The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1909-10-15

smooth SWindle on Des MoineS bank. A we'll dressed man, apparently a business man of large affairs, called at the paying teller's window with a draft or check on an Omaha bank and asked if the Omaha bank had tele- graphed notice that the draft was good. He got mo" for an answer and then informed the teller that such a telegram might be expected at any moment. Soon afterward the telegram arrived, delivered by a messenger boy, appearing to have come from the Oma- ha 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 it found that the latter institution had not sent the telegram, and then it was dtscov- 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 manner: An accomplice of the Des Moines man stepped to telephone booth in Omaha and called the tele- graph office. ''This is the - bank, '' he said "Send a messenger at once to get a telegram for Des Moines. '' Then this accomplice hurried to the entrance of the Omaha bank to meet the messenger and there handed him the message for Des Moines. The telegraph company had no reason to believe otherwise than that the bank had actually signed the message, and 1t transmitted it. The Des Moines bank also accepted the telegram as genuine because it bore every mark of genuineness, and it paid out the money to the swindlers, who timed their fraud so that they got out of reach of the law on trains that left immediately after their game had been worked.
 In two smaller western towns 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 a later day, 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 draft for large amount drawn on bank in another town hundred miles away. At the same time the bank received telegram purporting to come from the distant bank author izing the payment of this draft. The bank believed the telegram, paid out the money and then discovered that the telegram was fraudulent. It 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 offise in the distant town by telephone. 'This is -, cashier of the - bank" he said. Please send this telegram for me-" Then he gave the message authorizing the first bank to pay the bogus draft, and this message the telegraph company sent without suspecting that it was fraudulent.
 Some years ago an eastern man was induced to invest in worthless mining stock on the basis of a fraudulent tele- gram purporting to come from an ex- pert he had sent out to investigate the mining property, but which was in reality sent in manner similar to the above by confederate. This eastern mans faith in telegrams cost him some thing more than $1O,OOO.
 The story of a fraud with an anus ing side comes from across the water. with a London man of rather convivial habits as the victim. This man was forgetful and used to leave at home his office and safe keys. He also had practice of leaving the city surrepti- tiously for a day now and then for convivial time with friends, all un- known to his wife. One day this busi- ness man went on one of his periodical jaunts, and a rogue who knew his habits ventured to send this telegram to his wife: ''Please send my keys. Love. Freddy" In due course of time the keys were delivered at the office door, and the rogue was there to re- ceive them. He ransacked the whole office at his leisure, safe and all. Late that night the business man came home and was teased by his wife for his for getfulness: This was news to him, but he kept his counsel. The next morning he discovered that his office had been robbed.-B. K. Mann in Pitts burg Dispatch.