Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1914-06-06
MEN WHO FlIMFlAMMED MASON
CITY MAN OUT OF 5000
KNOWN.
loWAN PICKS CROOK sY
PHOTOS IN RoeUE's GALLERY
One Of Four Wire Tappsrs Goes East
With coyis's Money and Police Have
Drasnet Out For Gans-ons Man in
custody-Did Not Expect coyle
Would Tell Story to Police.

MlNneapOllS June b-WArranlS were
issued for the wire tappers who swim
died Z. w. Coyle of Mason City, Iowa,
out Of $1,000.
There are four men in the wire-tap-
pers' gang. One is now in Minneapolis
under the surveillance of the police.
One went to New York with the $4,000
out of which the gang swindled Coyle.
Two others are in the vicinity OF Min
neapolis. Chief Martinson says he
is sure Of his men, and that he will get
them just as soon as they show them
selves. kilograms have been sent to
the various places to which the men
have fed giving their description ard
calling for their arrest at once.
Has Names and Records.
Martinson now knows exactly how
the wire-tappers' game was worked.
He knows what part each member Of
the gang took in the swindling Of
Coyle, and has their names and past
records.
The $1,000 given the -tappers
by Coyle was In new bills. The bank
from which Coyle drew these bills
kept their numbers. and the bills can
no. now be changed without instant
detection.
The wire-tappers apparently knew
this. AS soon as they had the money
in their possession they went to three
Minneapolis places Of business and bor-
rowed enough money to get one mem
Der Of the gang to New York. where
they figured they could change the
bills without detection.
The wire-tappers did not expect
that Coyle would go to the police
about his loss. In every other case
in which they had worked in Minneap-
oils. the victim had kept quiet because
Of the part he himself had played.
But Coyle went to the police at once.
and the manhunt after the wire-tap-
pers was started by Chief Martinson
The wire-tappers felt the coils closing
around them, and it was then that
Percy DaLaittre, the private detective,
appeared on the scene.
Contract Is Signed.
DaLaittre went to Coyle and told
Coyle that if he would sign a con-
tract to give him 20 per cent Of the
money, he would recover the whole
$4,000. Both Coyle and his wife signed
the contract.
Soon after this. go-between Of the
wire-tappers went to Chief Martinson,
and told Martinson that If the police
would call OFF all bets and drop pros
ecution Of the wire -tappers, the $1,000
would be returned to Coyle by Satur-
day noon.
Martinson refused to do this and
yesterday afternoon had Coyle come
to police headquarters and go over the
rogue's gallery. At the same time.
the police arrested a Minneapolis man
they suspected Of being a member Of
the gang.
Fails to Identify.
Coyle identified two rogues' gallery
pictures as those of men who swindled
him, but failed to identify the man
held by the police. 1t has since been
learned that this man was the out
side telephone man" Of the gang, and
that Coyle never saw him.
County Attorney Robertson made out
the warrants this afternoon charging
the four members Of it with swindling,
giving their names. and the warrants
were sworn out in the municipal court
The police then learned that the two
members of the gang whom they had
not yet located, were within twenty
five miles of Minnea polls and they
wired their description and called on
the officials at the points where the
men were located, to make immediate
60