The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1909-10-08

They buy and sell. pay out large sums
of money. start on long journeys and
do countless other things upon the
suggestion of the little yellow or white
paper slips with their condensed mes
sagcs without in the least questioning
their authenticity. This is an inter- !
estfng fact. upon which hinges an
enormous amount OF the country's /
business, and 1t il also Il fact upon /
which hinge some of the clevcrest and
Smooth SwindIe.
4 lot of nerve and Il little telegram
was a combination that made possible
Il smooth swindle on Des Moines
bank 4 well dressed man. apparently
a business man of large affairs, called
at the paying teller's window with
draft or check on an omaha bank and
asked If the Omaha bank had tele-
praghed notice that the draft was good.
lie got mo- for an answer, and then
informed the teller that such tcle-
gram might be expected at any mo-
ment. Soon afterward the telegram
arrived. delivered by messenger boy.
appearing tn have come from the
Omaha bank. and authorizing the Des
Moines bank to pay the draft. When
the stranger appeared again he was
given the $500. When the Des Moines
bank people took UP the matter by
wire with the omaha bank they found
that the latter institution had not sent
the telegram. and then 1t was discov-
cred that the whole transaction was a
fraud.
But how could the swindlers send a
telegram from Omaha bearing the
banks name. They did it In this man
ner: An accomplice of the Des Moines
man stepped to "A telephone booth In
omaha and called the telegraph office.
This is the bank he said.
Send messenger at once to get
telegram for Des Moines." Then this
accompiice hurried to the entrance of
the omaha bank to meet the messen-
ger. and there hand him the message
for Des Moines. The telegraph COM
pany had no reason Ia believe other
wise than that the bank had actually
signed the message, and II trans
mitted it. The Des Moines bank also
accepted the telegram as genuine be-
caus,' II bore every mark of genuine
the swindlers, who timed their fraud
sn az to get out of the reach Of the
Jaw on trains that left imm ,dia,>ly
after their game has been worked.
Enlarged Graft.
In two smaller western towns a sim
liar game was worked, only for seven
or eight times the amount. An alleged
horse buyer appeared in one of the
towns and made purchase of "A carload
of fine animals to be delivered and
paid for at later date. preceding
which he made the acquaintance of the
/ officers of one of the banks. On the
day fixed for the delivery of the horses
the alleged buyer deposited in the
bank "A draft for II large amount drawn
! OH bank in another town hundred
miles away. AT the same time the
bank received Il telegram purporting
to come from the distant bank author
izlnc the payment of this draft The
bank believed the telegram. paid out
the money and then discovered that
the telegram was fraudulent. 1t had
not been sent by the second bank. but
by confederate of the alleged horse
buyer, Later developments disclosed
that this accomplice had called up the
telegraph office in the distant town by
i telephone. This is -. cashier of the
{ ~-- bank he said Please send this
/ telegram for me" Then he gave the
I message authorizing the first bank To
/ pay the bogus draft, and this message
the telegraph company sent without
/ suspecting that it was fraudulent
II Some years ago an eastern man was
/ induced In invest I'm worthless mining
i stock on the basis of Il fraudulent tele-
/ gram nnfpofting to come from an ex-
nert he had sent out to Investigate the
/ mining property, but which was in
reality sent in "A manner similar to the
j above by Il confederate, This eastern
mans faith in kilograms cost him
something more than $4,000.
The story of a fraud with an anus
ing side comes from across the water.
with London man Of rather consisial
habits as the victim. This man was
forgetful and used to leave at home his
. office and safe keys, He also had Il
l practice of leaving the city surreptI-
tlously for a day now and then for a
conviyial time with friends. all I'M
known To his wife. one day this bust
heS@S iiaH "Fh' th hfiN III his pstiouitat
1aunts, and rogue who knew his
habits ventured to send this telegram
Ia his wife: Please send my keys.
Love. Freddy" In due course of time
the keys We're delivered at the office
door. and the rogue was there To re
ceise them. IL" ransacked the whole
office al his leisure. safe and all. Late
/ that night the business man came
home and was leased by his wife for
his forgetfun"ss This was news to
him. hut he kvi.t his counsel The next
morning he discovered his office had
been rahbed.-E X. Mann i'm Pittsburg
i