The mysterious Henry M. Cornelius
Article from the Birmingham News, December 8, 1903, Page 10.
MADE DEALS INVOLVING THOUSANDS AND THEN HE DROPPED FROM VIEW
In Meantime Quantities of Valuable Jewelry Came to Him.
HAD SAME NAME AS STABLE MERCHANT
Henry M. Cornelius the Individual and An Effort Made to Have Him Arrested in Birmingham But Wire Came Too Late. Had Gay Time.
EXPRESS AGENT SUSPICIOUS
Who and Where is Henry M. Cornelius?
This is the name of a business-like man who for the past two months and a half has been living in the vicinity of Altoona. Blount county, and Walnut Grove, Etowah County, making contacts to purchase thousands and thousands of acres of coal, gas and oil lands in the vicinities named, and at the same time receiving by express, through the Altoona office of the Southern Express Company package after package of fine jewelry from different wholesale dealers and importers throughout the country.
He is not Henry M. Cornelius, the well-to-do and highly respected merchandise dealer of Walnut Grove, Etowah county, whose business rating is first-class in every particular and whose credit runs up into the thousands of dollars. The similarity of names, it is said, may account for the willingness of some of the best jewelry merchants throughout the country to send the man in question large amounts of jewelry through the express company on open accounts, apparently.
His Suspicion Aroused.
The receipt of so much jewelry aroused suspicions on the part of express agent, H. Meacham, at Altoona, and he sent a telegram our giving some intimation of his suspicions. This suspicion on the part of the express agent apparently aroused the suspicions of Mr. Cornelius, for he left Altoona. While en route to Birmingham a telegram was sent to Chief of Police W.E. Wier to arrest the suspect on his arrival here, but the telegram was not received in time to have the detectives at the depot when the train arrived from Altoona and Cornelius was not arrested.
Valuables Being Returned.
A number of packages with jewelry therein from various parts of the country have arrived at the express office in Altoona, and telegrams have been forwarded by the agent there to the concerns about the suspicions, and orders to ship back the valuables are now being complied with. The express company has receipts from Cornelius for every package delivered to him before the agent’s suspicions were aroused, and a predicate has been given out that the company is in no wise responsible for the goods, which were rightfully delivered. It is understood that the amount of jewelry delivered will amount to several thousand dollars, while the amount now being sent back to different points amount to several thousand dollars also.
Seemed Prosperous.
Henry M. Cornelius arrived in the vicinity of Altoona, in Blount county, some time in October. He had the appearance of a business man, and made friends, among them Henry M. Cornelius, the merchandise dealer of Walnuts Grove The latter had not heard of a relative the name coming from Boston. The new-comer had plenty of funds apparently and seemed bent on big things.
Among other things that Cornelius, who said he was interested in the firm of “Cornelius & Brown,” of Boston, did was to sign a bill of sale with M. H. Amerine, of Montgomery, purchasing from him twelve thousand five hundred acres of coal, oil and gas lands in Etowah county. The said Cornelius was to pay for this property the sum of $95,000, one-half of which was to be deposited in the Queen City Bank of Gadsden and the other half in the other bank in Gadsden, the deeds to the property to be drawn up and passed on by the firm of Hood, Murphy & Burnett, of Etowah county, attorneys, before January 1, 1904. Mr. Amerine sent surveyors and abstract people to Etowah county in pursuit of proper deeds and spent something like $2,000 in the preparation of the deeds, it is said.
Offered to Put Up $25,000.
Mr. Amerine suggested at one time that a small sum of money be placed in the banks as signs of good faith, when Mr. Cornelius offered to put up $25.000 if Mr. Amerine would put up a like amount. The latter did not think this was absolutely necessary when assured by Mr. Cornelius that he was ready to deposit the $25,000.
Mr. Cornelius was extended all kinds of courtesies both by Mr. Amerine and by the citizens of Walnut Grove, Altoona and other places. There was started a rumor to the effect that Mr. Cornelius, in addition to the Amerine property, intended purchasing the properties of the Underwood Coal Company, near Altoona, and Mr. Cornelius even paid Mr. Underwood a visit. Mr. Underwood did not exactly appreciate the talk of Mr. Cornelius and made application through the Birmingham banks as to the firm in Boston and was a little startled to receive a reply that there was no such firm as that given. However, Mr. Underwood went to Tate Spring and let the matter go by.
Good Reputation.
The reputation established by Mr. Cornelius in and around Walnut Grove and Altoona is first-class in every particular, but as a big land buyer, the express agent could not conceive why there should be so much jewelry coming to him through his office. The agent wired Mr. Amerine of his suspicions and the latter replied that he had no fears. It is stated that later Mr. Amerine’s suspicions were also aroused and the effort to make an arrest followed.
Detectives Investigated.
At the local office of the Southern Express Company in Birmingham very little is said about the matter. It is known that detectives have been investigating the matter. It is not believed that the Mr. Cornelius is a man who operated similarly in Missouri some time ago. The officials of the Express Company seen today said that their counsel had been advised of the case and had already given notice that they had delivered the goods properly and that they will not in anywise be responsible for the goods received by this Mr. Cornelius. Among the firms who have shipped goods to the Altoona express office were the Richardson-Morton Jewelry Company, of Louisville, Ky., and S. F. Meyers & Company, of New York.
No warrants have been issued against any one. The express agent at Altoona is highly praised by officials of the express company
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