Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1903-05-28
Des Moines Merchants Give up
$500 to Clever Pair.
SPECIAL ADVERTISING SCHEMES
Most PersistentIy Worked and Most
Lucrative Many Firms cajoled, De-
ceived or Threatened Into Giving
Up Money-Time Card Scheme.

The CRATER with the special adver-
Using scheme is perhaps the clever
est and most persistent of the whole
tribe of business parasites who go
about the country taking advantage OF
everybody, every order and every plau-
sible excuse to get money out OF the
merchant and business man. They
coax, cajole, jolly and even threaten
and SO strong is their graft that many
firms actually give up money to them.
The following from the Des Moines
Register shows how a pair OF smooth
ones worked that town:
A Railroad Time Card.
1.-TWO of the smoothest grafters that
have worked this city for some time
made their appearance here on Tues
day of last week. Two men presented
a railroad time card which they claim
ed would be carried by almost all the
railroad men in the state. On this card
was advertising space and this they
sold at prices ranging from S. to $50
per space, according to size. A good
many of the merchants Of the city were
taken in by the two grafters. Among
the ones to buy the space were GUM
and & Jones, the wholesale and retail
piano dealers; w. H. Lehman, the mu.
sic dealers on West Walnut street;
f. E. Duncan, the specialist; N. c.
Berkey, the dentist; and st. John &
Barquist, cornice dealers on West
Eighth street.
Escape Police.
'HThe work OF soliciting the advertis
! ing began in this city last Tuesday
! and the police, when they heard of tht
affair and found that the men were
working in this city, Immediately tel
4 ephoned to the merchants to be on th'
lookout for them and should they ge
] into the stores to notify the police
who would make arrests. Guinand {
! Jones was one of the first places Wis
1 tied by the two men and when the
! placed their scheme before the adyeI
4 Using manager they did it so cleverl
I that all doubt as to it being a graf
4 was dispelled and Paul Jones too
4 a space valued at five dollars. TIL
/ man who was doing most OF the talk
4 ing asked pay in advance, as they Wer
4 a little short of money and would Xix
to get the card in the hands of tn
4 printer as soon as possible. Mr.. Jone
!, acceded to their request and paid TO
the ad in advance. and nothing NOR
was thought of it uihtil the police tell
!, phoned and told them to look out IL
:, two follows who answered the desert
ton of the pair WHO had just been
! and if they showed uplto telephone til
!. police.
Get $500 From Des Moines.
From the piano dealers it is suppo
! cd that the two proceeded to the offit
of DIR. Duncan. and there repeated Il
i story as told before. Here they We
> successful again This was repeatt
? several times and merchants in IL
: down town district were defrauded o.
of in the neighborhood of $500.
THE same two men are wanted
. Sioux City and towns in the westel
part of the state for working the san
: graft. The trick was tried on Il
= branch house of the Guinand & Jon
), , music house in Sioux City, and l.. ]
u Jones. who was in charge of the hous
u told them they would be paid as So
as the card was delivered, and then
the meantime went to Perry on bus
e ness, and while there he discover
e that the men were graftrs. On his
e turn to Sioux City he set watch
I the two men, but no one ever appear
y for the money.
Description of Men.
Zone of the men is about five fl
eight inches in height and very sto
He wears ligh, crushed hat and h
light mustache. When in the C
he had on a dark blue coat and We
4 with striped trousers, The other
e the two men is the one who did mt
N OF the watching, only Ginning in as
le sort of prompter of the other He "
= taller and not quite SO heavy and We
T. dark derby hat. He had a dark S
lie of clothes on when he was in the ci
e. The detectives are working on
al case
lg ------
oe A MUCH ABUSED MAN.