The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1905-12-08
He Would Not Believe II For
a Long Time.
Four Men Implicated in the
Bunc0 Game.
Deed Signed "Humbbard;;" Did
Not Convey Anything,
From Fridays Daily.

From Fridays Daily.
John n. Perrett, the West Virginia
man who was buncoed out of $1,000 at
Chicago last August when he thought
that he was buying a half interest in
the plant of the Hubbard Milling COM
pany and the Hubbard & Palmer Eleva
tor company, remained in Mankato un-
til yesterday morning, and then left the
city, presumably for his home at Graf
House while in the city. Before he left
he became pretty well convinced that
he had been made the dupe of schem-
crs.
Perrett stated Wednesday that the
man who represented himself to be Mr..
Hubbard did not have beard. In the
evening, in conversation in German, he
corrected this statement and said that
he bad a beard of an inch length all
over his face. Re had meant that the
party did not have long wbiskers. 1t
appears from this that the swindler at
tempted in every way to appear as near
like Mr.. Hubbard as possible. Perrett's
description OF the man exactly tallies
with Mr.. Hubbard's description. In
deed Perrett would not give up the
idea that he had bought the interest
from Mr. Hubbard himself until told
that Mr. Hubbard was not in Chicago
during the two weeks preceding August
29th and was not away from Mankato
during that time except one day, when
he was in st. Paul, which the mill had
proof to show. Upon hearing this Per-
rett weakened. He had met the swind
Ter first about week before the Goth,
on train.
When Perrett made the acquaintance
of the bunco man he was riding in a
seat alone on train, and had $1,000 in
cash in his pocket which he was seek
to see some land that he was interested
in. The man who represented himself
to be Mr.. Hubbard took the seat beside
him, and they conversed until the end
of the journey. The next day that they
met was Aug Goth, at the office of
Hubbard Milling company in Chicago.
They met there by appointment at a
few moments after noon. The swindler
had key to the office, and three 9th
Ell men were present and assisted in the
swindle, by signing as witnesses, etc.
The whole party left before one o'clock
SO the regular office force was thus
avoided.
The deed was written out with pen
and ink on blank paper, instead of up
on blank form. 1t appeared to have
been in the hand writing of the man
who signed the acknowledgement as "E.
w. Martin, notary public, for Blue
Earth county, Minnesota" The notar
ial seal bore the name, "E. w. Martin,
Blue Earth county" The deed was pur-
ported to have been made out Aug.
22nd. The only f. w. Martin known
in this county is the former Y. M. G.
A. secretary.
1t is the impression of all who have
conversed with Perrett that he was hon.
est and told the circumstances just as
they were. When w. w. Smith inform
ed him that his deed was no good, he
refused to believe him, but insisted up
on having it recorded. Mr.. Smith then
accompanied him to the court house.
The deed was not signed "Rensslaer
D. Hubbard" but "Rensslaer d. Humb
bard" and the name "Humbbard" APP
pears all through the deed. The deed
does not convey anything, the way it
is worded, so that the only charge that
could be brought against the swindlers
would be obtaining money under false
pretenses.
Mr.. Smith advised Perrett to return
to Chicago and see whether he could not
locate and punish the men who had
made him their victim. but it is thought
that he started directly for home, as he
talked as though he did not care to
spend any more time in Chicago. He
was stranger there when he went
there last August, and his experience
III the windy city was sufficient to last
him the balance of his lifetime
The midwinter term of the Toland's
Business University at Mankato begins
Tuesday, January 2. As the attendance