The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1905-11-16
Police and Deputy Sheriffs are
Urged to Seek the Arrest
Of John Hoover
CAME AN INTERESTING ONE
Manages to Secure Deeds and Alb
stracts for Land IL Outlying
Towns and Then Secures
Loans on False Papers

] Police officers and deputy sheriffs
in ali parts of Kenosha county have
received warning to keep on the
look out for one John Hoover, a pro-
fessional swind1er Of few equals and
no superiors who is thought to be
planning an invasion of the county.
! Hoover has made one trip to Kenosha
cotinty but his game was blocked and
it is expected that he will show up in
the county again within the next few
weeks.
Hoover travels under many aliases
and reward of $500 has been offered
for his arrest by officers at Rockford,
Ill. His method of work is as follows:
He will look over several farms that
are for sa1e-some distance from the
county seat. Finally concludes to
buy one. Tells the farmer that he is
widower and is buying the farm for
his sou with whom he intends to live.
Asks him if there is Notary Public
near there, or any one who can
acknowledge in legal way any pa
pers that are necessary to be drawn.
Learns that there is a Notary at the
village near the farm. Asks the farm
er if he has the abstract of the place
and gets the loan of it, explaining
that he wants his lawyer to look it
over. He then calls on the Notary at
the village and asks him to make out
the Power of Attorney saying that he
1 IL "a L. f~sn
relative in the east. After getting
this-with the Notary's seal upon it,
he either makes or has made dupli-
cate Of the seal. He then goes to the
county seat and calls upon some real
estate man or lawyer and tells him he
is about to buy this farm and asks him
to kindly look over the abstract and
the county records to see if the title is
correct. This of course is found all
right. He then asks the lawyer or
real estate man to draw up the deed
for the farm, explaining who he is
and why he wants this particular
farm, and in other ways makes him
self ''good fellow. He then says
that as the price If the farm is taking
all his ready money, and there are
many Improvements he would like to
make on the place in the way of
buildings, fences, ETC., asks the real
estate man or lawyer if he knows Of
any money lender who would like to
make this kind of loan. The real
estate man of course sees little per
cent in this kind of deal for himself
and accordingly tells him that he will
secure the money for him al right.
He, Mr.. Hoover, then takes the deed,
which has already been drawn up, to.
gether with the abstract, and goes to
his hotel. There he FORCES the name
of the farmer and his wife, then places
the Notary's seal on the deed in the
way of an acknowledgment and
after a suitable time calls again on
the real estate man and shows him
the deed properly signed and acknow-
lodged. He again explains that he
has paid out all his ready money and
would like to secure the amount asked
for on the place as soon as possible, sc
that he can return home and move his
family on the farm. The real estate
man sends for the party who intends
to loan the money. This party on his
arrival looks over the deed, takes a
note for the amount asked for, also q
mortgage on the farm to secure the
payments Of the principal of the note
and interest thereon, which he re
cords, and then the money is pait
over and this "Foxy Gentleman
skips the town.