Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1914-04-10
FAKE ROBBERY
GAME FAILS
Thieving Agent of Wisconsin
Corporation Nearly Got
Away With Bundle
HOW HE WAS BAN BOOzLED
Resort was Had to an Ingenious and
Elaborate Ruse-The Counter-Fake
How It was Worked-Got the Vic
Tins "Goat" and He Confessed.

1t was fishy looking story. The
local agent of New York corpora
ton out in Wisconsin town, handling
its funds daily, reported robbery.
Two men had come into the office late
at night, when he was at work on
the books, and at the points of pistols
he had yielded up $4,000 of the COM
pany's funds. Two days later the con-
fdential travelling agent of the cor
poration dropped into the town and
talked 1t over with the local man in q
quiet way. 'Tn five minutes" he told
Tip, 'T knew there had never been
stinct. The story he told was too
sweet. There wasn't flaw in 1t. It
was like framed-up alibi. You know
the best alibi, until you can knock 1t
out, is the one that is invented for
the occasion"
Queerest of all things, the victim"
had no bad habits. There was no sign
of extravaganza anywhere to confirm
the visitors impression that the rob
berry was myth. Yet he could not
get the conviction out of his mind
that the thief was the employee. With
the time of the alleged hold-up fixed
by the suspected one, resort was had
to an ingenious and elaborate ruse.
When 1t was proposed to the Chief
of Police he revolted, "The Third De-
greet" He wasn't going to get into
trouble with those New York tricks.
Our agents argued the interests Of
iuc 10 OF
There was one policeman who
stood ready to assert that at the hour
the local agent had fixed for the hold
up by his two men in buckram he and
another policeman were in front of
the office where the mythical robbery
had occurred. An accommodating
bartender, Sinking home, as he said,
from a clandestine rendezvous, had
passed the spot at the same hour and
had seen the policemen. If there had
been robbery, IL there had been any
men near the office, they would have
been sure to see it come off. Oh, yes,
they had looked in the windows and
there was no one within; they were
sure of that, too. But suppose this
scheme doesn't work?" demanded the
Chief of Police. "a fine mess my po-
licemen will be I'M" The confidential
agent met this quickly: "They will
not be under oath. If the trick doesn't
go through, then the policemen can
come out and swear to the truth and
no harm will be done"
The frame-up complete, the victim
of the supposititious robbery was TAX
en- to Police Headquarters. Again he
repeated his story. which was taken
down by a stenographer. Then the
policemen and the bartender, In his
presence, related theirs. A convent
ent Judge" who threw in an occa-
sional question and was deferentially
addressed by the skillful inquisitor,
lent to the impression upon the mind
of the culprit that he was about to be
confronted with an accusation OF theft
and that the circumstantial proof
against him was overwhelming. Next
came a private interview with the en-
voy from New York, and in exactly
seven minutes the two men went to
the spot where the $4,000, down to the
last dollar, had been hidden by the
local agent. Not threat had been
used against him. No torture; no In
timidation. He went up and took his
dose without a murmur-one year In
the penitentiary-and unless he
chances to identify himself with these
lines he does not know how he got
his tumble, how nearly he got away
with his little pile.-Tip, in the New
York Press.