The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1893-01-05
Twin Sister to the "Flinl- Flana"
Game.

A gentleman aged about Is years, says
the Hagerstown Globe of Thursday a
week, entered the Hotel Hamilton and
| with a nervous scrawl registered the
name, James B. Crowell, Greencastle,
Ia. lie wore a worried look and in
i CURED of Clerk Gunnelle if he knew of
detective i'll Hagerstown whom he
could employ to work 10 u case. He af-
terward saw State's Attorney Charles A.
Little and to him he told and interesting
story
Wednesday evening a man came to
Ear. CroweN, in Greencastle, and repre-,
sented himself as the son of Alexander
Stewart, of Scotland, Pa Mr.. Crowell
was an old friend OF Mr. Stewart and he
welcomed whom he thought to be his
friends son. Mr. Stewart is cashier of a
Harrisburg bank. The supposed son
said he wanted to buy farm and Mr.
Croweli took him short distance out of
Greencastle and showed him one of his
farms. The nansexhibited pleasure and
said the farm exactly suited him and left
he would buy it.
AS they were returning to Greencastle,
they met man, o stranger to Mr.. Crow
eli and apparently a stranger to the gen
tleman who represented himself as AFR
Stewart. The stranger told his little
story, saying that he was from Ken>
lucky and had come on to give a sister
some money but found that she was
dead He then proposed game of
cards, which he had with him. Mr..
Crowell objected at first and said that
he did not care for the game.
But the son of his old friend impor>
tuning, he at last consented and after
playing while for amusement, played
for $4,000 stakes. Mr. Crowell drew a
card and won $4,000 He was told that
he would have to have So, 900 in cash to
put up before he could get the money he
had won.
Mr.. Crowell went to Greencastle and
drew the necessary S., 900 from the bank
and returned to the place along the road
where the game was played. He found
the men waiting for him. In some man
ner the stranger got hold of the box con-
tanning the $1,000 and gave Mr.. Crowell
box which he supposed contained not
only the $4,000 which he drew from the
bank but also the $4,000 which he had
won. The party separated, Mr.. Stewart
telling Mr.. Crowell that he would see
him again about his farm,
When Mr.. Crowell got home he opened
the boz to count his money and was
greatly surprised at finding the box filed
with moss and bark. mfr. Crowell saw
at once that he was taken III by u pair
of sharpers. He came to Hagerstown
and Mr.. Little aided him ell he could
but no clue to the men has as yet been
secured.
When the game was oyer, the two men
got into the buggy and left Mr. Crowell
to walk home.
Mr.. Crowell is we'll known citizen of
Greencastle and is possessed Of consider
able wealth. He is part owner in the
Crowell Grain Drill Works at Greencas>
tie and owns the Croweil Hotel in the
same place.
The game practiced by the strangers
is old enough to have moss on it also
and the astonishing part OF the transac
ton is that a man of Mr.. Crowells in
telligence, and who is certainly u news
paper reader should fall victim to so
old a scheme. Tho infatuation of gain,
evidently, robbed him of his better
ind 81
of the swindle is that the rascals are
successful. The attempt to beat them
at their own game connteracts what
sympathy might be created for the I'M
fortunate victim.