The Virginian

Some weeks ago a fellow calling himself JAMES WILSON passed through this place, pretending to have been robbed in New York of $5,700, and to be in pursuit of the thief, whom, he said, he had traced as far as Charlottesville. He accordingly offered in this paper a reward of $1000 for the apprehension of Henry Johnson, the suppositious thief, whom he described with very great minuteness. Several Southern and Western papers were requested to copy it, and did so; and an honest man in Georgia, from his strong resemblance to the description of the supposed Johnson, was actually arrested. This fellow Wilson went on to Richmond, Raleigh, Columbia, (S. C.) and, belonging to the masonic fraternity, obtained money in each place from that institution. His gentlemanly deportment, and modest, unassuming manners were not supposed to be the characteristics of villainy, and he met with nothing but sympathy and money. Bringing with him, too, recommendations from the most eminent citizens of New York, no person was of course unmannered enough to suspect that they were forged. But subsequent events have proved that they were; unfortunately, however, they were not developed until the "bird had flown."—

A letter from Columbia (S. C.) informs us that he was taken up near that place; but after taking from him his forged papers, he was let loose, to forge new ones, and to repeat his villainies.

A few days after Wilson made his exit another scoundrel, by the name of Wm. Jones, whose full length portrait has been since drawn in the Nashville papers, (he having selected the West as the scene of his exploits,) came on, and, like Wilson, claiming the privileges of the masonic fraternity, appealed to their charity of that institution, & obtained a sum of money. From some circumstances which have since transpired, it is supposed that Wilson and Jones are confederated for the purpose of plundering the lodges (of which they were unworthy members) wherever they go, and that they have an agent in New York, to further their scheme. We hope that if they, or either of them, should be caught again, they will not be so easily let off as was Wilson. "A whip should be put into the hands of every honest man to lash such rascals naked through the world."

These accomplished swindlers will very probably change their names, and forge other letters of recommendation as they did the first, and tell a different, but equally plausible tale of woe, for the purpose of imposing still further on the credulity of the fraternity. Wilson is an excellent scribe, and quite an intelligent scoundrel.

Editors to the South and West might subserve the cause of justice, by noticing these facts.