The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1907-01-17
STRANGE MAN HAS
STRANGE MACHINE
SEEMED TO MAKE COUNTERFEIT
DOLLARS, BUT DIDN'T.
NEEDED CAPITAL TO FLOAT IT.
Was Exhibited AS a stock-Feed Ma
chine, But turned Out to Be
"Get Rich Quick
Scheme.

Z
Officers Will Donnelly and Art
Walls Sboiled a pretty kettle of fish,
Tuesday night. So far as known no
suckers We're in the pot, but lest the
unwary might be caught an adnoni-
tion of steer clear is not untimaly
Several of the officers during the
past week have been cognizant of the
presence of stranger in the city,
whose actions excited curiosity, and
mayhap suspicion. The fellow was
watched but the officers could not
"get next" They were put wise"
to the fellow and their observations
of his actions led them to believe
that he was simon pure crook The
boys arrested the fellow last evening
on a charge of carrying concealed
weapons, and took him to the mayors
office, where he was put through
sweat" as TO who he was, where he
came from and what he was doing.
He was, according ito his tell,
Charles Dickson by name, and oaly a
POOi INV Win piOCh. lCCutI uC
was trying to get perfected He was
in the city just to interest local cap
ital. The capital part of the story
was all right.
After considerable talk the officers
persuaded the fellow that it would
be all right If they accompanied him
to his room co see what he had there
The officers, arrived at the place, pro-
ceeded to make investigation of the
mans possessions aad they came up
on the stock feeder. The fellow in
formed the officers that the machine
was model of his invention and that
it was wonderful money saver for
the farmer Hereupon a lecture was
delivered to the officers upon ths
value of careful and economical feed
ing of stock. 1t was an interesting
tale of how the food. was placed in
the hopper at the top end of the ma
chine, how it was transferred through
it and by means of a number or reg
ulating screws or devices any amount
of feed desired could be released from
the machine
The boys listened in open-mouth
wonder and were almost persuaded
to become farmers and feed STOCK.
Offers are such dumb things. Meth
er Donaelly or Art Walls was born
in Missouri, but they wanted to see
the inside of the pretty machine The
inventor. did not object ald unscrew-
ed the fastenings, disclosing the in
terror of the box. The officers here
received another lecture, but were
impressed with the singular mecha1>
ism of the interior and the size OF
the opening from which the food was
TO come in comparison with the size
of the machine.
The machine was a pretty piece of
work, heavy and of highly polished
metal. 1t was pretty to look upon.
1t would weigh fifteen or eighteen
pounds. The nature of the feed in
tended TO come from the openings
was nothing more or less than silver
dollars. The machine was made Tor
the purpose of working a come on
graft" 1t was a mighty ffne fake.
The true nature of the box was fraud
ulent, but it was supposed to manu-
facture perfect silver dollars from or
dinary metal, that would pass any
inspection.
The ICON man" picks up victim
who has several hundred dollars to
| invest, with the assurance that he
can get back many hundred more.
He takes the investor to his room and
shows him the machine and incident.
ally makes eight or ten dollars, melt.
ing his metal in crucibles over an al.
cohol lamp. The metal Is poured in.
to the funnel, "the hopper" at one
end of the machine. A proper Length
of time is then taken for the 1ew
dollars to "get cold enough to han
die" or ia reality ''to get warm
enough to handle" from the melted
metal, and to appear as though they
had been the original metal A
screw is turned and a dollar drops
out; another screw, and another dol
lar, etc. The victim is told to go to
the bank to satisfy himself how good
the money is and that it will pass.
See for yourself what the machine
will do" The man takes the new
dollars to the bank and is told that
they are all right. And they are all
right, for they are new mint coined
dollars of standard value with which
the machine has been loaded before
the victim comes into the room.
United States money is always good
and that is what drops out of the
machile.
The melted metal is poured into the
box and warns up the real dollars
so that when one is turned loose and
placed in the hand 1t is hot and
. utxr hn t.x.D "a y.