The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1915-02-13
SWINDLING GANG FOUND VICTIMS
 APLENTY HERE. Police Busy Investigating Activities of Confidence
 Tn City
 SINGER SECURITIES THIEF. ACTIVE HERE? Bridgeport Dupes Engage Counsel to Keep Their
 Identity Secret

The police of this city are today investigating for the New, York po- lice eases that may result in disclos- ing one of the greatest bands of swind1ers that have ever operated in disclose facts that will lead to a fur ther upheaval of the New York po- lice department similar to that occa- stoned by the famous RosenthaI nnur- der case.
 E. It has already been disclosed to the district attorney of New York that Bridgeporters were swindIed by this gang through the, medium of a clair Yoyancy game to the tune of $2,O00 in one operation, though so secretly have the names been guarded that the vic- timss here employed lawyers to appear for them in New York and to keep their identity secret.
 On Wednesday before Justice Weeks in the criminal branch of the Supreme court, Richard J. Hartman, former president of Tyson & Com pany whose operations in Bridgeport will be well remembered by a select few. society investors here, was con ivicted in less than eight minutes for having stolen $57.O0O in securities from Mrs. Charlotte L.. Mackenzae, widow of James s. Mackenzie Though this amount was specifically charged against the prisoner 1t was shown that in fact he had stolen $1sS.OOo from her through the me dtum of an old game worked in a new manner. I4gYl
 Mrs Mackenzie was the widow of a. former head Of the Singer Sewing Machine Company of this city. In his address to the Jury assistant district at1orney, Weller, said to the Jury: m 0f 11Se Z %f4- sights and grabbing the satchel when not watched, Hartman worked him. self into Mrs. Mackenzie,s confidence through friendship and some sort of affection showed her the bright lights of London and then finished the lob off with 8 hnesse and eclat that was a. little out of the ordinary
 Hartman Is alleged to have met
 Mrs Mackenzie on a steamer and to have got possesst on of the Singer se- curities- Even after they had been disposed of he regularly paid her di- videndss and she was unaware that they had been disposed of.
 According to information available in police and other circles here to- day it is believed that the New York authorities, through the arrest and conviction of Hartman have unearth- ed even greater plots, for it has been shown that both a man and woman in this city were mu1cted by part of the same gang to the tune1of $2,00o, and with another specific case in Bos- ton where a woman hadb cen de- frauded of $7,o0O the New York au- ton where woman had been de- cured nearly a million dollars throughout New England.
 With the complaint of Mrs. Mac Kenzde in the possession of, the Dis uIct attorneys office, Attorney Waller was recently in Bridgeport and while unable to secure consent of the vic tinns themselves to appear against Hartman and another prisoner said to be Mickey FfnR, arrested recently in Toledo and returned to New York, he got the testimony of Frederick B. F'allon. of the law firm of Fallon & Greenstein, who are said to have been retained by the clients here whose names are not disclosed to-day.
 Attorney Fal1on, seen today by a reporter for the Farmer. stated: s.It is true that I was called twice before the New York district attorney in this matter, but am not at liberty to dixulge any of the details of the bands operations here, nor can [ state what evidence I gave in re- lation to other cases that may later
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