Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1902-03-13
Secures Nearly $1,000 From
Credulous Females by an
Old Trick.
ON HIS TRAIL
Persuades Victims to Draw Funds
From Bank as a Charm Which He
Said Would Attract Untold Millions.
With No Difficulty at All.

So far as known six or eve Ottum-.
women spent all day Sunday and
until 3 o'clock yesterday afternoon
with a package Of blank paper pinned
going to lear something at the latter
hour which would make them million.
aires. All this expectancy was the
result of divers visits to u palmist,
calling himself Victor Ross. and locat-
ed at the corner of Second and Marion
streets. One woman is short $3.50, anotll-
er 5000, another $3.50, and several 9th
ers lesser amounts. The victims made
complaint to Chief Gray yesterday al,
ternoon and the latter made an inves-
tigation. He soon found that Ross
had left the city leaving nc trace of
his whereabouts. 1t is estimated that
he plucked the poor deluded women
to the amount of about $1,000. Upon
the request OF the victims the police
will not divulge their names niles
the alleged palmist is captured.
A Good Business.
Ross came to Ottumwa several
weeks ago, and at once opened up par
lors at the boarding house, corner Ma
rion and Second streets. Business was
good, and he appeared to be all right.
His clientage consisted of some of the
most prominent women of the town
ovid h. orrpora1 10 No maxine n1pOtV
of money. Once in. a great While he
caught a man, but the opposite sex
seemed to be the easiest picking He
was a prepossessing sort of person
was nearly always persuaded to come
back the second time. Matters pro-
crossed smoothly until Saturday, which
day had evidently been fixed upon by
Ross for the final denouement. What
happened then is best told by one OF
the victims who called for the police.
Get All the Money.
t This woman who is well known in
Ottumwa. called at the police station
about 4 o'clock yesterday afternoon
and told her story to Chief Gray. She
!, said she had called on Ross to have
her fortune told and hand read and
that she believed he was q most o
derful man. She said he convinced
her that she was soon going to become
the owner of untold riches but in or
der to get them she must have a large
1 sum of money to act as an open Sc.
: same" According to her story Ross
| had her go to the bank Saturday af-
%ternoon and draw out all her money
: This amounted to $3.50. 1t was in the
t shape of one 500 bill and seven $50
bills. This was neatly wrapped in a
Ichamois skin package and the victim
~breathlessly walked to her doom. She
took a needle and thread and sewed
, several stitches in the package" Just
to show her that there would be no
i, monkey business as Ross told her.
and then in front of her own eyes the
palmist took the package made sever.
al mysterious passes over it and then
sewed it in the bosom of her dress.
The man then made a few more mys-
%terious signs over it and dismissed the
woman, telling her to come back Mon
day afternoon at 3 o'clock sharp, and
he would direct her to where she
" could get millions of dollars.
Was Easy.
ihS WoiudI pt. oLS Welt proudly
home and dreamed all of Saturday and
Sunday night of what she would dc
with her none when she became the
owner of what was promised her. She
: was prompt to keep her engagement
s Monday afternoon and she knocked at
If the boarding house door with all the
confidence in the world. She was met
by the landlady and upon her asking
n for Ross her heart nearly stopped beat
"a ing when she was told that ne had not
been seen ince she was with him Sat.
IS urday. Upon hearing this news the
k woman for the first time thought OF
a. trickery. She hurried home and ex.
is amined the package which had been
8 so securely sewed in her dress and
upon opening it found that it contained
IS nothing but blank paper cut in the
form of bills and sewed up in the
same kind of a bag she had brought
with her. The woman's first thought
was of the police and she immediate
ly made her way to the station. Shf
told her story to Chief Gray and the
of latter began an investigation. He
went to Ross boarding house with the
woman and the landlady told him the
same story that was told the woman
=. Ross had left the house early Satur
30 day evening. 1t was also learned tina
~ he had moved his belongings from the
y room Friday night and that when hi
90 had secured his money all he had to d.
was walk out and catch a train.
ar There Are Others.
ay Even while Chief Gray n the frs
is victim was at the house several othe
sw women made their appearance lookin!
i'll for the palmist and they all told thu
lal same stories as the first. although
mt none of them were caught s.
hard as she was. None Q
the women would swear tt
al an information against Ross ant
ar each and every one of them begged t
ed keep their names out of the papers
Pending the capture of the palms
Chief Gray promised them that thi
J lWould be done.