Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1901-10-31
VISITED AUGUSTA.
Two Smooth Talking Gentle
men Travelling the State
Trying to Borrow Saa|I Sums Of
Money Offering JeweIry as Security
Question is Where Did They Get Their Ola.
monds and Watches.

wv" smooth talking strangers wer.
III augusta. last week, and the oen.ra
impression that they left behind then
as they left for other points in III,
State was that they We're Sharpers o.
tn" first quality
| Maine police have been warned
against NV" gentlemen whose method.
OF procedure seem to be like that of III,
visitors 10 this city and have been or
| the lookout for them and il seems ina,
they nave put in an appearance.
| Their plan is to borrow money IN
! 1ewelry and the suspicious part q,
the matter is that the jewelrv shown !.
oil great value according to the testi-
moEy of skillful Augusta jewellers. The
question arises where did the two men
get the diamonds and watches which
| ttey offer to put up for a very
| moderate sum.
| 1h"y made "all ut F. T.. Hilton's
| JeWelry store and wanted to get 500
on II cluster ring and a minute repeate,
| h"rS" timer and stated that if he
doubted they would give THEN
| notes fpr security. As they wcr. en-
TIRE strangers I" him Mr.. Hilton re-
marked thar he would rather they
CIV" him necktie than Il note as he
could Wear the latter and be SURF, of
getting some good from it,
IT Frank r. Mobiles the strangers
toe " tai" OF how they were going tn
start a theatrical company and must
nave $l3" to start on. They already
had $500 and wanted $500 more For
TINS amount they offered to l.ny. 4
beautiful repeating watch which they
said cost $500 and great solitaire ring
weighing about 3cara:S OF more, claim d
To have cost xlo0n This stone was Set in
the ring. Mr.. Noble smelled Il raj "a
Then the men offered a diamond ,.lus-
ter Pin. valued al 500 and wanted a
small amount on that.
~ Merton Wheel"rS the strangers
wanted to get 500 and at Guy -
\lck"'ys the same amount. putting up
III" same story about "A theatrical
troupe. At Mr.. Nickery's they finally
dropped to $50. Mr.. Nickery did not
look at their goods It seems that at no
piac. in town did they succeed in maxi
ing a trade.
The police wer" on the watch but
there was no evidence to warrant an
arrest. The twain visited Bangor as is
o, ident by the following account in
n" Bangor Commercial and there told
Il somewhat different story. The COM
mercial says
Il IN hard up ana I'VE got To have 500
II YOU will lend it To me ON this ring
watch ana pin, II pay YOU back in fin.
days ANA give Nou So for yonr troubi.. De-
to a wcl-known Bangor icweler by n
well-dre~sed. eood-appearinG man a few
days ago. who, with Il companion, en-
tered the store with the easy bearing ana
pleasant smile which betokens confidence
in one : self ana in the buundlcSs cretiul-
ity of the average human being
The pair offered for the jewelers. in
spection a diamond ring. Two watches
and diamond scarf pin. After an eX-
animation he discovered that the ring
was actually worth more than Slnn. he
watches Were worth S,n and $lt" respcc-
lively. and ,.ir stick pin was hardly less
valuable.
This is not a pawn shop. gentlemen.
the Jeweler informed them. 'iou'll tinL
one across the street
The well-drcSsed pair with the valuable
jcwe!ry visited the pawn shop. one Of thu
city banks ana several other places They
finally returned to the jeweler who had
been first visited and ending in MAXIM.
an offer of 500 for the use Of six times
that amount for tive days. The jewell,
wou.d be left as security
My friend and l." said the one who
did the most talking. have two com
paneS on the road. We've suddenly
found ourselves in a tight place and unless
We can raise $500 I'll have To take in a
partner
We'll. ! guess you'd better take him
in. remarked the jeweler. as he smiled
slightly. You see. gentlmen," he went
on. II know all about you and Nolr
methods and have been expecting Il call
from YOU for some days. Good
morning.
That $ funny muttered the largos.
II didn't know Ia come to Bangor my
self till just before | struck the town"
The two men left on the l.35 O'Clock
train for the west that noon. II il
thought that they have left the State.
Just where that ring and the other
Valuables came from is the question
which has been puzzling the Bangor
couple left
The stuff was really very valuable.
said the jeweler to Commercial &c
porter. and the ring would have excited
attention anywhere.
Some days since the Bangor police re
ceived warning that IL couple of sharpcrI
who had been endeavoring to operate in
the western part of the State. was headed
in this direction. 1t was also added that
the mems particular graft was the raising
If money ON watches and jcwelry. The
authorities are confident that the couple
which visited the jeweler was the paIr
mentioned. and that the Valuabl"S had
been stolen in some other city. 1t was
Of course impossible to make out n case
with the measre information which was
possessed here and no effort was made 70
h,lI h.. mon