Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1879-07-20
ANOTHER FOOL.


The fools are not all dead yet. But the
one about whom this story is related is very
sick, SO there's hope that he at least will not
long survive to travesty human nature. Only
two or three days ago the GLOBE chronicled
with minute detail how granger, George
w. Hunt, residing fourteen miles from
Winona, had been conidenced out of $47:
The two played the e-honored
'freight dodge" on him success
fully. Yesterday similar game
was played upon John Willer, of Wisconsin.
He was victimized to the extent of BIO.
The operators, two in number, went to work
just as they did in Hunts case, with this diff
ference only: Both met Willer on the train
and got into conversation with him. He was
on his way to Rice Station, Morrison county,
to buy land in that vicinity. The luckiest
thing In the world, of course, the two strangers
were merchants at Rice Station, what made
their story seemingly very plausible, was
that Wlller had visited Rice Station before,
and when he made enquiries about localities,
ETC., they were ready with proper accounts
In due time arriving at st. Paul, on
the river road train at 1:3O O'Clock,
the trio got off, the best friends in the
world. Here the two strangers played
it on Willer in the usual way.
They had two car loads of freight, payment
in advance, an unusual thing, was demand
ed. The upshot of the business was that
Willer was asked for loan until they, all to-
gether, arrived at Rice Station. Willer
complied by handing out $11O to make up
$l7O asked for the freight. Preliminary to
the transaction the Rice Station
merchants skirmished around with
81, 900 bond. That satisfied Willer as to
their solidity, and when asked, he readily
passed over his genuine greenbacks and
took their bond in security. After accom-
plishing the object of their sociability, both
merchants went off to see about the transfer
of their freight, leaving Willer to await
their return, at the depot. As
tram time approached Willer
became uneasy, spoke about his two friends
and in degree let out his story. A loud
guffaw from hickman who overheard him
was the lntimation he received that he was
sold.
Willer went up to the Merchants hotel.
made inquiry for policeman, was taken in
charge by GLOBE reporter, who got his
story out of him by degrees. He
was given the information. which
he had already partially realized, that he was
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matter coolly, in which he was to great
degree aided by his timely recognition of
genuine friend in Judge Foster, of Wiscon-
sin. They buzzed together for awhile, and
Willer was seen to replenish his depleted
pocket book. He seemed convinced that his
was hopeless case, and gave up any further
effort to recover his lost money, though he
expressed the determination to catch the fell
lows some time.
His description of these two confidence
men is identical with that given by Hunt of
the parties who speculated with him.
This confidence game is being played with
too great frequency in st. Paul. And from
all accounts each speculation has been con-
Quoted to q successful issue by identically
the same individuals. In view of this order
of things, repeated every few days, it is al
most time that Chief Weber began to realize
that it is his duty to inaugurate some meas
ure to Illustrate these operators, or capture
them. The latter would appear to be easy
enough to do, from the fact that the twain
have been we'll and frequently described.