The sun., 1897-10-31
a New scheme to Steal,

A New scheme to Steal.
New York. Oct. 3O.-rhem are four
men behind the bars ut police headquar-
tiers charged with working one of the
neatest and most rcmuncratve swindling
schemes uncovered since the Lexow ex-
posures forced the police to drive out the
green goods men. Members of the
old green goods band are now borrow
ing money on fraudulent pawn tickets
from trusting ''haysccds' and others. 1t
is IA paying business and they have been
living high and arraying themselves in
purple and fine linen on the proceeds Of
their new venture.
Captain McCluskey's men took stroll
along Broadway Wednesday afternoon
looking for members OF the band of
swindlcrs, who had mulctcd Frederick
Ward, an electrician, OF No. 255 West
Thiry-eighth street out of nearly 81, 400
Attracted by the generous bonuses
offered by the band in their "ads' in the
newspapers, he came here from Williams
port, Pa, to lend them money. All he
has to show for his money now is lot of
nearly worthless pawn tickets.
Detectives Valltly and Kerr captured
four of the swindlers near the Metro
politan Hotel. They are Frederick
Woods, twenty-six years years old, of
llackcnsack, n. j.; Myron Tradwcll, -
years old OF No. 24l West Thirty-fourth
street; Joseph c. Blake 50 years old, OF
West Sixty-fourth street and Isaac A.
Lawrence, 55 years old, of No. . West
10Th street. The two first named said
they were spectators and the others
jewellers.
The Swindcrs inserted all sorts Of
alnrins "ads" in the newspapers, calcu-
lated t. max Il man with some money
think he could get gold here as easily as
in the frozen Klondike regions. 1t was
one OF these that brought Ward to town
last August from Williamsport.
OF course Ward wrote to the adycr-
tisrrs about their offers. He received
several letters from them. Selecting that
of Woods, who gave the name of Gideon
Park, he net him recently at a usta,lr-
ant in Washington street. Woods was
what is known as u ''feclcr" for the
band. He actually made a loan of SO
on good security and promised to repay
Ward 500 in thirty days. lie gave him
as pledge $3.50 worth of comparatively
good pawn tickets.
1t was his play to draw Ward on to
make further loans to members of his
band. He introduced to him first a
needy friend, Blake, who was willing
to pay a big bonus for short time.
Ward accommodated him with loan of
500, taking as security pawn tickets
with face value of 81 800 and a PROM
isc to pay $1,000 in thirty days.
1t was with the feeling Of a man who
had invested his savings well that Ward
knocked about the city for ii few weeks.
He had investigated the ecnuineness of
"Feelcr' Woods pawntickets before he
made the other loans, and he felt secure.
When the swindlers did not appear to
redeem their pawntickcts ut the end Of
thirty days, he visited the pawnshops to
inspect the diamonds in care of his
"unCle.'
lie found that most OF the pawn tickets
had been raised by adding figure to the
amounts loaned and that the jewels were
not worth what had been actually loaned
on them.
1t is thought some of the pawnbrokers
are leagued with the band to give them
tickets that are made out for amounts
many times the value OF articles pledged.