Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1908-03-07
NOTORIOUS SWINDLER
WANTED FOR FORGERY
Thought He May be Headed
this Way.
Has Been Working Some Clever and
Ingenious Land Schemes Near
Waukegan.


h. Kline is wanted by the chief of
police at Waukegan, Ill, for forg-
cry and obtaining money under
false pretenses. His methods of
working are ingenious. This is the
style of his swindle:
A short time after arriving in
the county, he will look up farms
that are for sale, usually some dis
tance from the county seat. He
tells the farmer that he is a widow
er and is buying the farm for his
son, or some other relative with
whom he intends to live. He asks
HIM if there is a notary public near
there who can acknowledge the
papers that are necessary to be
drawn. Learns there is a notary at
the village near the farm. He then
asks the farmer if he has an abstract
of his farm and gets, if possible, the
loan of it, saying that he wants his
lawyer to look it over. He then per-
suades the farmer and his wife to
60 with him to the notary at the
village and induces them to give
him either a power of attorney to
sell the land for them or to sign an
agreement to sell the land to HIM
upon the payment of certain price
usually a very good one. This
power of attorney or contract is
then acknowledged by the farmer
and his wife, before the notary,
who signs his name to the acknow
ledgment, and places his seal there
on. After getting this seal, he
either makes or has made an exact
duplicate thereof. Then he goes to
the County Seat and calls upon
some real estate man or lawyer and
tells him that he is about to buy
this particular farm, in some ms
tances even taking the farmer with
him to verify these statements to the
lawyer. lie then asks the lawyer
or real estate man to look oven the
abstract, or if the farmer should
have none, then to make one, and
to carefully examine the records
and see if the title is perfect. This
is done and ever ything found all
all right.
He then asks the lawyer or real
estate man to draw up a proper
deed for the farm, and to give the
deed to him to take to the farmer to
get it executed, or, if this is refused,
directs the lawyer to mail the deed
to the farmer, requesting him to go
with his wife before this particular
notary public, to have the deed ex-
ecuted and acknowledged. He then
says, as he is paying cash for the
farm, that his ready money will be
consumed, and that there are many
improvements he would like to
make on the place, in the way of
buildings, fences, ETC., besides pur-
chasing farm machinery and live
stock, asks the lawyer or real esta to
man to obtain for him loan on this
land, which IS finally arranged for.
He, Mr.. Butler, alias Hoover, then
takes the deed, which has bee n
drawn up, if it is delivered to him,
or failing in this, intercepts the
farmers mail, by getting the deed
out of the post office, or rural route
mail box. Having obtained the
deed, he then goes to his hotel or
stopping place. There he very clev-
erly FORCES the name of the farmer
and his wife to the deed; also the
name of the particular notary to
the Acknowledgement, and then
places the notary's seal to the ac-
knowledge ment on the deed.
After a suitable time, he again
calls on the lawyer or real estate
man and shows him the deed, the
identical deed which the lawyer
mailed to the farmer, all properly
signed, sealed and acknowledged.
He again explains that he has paid
the full purchase price of the land,
and would now like to secure the
loan asked for on the place, as soon
as possible, SO that he can return
home and move his family. There
upon the lawyer or real estate
man sends for the party who in
tends to loan the money. This
party, on his arrival, together with
the lawyer or his own lawyer, agent
or banker, look over the deed care
fully and finding it, to all appear
ances regular, the signatures and
notary seal genuine, makes the
loan. takes note for the amount
asked for, and also a mortgage on
the farm. to secure the payment of
the principal of the note and in