REPOSITORY and MESSENGER Wednesday March 19, 1873 PAGE 3 COL 1

A dispatch from Susquehanna, Pa., states that one Samuel Welton, a wealthy resident of Naples, NY, was caught in the act of stealing a package containing $25,000, from the safe of the United States Express Company at Susquehanna.



REPOSITORY and MESSENGER Wednesday April 30, 1873 PAGE 3 COL 4

Convicted and Sentenced

Sam Welton, a "confidence operator", saw dust swindler, and ex merchant of Naples, has received his just dues at the hands of a Pennsylvania court at Montrose, for the crime of robbing the U. S. Express Company of $25,000, at Susquehanna Depot, a few weeks since. He was detected in the act of committing the robbery and arrested upon the spot.

The Court was disposed, it seems, to deal leniently with the prisoner and inflicted upon him, in our opinion, a mild sentence, viz., three years confinement in the Philadelphia Penitentiary, and to pay a fine of three hundred dollars.

Sam Welton's career has been short and somewhat chequered. Being less than 30 years old, of rather prepossing manner, when sober, he was quite well calculated to deceive the unsuspecting whom he intended to victimize. For several years he was engaged extensively in operating upon the credulity of western ambitious citizens, of all classes, not excepting even the clergy, who were desirous of becoming suddenly wealthy.

One of the dodges practiced by Welton was to enclose in a well written letter a new, genuine twenty five cent government issue as a sample of the counterfeit, manufactured by his firm, and sold by him, at a very reasonable rate. This letter was to be treated as strictly confidential, and the victim was advised to show the sample to experts, bankers, and others, who could not detect it from the genuine, stuff, issued by the government.

Each person was told in this letter where to address Mr. John Tice, at Seneca Falls, Auburn, and other points selected, the amount of queer they desired to purchase, with the funds they desired to invest. The victim was soon baited, took the hook, sent his greenbacks, and no answer or counterfeit money was ever received in return. We have been told that several of our aspiring citizens have been taken in by this same kind of dodge, but more of them by the saw dust swindle.


ONTARIO COUNTY JOURNAL June 29, 1906 PAGE 3 COL 6

MARRIED

WELTON MONIER

At Canandaigua, June 25, 1906, Samuel A. Welton and Mrs. Adeline Monier, both of Naples.