The Plymouth Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1878-1901, 1901-06-20
Slick Scheme.

In Mondays Evening News there
was published an account Of a fraud
perpetrated on Laporte county man by
a stranger who proposed to secure for
his victim an alleged legacy from dis
tant relative. Presumably the same
fsker was in Plymouth yesterday and
attempted similar imposition on one of
our good citizens.
A, about half past five o'clock in the
afternoon a we'll dressed stranger called
at the parsonage of the German Reform
ed church and after some preliminaries
told the pastor, Rev. Weiss, that lady
named Baumgartner, who. he said, lived
ed in this city 80 or 40 years, ago died in
January and in her will left legacy OF
several hundred dollars to the congrega-
ton of the church in Plymouth. The
stranger said that he was charged with
the delivery of the money and that in
March last be had written letter about
it addressed to the pastor of the church.
but that the letter was returned to him
and be had concluded to come here per-
sonally He went on to say that he was
stopping at the Ross House, that he had
been busy ut the court house all day
and that he would call after supper anu
bring the returned letter and 500 OF the
legacy. with which he departed.
Rev. Weiss noticed the article in the
News above referred to and recalled that
the man had been nervous
and uneasy throughout his vis-
it. 60 he asked his next door neighbor,
DIR. Kafzer, il he had noticed the
stranger and the doctor said the man
had seen him and represented himself as
q general pension agent for Indiana and
Michigan and made some inquiries about
several persons here.
The pastor concluded to be prepared
Cor the gentleman in the evening and
had Sheriff Bondurant and Marshal
CLANCY at the house. but the fellow did
not appear and could not be found and
the precise nature of his scheme was pot
developed. The church will probably
never again hear Of the Baumgartner
legacy.
The man is described as about 50
years Of age. with gray hair. whiskers
and nustache. wearing dark coat,
light gray trousers and blue and white
striped shirt. but no vest. No such man
stopped at either of the hotels yesterday.
The smooth sharper who attempted
to work Rev. Weiss, pastor of the Ger
man Reformed church in this city. was |
at Michig City Tuesday
and now languishes IN the bastile of La.
porte county.
Father Hickman, of st. Mary's |
Catholic church at Michigan City, was
the intended victim of the swindler, who |
gave his name as A. Nj. Hendricks. and |
It was in trap set by him that Hend-
ricks lost his liberty. The fellow went |
from Plymouth to the city of theHoosier
Slide Monday evening and was in the
tolls the next forenoon.
His scheme was 10 represent. as he
did here, that legacy had been left to |
the church and he would collect small |
sum in advance for court costs. He is
known to have worked the game on sew
sral priests and ministers in Ohio, where
be gave his name as Reilly.
While be was III Plymouth the Willy |
stranger succeeded in securing $500 !
rom Father Yenn Oh a check for $500,
which he left as collateral, and spent the !
money in saloons during the day.
Father Yenn went to Michigan City
Tuesday and identified the man,