assumed back then that the issue was closed.

And, maybe it is. But for me, continued opaqueness and occlusion makes things more exciting.


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