The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-08-08
WORKED A SMOOTH GRAFT.
Negro swindIer Got Away With
Clothing md Money.

A smooth negro swindler is again at
work and the city detectives are max
ing every effort to apprehend him. His
| graft is rather an old one, but he
found no difficulty in working it yes
terday morning on James Tillman, a
negro driver living at No. 210 Meal
lister street. The swindler is one of
the chaps who is looking for a bright
| lad of his own race to put in a Bay
street office; and the rest is easy. The
detectives say that he is a CRATER all
right, but that his work is coarse.
Tillman has been driving for DR..
Lloyd, during the illness of a friend,
and when he was accosted on the East
Side by a stranger, with a position at
his disposal Tillman jumped at the
opportunity. The man said that J. b.
Cohen wanted bright and honest boy
to work in his office on the Bay. Till
man was willing to work for $3.50 a
week, but the stranger laughed at
him, and said that Mr. Cohen would
willingly give up S. per week for an
honest boy. The last boy employed in
the place had skipped out with $3.50,
and Mr.. Cohen had said that he was
going to be very particular who he
hired in his place.
The man with the good thing had
the appointing in his own hands, as
1t were, and liked Tillman's looks. lie
was willing to do the right thing, and
was sure that he could make the money
easy If he would follow a few simple
instructions. For instance, Tillman was
to hurry home, and bundle up his dress
suit of clothes, and a pair of new
shoes that he mentioned having. I'm
der no circumstances was he TO put
the garments. on, because several desks
had to be scrubbed off at once. He
was to wear the old suit until the
mental work had been done. and then
don his f1nery in the Office, and appear
before the imaginary Mr.. Cohen.
The CRATER came very near forget
ting a very important point in his game
and one at which Tillman bit readily.
1t would never do for him to go before
Mr.. Cohen without rafting silver in
his pocket. This jingling sound would
convince Mr.. Cohen that he was not
about to employ a bum, and the rest
was pictured easy. Tillman said that
he could manage to borrow as much
as a dollar from his sister. but that
this was the limit. The stranger did
not want to see him lose q good thing
because of a paltry dollar, and gra-
ciously agreed to secure the other piece
of silver so the juggling sound could
be produced without difficulty.
While the swindler stood on the cor
ner Tillman hurried to his home to get
his clothing, as visions of a soft job
at a big salary fioated before him. He
bundled the suit and shoes UP and Sc
cured the dollar from his sister. 1t was
paper, but could be easily changed into
silver. True to his word the stranger
was waiting on the corner, and Tillman
explained that he would have to get
the paper dollar changed into a silver
piece.
The man who was working the game
remembered that Mr.. Cohens wheel
was at the De Soto, and gave Tillman
a note for the bicycle. He insisted on
holding the bundle and. too, upon get
ting the paper money changed into sill
yer during Tillmans absence. When
Tillman reached the De Soto he was
dismayed to discover that the note
called for 81. and was only a hoax. He
hurried to where he had left his friend,
but the man had disappeared with the
clothing and money.
Tillman was like a wild man and
rushed frantically to police headquar-
ters, where he reported his loss. He
cried and 1t was with the greatest diff
ficulty that the desk sergeant was
made to understand what he was try
ing to say. Tillman declared that he
did not own another stitch of clothing
and begged that the detectives do
something for him. Detective Murphy
took the matter in hand and is of the
opinion that he will be able to locate
the man who played the game.