The herald., 1914-10-29
ANOTHER FL|M-FLAM
SCHEME.

Tricked by an old fiim-fam game
and swindled out of So, G. Harwood
Koppel, member OF the lower house
OF the Louisiana State Legislature,
planned trap for the swindler, and
caused his arrest Wednesday. The
prisoner gave his name as Louis RO-
binwiz, and gave an address on st.
Charles avenue. which the police learn
ed later was fictitious.
Robinwiz, it is alleged, inserted an
advertisement in newspaper an
.nouncing that he had a quantity of
.jewelry to sell at a sacrifice, in order
to defray the expenses of a sister in a
local sanitarium KOppel answered
the advertisement several days ago
and Robinwiz called at his residence
and sold the legislator a locket stud
ded with seven diamonds. a diamond
ring and several other smaller articles
of jewelry, for which he paid $75.
Later Koppel brought his purchases
to a jeweler, where he was told the
diamonds were of poor quality, and
that the entire lot was not worth more
than $25. KOppel planned to cause the
arrest of the swindler, and had one of
his friends answer the advertisement,
telling RObinwiz to call at the Tulane
Newcomb building in Camp street.
Robinwiz called at the building We'd
nesday morning, and instead of meet
ing an intending purchaser, was re-
|ceived by KOppel and PatrOlman Dodds
of the First Precinct Station. Robin
wiz was taken to the police station,
where a wallet containing a quantity
of jewelry, similar 10 that sold to the
legislator, was found in his pocket.
The police say that RObinwiz is a
stranger in this city, and are of the
opinion that he came from New York.
He is held here under the charge of
Obtaining money by false pretenses.
Just as the pOstoffice authorities
were about to complete their inveSti-
cation of his alleged fraudulent meth
ods, Louis RObinowitz was released
from the parish prison Saturday on a
bond of $1,000. which he secured
through a bonding cmpaOny of Mary
land.
Robinowitz spoke in a braggadocio
manner as he was leaving the prison
and threatened TO lodge criminal pro
ceedings against Mr.. Koppel, claiming
that he had papers to show that Kop.
pei violated the usury law by charging
him an exorbitant rate of interest Oh
money loaned him ny the latter on
several pieces of jewelry. He repeat
ed this threat Saturday.
Gone When p. o. Inspector Came.
An hour or so after Robinowitz left
the parish prison Postal Inspector Pur
dunn called to interview him and
learned that he had been released. II
is said that the federal authorities are
about to take steps against him fol
using the mails to defraud.
The charge that Mr.. Koppel had ad
vanced the loan at an "eXtortionate
rate of interest" was published Sun
day, and in answer to it Mr.. Hoppe
said:
Il made a direct and simple pur
chase of the jewelry, and nothing what
ever in the nature of loan was made
contend that it is the unquestionet
right of any purchaser of merchandise
or real estate of any sort to sell the
same at a profit if he can, and when
agreed to let RobinowitZ have hi:
goods back at a price above what
paid for them, | but exercised a nat
lural prerogative and violated neither
written nor a moral law. 1t must bt
lapparent to any man of even the mean
est intelligence that goods are no
bought to be resold for the same price
at which the purchaser obtained them
in the second place the price Ro
binowitz agreed to pay for the dia
monds if he wished to buy them bacl
was made by himself. | did not ado
one word to the agreement, and &C
cepted it exactly as he desired"