New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-07-27
V|CT|MZE STEEL TRADE
$4,000 Reward Is Offered for
Conviction of SWindlerS.
TWO FRENCHMEN' RECALLED
Methods of Smooth Statesmen
Resemble Those by Which
100000 Changed Hands.

No 70 Plat street. New York, and No.
42S Race street. New orleans, ana the
following circular will be sent BROADCAST
10. day:
FIVE THOUSAND DOLLARS REWARD
For evidence that will convict the parties
who have been selling steel tnrouehou'
the country. using the name OF the u1 TIER
signed without our authority. heI
methods vary, hut one Is 10 Soh'it uIu.LS
ion small quantities of samples, then dlc-
tate 10 some assistant OF the purCndsT,a a O..
olccr on the purchasers forms lot la -
quantity. and by various methouS 10 III
duce the purchaser Ia sign without care
ful examination Of the order. ...., ,,.,
In the interest OF mutual pruteCt"h' We
ask fun particulars of those who may
have been ViCtirnized. ~ 90
SWEDISH IRON AND STEEL GO.
20 Platt street. New orh.
42S Race street. New Orleans.
The indications are that the famous
1.-TWO Frenchmen" swindle. by when
$4,000 or more was cleaned up, is again
ir fun operation President George ParnlY
Toby of the Swedish Corporation has
3ust returned from a tour Of detective
work and an earnest effort viii be maze
70 induce victims 10 come forward ana
give an account Of the methods by which
tlcy we're vctimized. Some of them have
aneady done so.
Some Of the biggest and best known
firms in the country have been hled In
amounts ranging from 500 TO $1,000 by the
two FrcnChmen" swindc. When private
Investigators met each other ON the trai.
the first question used TO be: How much
French steel did YOU buy So ingenious
ono shrewd have their methods been that
although their names have passed into the
history Of the trade few Of their victims
care 20 confess they have been done
end many have paid rather than fight.
There has never been prosecution or an
rrrert The whole scheme has been
clothed with a shadow of legal authority
that has kept il q trade secret until now
The swndle reached such proportions
trat il has come 10 affect the entire class
Ct steel importers, who bring into the
country annually goods valued around So
10000 Statesmen who deal with houses
that have once lcen victims report that
even with the best of credentials, they
lave difficulty in convincing their Gus
TONERS that they are honest and represent
hi responsible houses.
Two Frenchmen" Swinole.
The two Frenchmen began about seven
wears ago. and have been internationally
active ever since For five years they
worked their game Then. in spite OF
their in,pudeut daring IL began 10 get too
hot for them. and they disappeared. No"
II seems tnat either they themselves or
some shrewd observers Of their methods
have resumed operations.
The two FrenChmen varied their meth
ode. hut substantially their plan Of cam
paign was simple. one would represent
himself as a count and the other As
The counts secretary. Eoth were well
dressed and we'll hammered As they
Wicked their Way daintily through machine
shops they explained that they were on
-FOUR Of the country, learning the latest
methods Of these amazingly progressive
Americans, but i'm some things they found
France not so behindhaud. II happened
Tat the count s father was president OF
french steel company, and his product
was Of such superlative quality that
nothing the count had seen in this country
could equal it. If there was incredibly
the count simply asked for small sample
order
In many cases the purchasing agent was
fattered 10 talk 50 famiharly with so al
fable and intelligent nobleman. lie uSu-
ally save the order-a small one But the
method Of giving smdH oIoeIS was oi'eh
almost casual and il was simple matter
80 tho ordor or il might he loosely
|" -. -. nd tho
Worded 10 call 1oF so MANY paIS' anu '"0
agent. thinking the length Of bar custom
AIRY in the trade was meant, would sign.
Eut when the bars came c.. O. ID they
would be eighteen feet long instead OF
eighteen inches.
Worse ihey "o"'" De VI '''''P 49,
steel worth three cents pound mS'edu
m the grade called and charged form
- tool stool listing from 30 10 % cents
''' 'o' '''-
-. .;.s,,rs ,r. ro,,. fo. tho first time
,,,resar.,r, tbor,ecl,cs As the agents Of
an American company. Formerly il was
-. for.;g, ,or7ranv The foreign,
"'""'' 49,, M, 49,.
company was never @3HI'tFe"' i"e ANTI
tcsu company most distinctly is
-,
The victims Complain
A concrete case learned Of by the Swed-
ssh Iron and steel Corporation follows IN
the form Of q letter dated july ~ lslI' al
o. nm