The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1909-02-19
|NOa DANGEROUSBAND
os CONFIDENCE MEN IN U. S. is
big STORE" GANG.
LAND ONLY BIGGEST FISH
-, nrau, Line at Murder, But Fake
Horse Races and Prize Fights
Are Favorites.

fAiC
councn Bluffs, Ia. Special: II you
|doni look out you will be bunkoed by
- .ble store" gang of confidence
.ns, and swindlers. the greatest
h,,cb of TOP notch sure thing men
,his country ever saw. who make their
hesdouarters in Council BLUFFS and OPP
rate IN a dozen different cities of the
country There are more than forty
men in the gang, and they are pre-
..rad 40 work any scheme. from sell
~ i skvscraper which they do not
ou.p 10 running a fake horse race. put
|hug ND "A prize fight, a phony foot
-ace bank robbery. or committing
murder So expert are the. men OF the
~bie store" that they have'in the last
two wears bunkoed victims out OF not
less than Sl.O00.0OO. And these vic
Tins are not the old country farmers,
with wheat straws in their whiskers,
either. They are bank presidents.
real estate dealers, and men OF affairs
| in general
The list OF cities in which the gang
cnerates includes Omaha. Denver.
Kansas City. Springfield. Mo. Chicago.
Indianapolis. Cleveland. Seattle. Spo-
Kane. san Francisco. Los Angeles.
Houston Minneapolis. and. in fact,
anv city in the country where the
-comeons" can be found with money.
But money the victim must have. and
This - n mad.
lock" swindle gang. and nothing goes
bat in thousands
Recently a prominent hotel and cafe
man from Duluth. Mimi. was decoyed
10 Council Bluffs He brought with
him s. 600 in cash. with which he eX-
rected 20 purchase a saloon here. In
he place he met. casually. of course.
ihe president OF the American Bank
70 Omaha. the vice president OF the
Union Pacific Railroad. and a big
railroad contractor. Al least these
men said they occupied those posi-
lions ana were believed. The Duluth
man finally got into horse race, and
when De- went back 20 Duluth the
bank president kept his $4,000 as a bet
1 ihe race. which was postponed for
o. week. When the Duluth man re-
turned here for the race the stake
folder had disappeared taking the
f'akgs with him II Is a penitentiary
fierse in Iowa 10 bet on a horse race.
sri me Duluth man preferred 10 let
'he money go and keep his mouth
fhut rather than risk prison and be
De laughing stock OF his friends at
home So there was no complaint
hiel with the police.
A Seattle banker was feeced out OF
s30r"l by the big store" gang on a
similar scheme. and for two weeks
kept himself hidden from an imagin-
arg pursuing detective force on the
belief that he would be sent 10 Jail
Finally be became convinced that he
hai been hunkoed. but was afraid 20
holier even then for fear Of losing
caste among the business men of his
home town He was decoyed 10 Coun-
cit Bluffs 20 take part in big real es-
tate and railroad deal which. so he
was told could not be worked by the
local bankers because of the desire 10
keep the deal under cover until all the
property had been bought up. With
bunch Of Omaha and Council BLUFFS
real estate men tat least they claimed
20 be suchl the Seattle man got into
2 horse race as stakeholder. and az
one time actually had SEQ. 900 OF the
gang cash in his possession. He was
Induced 70 bet this. and became so ex-
cited that he then bet his own roll OF
$4,000
His horse lost. there was fight.
and one Of the big real estate men fell
with a dangerous wound from a bull
iei hred by another member of the
gang The Seattle man was hurriedly
gotten into an automobile, and with
t"o other members OF the gang.
rushed across the country 10 a rail.
road station. where he was shipped
1ni OF the state For two weeks the
banker hid. until finally convinced
'hal he had been bunkOed Then he
returned home. but made no com
Plant And the wounded" real es-
lale man recovered just as soon as the
tanker was out OF sight.
Last fall a wealthy man from Fort
worth Tex. came TO Council Bluffs
Ana brought with him $3.50 10 lin
'esi IN what looked to him like a
GOOD proposition. He had. however,
brought his money in a New York
lIalt instead of in cash as had been
directed by the gang Without the
knowledge OF the gang the Texan
went 70 local bank 10 secure the
ASH and incidentally was asked what
" intended doing with so much ready
aohey He told the local banker OF
l' SOFT snap he had picked up right |
luler NE noses OF the Council Bluffs
capitalists. and was Mortified when the I
elhcll Bluffs banker put him wise" I
W. Fort Worth man sent the draft I
'a'A 70 his home town by mail and I
,npped out OF Council Bluffs on the /
lext train
Los Angeles man who was bun 4
,vea out Of $4,000 on a fake footrace
DN' outside Council Bluffs. was so
w mat everything was all right that \
y went up against the same game a
..,ohd time and lost second $4,000
'''O'e ne became suspicious and Quit.
eorne lakeward On Ice Field.
'aialo, y. Y. Special: A score OF
n" men and their dogs were carried
~ INTO Lake Erie when the ice field
., 49, IN motion by a shift in the