St. Paul daily globe., 1895-12-16
MRS. JOHN GELINA, OF WEST ST,
PAUL, CLEyERLY VICTIM
lied
BY TWO OILY FRENCHMEN,
THEY HAD PLENTY OF MONER
BUT DIDN'T KNOW BANKING
METHODS.
MRS. GELINA TAUGHT THEN,
She Drew Down Her Money With
the Result That They HFIip
FIammedH the Roll

John Gelina, who KEGS the White
Front saloon and restaurant at No.
ITO South Wabasha street, in the
Sixth ward, West st. Paul, is won-
dering whether or not he is ever to
get back his 81 coo, or, more properly
speaking, his wife's 81, 400. What ap-
pears to have been the most sensa-
tional case of "con" ever pulled off
in this city occurred a short time ago,
and partly owing to the desire on
the part of the Gelinas to avoid pub
licity, has apparently been allowed
to go by default. Although at the
time Mrs. Gelina presented the case
to the Pinkerton agency in this city,
she refrained, on the advice of her
husband, from mentioning the mat
ter to the city detectives, with the re-
suit that the two clever svindlers
who f1eeced her Of The sum mention
ed have not been apprehended.
A week before the game was work.
ed well dressed, smooth-spoken
man, who gave his name as Barber,
made his appearance at the Gelinas,
and after scraping up an acquaint-
ance, asked numerous questions
about the business, and said sOme-
thing about buying the place, all his
conversation being carried on in
French, the Gelinas being of that
nationality He seemed pleasant
enough, and one evening the Gelinas
accepted his invitation to go to
band concert at Lake Como, where,
during an intermission, a second
man, oddly enough also French
man, joined them, and told them OF
having lost SO gold piece which
thieving bootblack had taken to get
changed for him.
/ He gave his name as Joe Marteau,
and exhibited a wallet filed with
bills, and had about his person gold
pieces which Barber, who was ap-
| parently a stranger to him, advised
him to keep in his pockets lest he
| be robbed. Marteau said he was
living at the Windsor hotel; that his
! father, wealthy ranchman, had
| died, leaving him $4,000, and that
| he was anxious to become familiar
with the methods of this country,
especially those used III banking. He
| begged his new found friends to show
him where the Windsor was, and the
| next day he appeared at the Cell
| mas, where he was to be initiated
| into the mysteries Of checks, pass
! books and deposit certificates, so he
| could bank his $40 900. His offer to
| give Mrs. Gelina 500, or, if necessary.
! 5000, if she would draw her money
| out Of the Germania bank to show
| him how it was done was accepted
! by the lady on her husbands advice,
and the 81 400 was taken home.
! As the Gelinas were going with their
newly found friends TO the retail clerks
! picnic at White Bear lake. Marteau
asked if he might leave his money,
which was in a small gripsack. with
| Mrs. Gelina's SLIGO. in Mr.. Gelina's
safe. This was agreed, and to make
it strong" Marteau locked his grip
containing both his own and their
money, as they supposed, and placed
it carefully in the saloon safe, which
Mr.. Gelina carefully locked, after
which they all went TO the picnic.
The next morning Marteau was to meet
them at the Windsor for his second
banking lesson, but he was not there,
nor was his pal, Barber. both having
probabl taken the night train out of
town with their booty. They, however,
had left the grip in Gelina's safe. and
after waiting a reasonable time Mrs.
Gelina had misgivings. Her husband
secured the services of a locksmith,
who opened the valise. 1t was found
to contain a cheap dotted blue cotton
handkerchief, in which they had seen
their money wrapped. but which now
contained a copy of the G o care
fully folded. n roll of Chicago papers
| tightly done up in brown wrapping
paper with innumerable formidable
red wax seals upon it, and black al
paca bag with a false bottom cortain-
ing a quantity Of common iron wash
ers weighing perhaps five pounds.
which the unsuspecting people had
thought from the weight and jingle
TO be silver and gold pieces.
Mrs. Gelina was heart-broken at her
loss, but at the suggestion of her hus-
band and in spite of the advice of her
son, said nothing about the matter 10
any one except the Pinkerton agent
here. who said If she would offer a re-
ward she might set the thieves or she
might not.
She felt that the publicity of the mat
ter might hold her husband and her.
self up to the ridicule of their friends.
so she permitted the matter TO drop.
The 1,4OO which was stolen was the
proceeds of a sale of West st. Paul
property to Philip Sittman, who died
last week and whose funeral occurred
yesterday afternoon.
1t is believed that the men who turn
ed the trick are "Tom" Devine and
Peter Covert, both of them well-known
brace men. This, however, is partly
conjecture. Devine, who is said to
have been horn and raised in ST. Paul,
has the reputation of being slick
crook and is said to have been mixed
UP some ten years ago with the Mil
waukee & St. Paul train robbery at
Winona. He has operated in New
York, where he has earned the name of
being a smooth faro bank worker, and
Is said to have been pinched lately in
Milwaukee.
Peter Covert who is supposed to have
been the represent in the West ST.
Paul game, is a brace-game man in
New York Pictures of both men
adorn the rogues' gallery at police
headquarters.
Agent and Cash Are Gone.
TERRE HAUTE, Ind, Dec. 15.-Geo.
w. McCammon, Adams Express agent
..lf hos