Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1911-07-27
Offer for Conviction 1.-Two
French SWind|erS. y
Announcement SEMI Broadcast
BY Swedish Iron 4 Steel Co.
Declare Business Standing OF Steel
Importers Seriously Injured.

New York. July! 2G-An offer OF
$4,000 ,lsNvafu will be sent broadcast
over the country tomorrow by the
Swedish Iron a Steel Co, of New
York and New Orleans for evidence
that will convict two or more swind-
lers of o fraud by which $500 900 has
already been cleaned up and which
is still fiourishing.
For seven years the swindlers-
known 10 the trade as the two French
swindlers have been eating their
way into the business standing of the
steel importers. a body of men who
annually bring into the country goods
valued at SD 900 and so deep and
widespread has the eorrosion become
that statesmen dealing in imported
steels now report that they have diff
Guilty in persuading their customers
that they are honest men represent
ing reputable firms The victims
chosen have always peen of first finan-
cial rating. They include candy
makers. furniture firms, automobile
manufacturers, weavers and spinners
mining companies. the tool trade, ma
chinery shops and countless others in
New England, Cincinnati, Cleveland
Columbus, indianapolis. Brooklyn
Buffalo and other big cities, the range
has extended 10 Arizona and many
machine cities including Lansing. De-
trolt and Grand Rapids. A roar of
anguish and modification has follow
ed the trail Outraged employers
have often discharged old and trusted
employees merely for the satisfaction
OF taking ii out on somebody. In es-
senee the sWindle was this:
Seven Years ago. appeared tire two
Frenchmen" representing themselves
as Count so-and-so and his secretary
Well-mannered and well-dressed, they
would visit factory office pick their
way daintily through the shops, COM
pliment the superintendent on his pro-
gressiVeness and then Solicit sample
orders for high-class tool steel made
abroad by the counts father. Trivial
trial orders ere often given almost cas-
TALLY; sometimes there are thereby
scrubbed memorandum While the
count engaged the superintendent. his
secretary would dictate on the firm
stationery an order for a much larger
anlcunt sometimes ton instead of a
hundred weight and walk out with a
pprfnnctary Signature The order would
be turned oyer to supposedly inno
cent firm OF jebhers. who. armed with
tfie order. W0ulG deliver an inferior
d1ality ~ steel, worth perhaps three
cents - pound and collect from 80 TO
50 cents a pound. Usually the puz-
zfed and shame-faced manufacturer
would pay rather than fight through
the courts a transaction that bore so
good = surface color Of bona fide
Three years ago the Frenchmen
f0urd it was getting too hot for even
their impotence, 50 they vanished. but
the game was too good to let die. II
had never brought a prosecution or so
much rs an exposure and now evil
dence is rapidly accommodating that it
IS being industriously pushed again
either by the two Frenchmen them
selves or close students Of their meth
DDS. Clever as tile swindlers are. they
seem now 10 have overlooked one
point. Originally they represented
themselves as agents of an unknown
foreien company. now they have
brought into the game an American
company with a good name to protect
The result has been a vigorous cam
paign which Will he pushed to the end.