George D. Talmage, another member of the firm located at Kansas City, Mo., was afterwards arrested and brought to Chicago, charged with obtaining money under the confidence game. The warrants on which they were arrested were taken out by E. J. Denison and Rev. Peter A. Baart, a Methodist minister of Marshall, Mich., who were officers of the La Vaca mines and mills, of Joplin, Mo.
Rev. Mr. Baart first went to E. C. Talmage.
Talmage sent him to E. S. Barnum to have the stock guaranteed. Barnum charged him a fee of $500 and agreed to sell the bonds, which he failed to do. They just simply divided this fee between them and made no effort to float the bonds.
Among the persons alleged to have suffered losses are the following:
E. C. Talmage, S. D. Talmage and E. S. Barnum were indicted by the Cook county grand jury.
George D. Talmage fled to Kansas City, Mo., where he conducted a branch office in the same business. He was arrested at Kansas City, Mo., on request of the chief of police of Chicago, for operating the confidence game. Extradition papers were secured and Detective Wooldridge brought him back. When his father's office was raided, at 52 Dearborn street, a number of letters was seized, among them were several written from George D. Talmage, at Kansas City, Mo.
The following extracts are taken from George D. Talmage's letter to his father:
"Saw old Blank today. He was easy. Inclosed find his check for $1,000"; and, "When I mentioned bonds to old Tightwad he fell over backwards and swallowed a set of false teeth."
One from a town in Kansas is said to have read: "Nothing doing in this joint. The people here wouldn't buy gold dollars for 90 cents."