New-York tribune., 1915-03-17
GIRLS CABLE SENDS
SLEUTHS TO PIER
Daughter in Cuba Warns
Police to Save Father
from Wire Tappers.
BREWER LOST $4,000
IN GAME AT HAVANA
One Man Arrested Here, Two
Others Flee-Prisoner Held
for Attempted Larceny.

When the Ward liner Saratoga, from
Havana. docked yesterday detectives
were on the pier, watching for gray
bearded man and three others. The
trio were to hc charged with an at
tempt TO swindlc the older man out OF
$4,000 by the time worn wiretapplng
game. The police had been warned by
n cable message from the vOyagcr's
daughter in' Cuba, who was suspicious
of the suavc strangers with whom her
father had sailed.
But the three apparently had been
warned Before the detectives could
approach them they had slipped into
the crowd and were lost. They let
their baggage behind. however, and the
detectives waited for them TO come Tor
i,. Last night q taxi drove TO the pier
and Edward Cameron STEPPED out OF ~.
He had already claimed the baggage
when the detectives arrested him'
The old man had told his story lie
is otto A. Hillgeman, retired breWer;
Of Rhinelandcr, Wis, VINO reach, u
Havana on February !, with his daugh-
ter and a Young woman friend, on
tour of the West Indies.
Detective Vaughn repeated the story
as told to him by the retired brewer
1t ran as follows:
While the HllCeman party were
resting in cafe one afternoon
STRANGER approached them with the
erecting of one American TO others IN
a foreign land This was Cameron.
He was soon on intimate terms, and
placed his automobile at the dlspoSa!
Of the Young women.
Then Cameron introduced two friends.
One Of them announced casually th3t
he had Just been stripped OF all ms
funds at the racetracb and needed "a
small loan TO recoup By an entlreiy
new system Of betting. Cameron and
the other agreed TO advance the morey.
Hnlgcman begged to contribute, but the
others would not hear OF II.
Two days later the gambler took
countless bills and coin from has
pockets. His new system had more
than made good all his losses, he SAID.
Cameron and his comrade wanted to
try out his surefrc scheme. SO dld
Nr. Hillgeman, who put SIS in the vent
ure. Before long the retired brewer
had $1,000 as his share of the proceeds.
Flushed by this success, the brew
or was anxious for bigger game, and
his comrades were ready 10 give II TO
him. They decided upon pool, into
which Mr. Hillgeman was allowed to
nut $4,000 The horse they backed
won. but the betting member Of the
pool moaned IN anguish that he had
put the money by mistake on the
wrong entry.
The only thing to DO was to recoup,
4 bet on a line OF poolroom credit was
then arranged. The odds were six to
one against their horse, but the thing
was sure. The horse won, netting the
gamblers $G5,OO0 for their $4,000
wager.
But a complication arose. Before
they could get the SG5,000 hey would
.ave to prove to the bookmaKers that
they were IN position to pay $4,000
If they had lost. The thing was sim
ple All that was necessary WAS for
the brewer TO put up the $4,000 as a
loan Mr.. Hillgeman cabled to Chi
,ago bank for a draft payable at the
National Park Bank, New York, and
.aIled for New York, with the tr'r.
Then il was that the suspicious OF
Miss Hllgeman. left in Havana, were
aroused by her fathers confidential re-
la.ions with the strangers. She cablec
to her brother iu Chicago, who called
upon the detectives TO investigate
Cameron is charged with attempted
grand larceny and acting in concert
with two others to commit grand lar
rnr1