Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1902-04-01
MANY MORE VICTIMS
Ottumwa Women Who Were
Duped Have Companions.
NEW STORY CONES FROM KANSAS CITY

A Man of the Victor Ross Stripe Swim.
dies Poor Tailor Out of $3.50 In the
Missouri River Metropolis - Story
of the Affair.
Victor Ross, the alleged medium who
is said to have worked bunco game
on several Ottumwa women recently,
has either turned up in Kansas City
or is duplicated there by one "Profes-
sor" Goodwin who took $3.50 a few
days ago from William Soderstrum, a
Kansas City tailor. Soderstrum is evil
IDENTIFY an "easy mark" for he had only
few weeks before given up $25 to the
Marsdens, trance mediums, who left
Kansas City and several other places
with a goodly supply of shekels CLEAN
ed from unsuspecting converts.
If Professor" Goodwin is the same
man as Victor Ross, he has gone into
business on larger scale than when
he gained the confidence and later the
money of certain women residing in
this city. If he is not the same man
he may soon turn up in Ottumwa in
which case the people of this city will
doubtless be on the lookout for him.
Soderstrum's experience with the
Marsdens did not teach him wisdom,
according to the story from Kansas
City, and about week ago he noticed
the advertisement of "Profesosr' Good
win in an evening paper and called up
on him. After short interview,
Goodwin told Soderstrum that there
was an immense treasure buried on
his place at 217 West Eighteenth
street. This treasure consisted of
gold, precious stones and bonds. PRO
| fessor" Goodwin offered to locate this
great wealth for consideration and
Soderstrum accepted the conditions.
Goodwin asked Soderstrum how
much money he had in the bank. The
tailor replied that he had $3.50. The
medium told him to draw it all out,
and Soderstrum did so, placing it in a
small pocketbook and carrying it to
| Professor" Goodwins Office. The
medium took the money, fondled it
| for few minutes and then handed it
back. saying that a charm had been
placed upon it. He told Soderstrum to
wear the purse and it's contents next
to his body, and in that way the mon
ey would become magnetized, When
it had acquired sufficient degree of
magnetism, so Goodwin said, it would
draw its owner to the spot where the
hidden treasure could be found.
"Magnetizing" the Money.
4 Soderstrum was told to report at the
mediums Office each day and exhibit
the money so that Goodwin might
watch the acquisitions of the magne-
tism. Soderstrum obeyed orders reli-
giously.
Thursday Goodwin and Soderstrum
: went to the latter's place together, but
the money which the tailor carried
had evidently not become sufficiently
magnetized as yet as it failed to draw
it's owner to the treasure trove. Me-
dunn and dupe returned to the Office
, together, and the medium said that
, he was not satisfied with the rate at
: which the money was becoming mag.
, netized. He thought the fault was
! with the leather pocketbook in which
the bills were carried, he said, and he
took the money and put it in an en-
: velope and returned it to Soderstrum.
, Friday Soderstrum went again to
:. Professor" Goodwin's office and
= showed the medium the envelope
. Goodwin handled it and then gave 1t
: back. Saturday Soderstrum made an.
: other call and again turned the enve.
lope over to Goodwin. The latter ap
\ perently handed back the same envel
: ope and told Soderstrum not to return
2 before Monday night when he thought
= the magnetism would certainly be
: strong enough to locate the hidden
treasure. He warned Soderstrum mo-
to open the envelope under any cir
cumstances or the spell would be brok
& en-.
s Within a few minutes after Solder
: strum left Goodwin's Office he began
L. to get suspicious, and he decided a.
e length to risk breaking the charm ant
It open the envelope. He tore off on,
r. corner and found that it contained
e nothing but neatly folded piece o
If newspaper, part of the printed matte
s of which was the advertisement whicl
n had first beguiled Soderstrum.
e The "Professor" Was Out.
q TIL victimized tailor hurried at tn
q top of his speed to the police static
a. and Detectives Boyle and Wilson wer
Q sent with him to Professor" Coco
ri wins office. The professor" was nc
ID in. Neither was he at his boardin
,s house on Broadway. Other place
Nv which he was known to frequent wer
~ searched for him in vain. The polio
Il. of surrounding cities will be asked I
look out for him.
At Goodwins boarding house the o
ficers learned that there had been oil
n, er inquiries there for the professor
lie Most of those who sought him wel
81. women Some of them explained the
re errand to the keeper of the boardin
tie house One of the women said tn;
e- she had intrusted 5000 to Goodwo
he Another woman said that she had gi
of en- him several hundred dollars. Tt
~ police believe that he reaped ric
m, harvest and had left for parts u
SIS known.
ty The Marsdens, who first victimizt
m Soderstrum, are also reputed to ha'
~ f1eeced their dupes to the extent
H. several thousand dollars. These met
nd ums were three in number and the
Nj had scores of visitors every day. I'll
Marsdens advertised that they cou
reveal any secret, but the
made a speciality of locatiI