The Mankato free press., 1915-07-09
Bsyers Relates How Ne Was
Called On By the
Strangers
From fridays Daily.

From Fridays Daily. ...
Additional details OF the attempt to
swindle William Beyers of Minnesota
Lake out of a large sum of money
were published last evening by The
Minneapolis Journal. That papers
story follows: g..
The tables have been turned on al
legged wire tapping swindlers" who
tried TO get $1,000 from William Bey-
ers OF Minnesota Lake.
With two men under arrest in Chi
.cago on suspicion OF being two of the
four men who tried TO swindle Beyers
by the old fake horse race game and
with the police of the country search
ing for the remaining pair, the pro-
prietor of Eau Claire Inn, an Eau
Claire, Wis, hotel. today garnisheed
$500 in cash left IN the First National
bank I'm Eau Claire by the men who
tried TO swindle Beyers as they made
hasty exit from Ae city. The hotel
man saws the men owe him n big
board bill and that he Is going to col
lect. He thinks they will not return
TO claim the $500.
Saws PooIroom Was In Hotel.
William Beyers. in Minneapolis to-
day, declared that the room used by
the swindlers I'm getting horse race
returns by wire and in posting bets
was a sample room In a downtown
hotel. With Detectives Melvin Pas
solt and Fritz Gilman, he made tho
rounds of the hotels but could not
positively identify any of them as
containing the room where he placed
his bets.
Beyers today. told in detail his story
Of how be came 10 Minneapolis.
won" $4,000 on horse race, gave
the proprietor of the betting room n
check for $1,000 To show his good
faith. went To Eau Claire with the
swindlers and woke up one morning
to find the swindlers gone. but his
money still In the bank.
Il guess I'm lucky" he said. and
the Minneapolis police agreed that he
was.
Beyers is a lean, smooth Ghayen,
slow speaking farmer He owns a
farm OF 2S0 acres near Minnesota Lake
and he Is considered better than we'll
To do. He is a temperate man and In
this respect his case differs from the
cases OF some of the Minneapolis
wiretappers. victims.
Stranger Comes Across Field.
About May /, he says, BeyPrs was
Workman a field on his farm when
a welldressed. afTable gentleman ap-
preached across the field and intro
duced himself as J. l.. Lawrence Of
Minneapolis. Mr.. Lawrence said he
was thinking OF buying n farm in
Faribault county and that he had n
friend. George Gordon, of Minneapo-
lis. who also was thinking of pur
chasing a farm.
Beyers took Lawrence around the
farm. The visitor showed a knowl-
edge OF agriculture and OF land values.
He offered Beyers $3.50 an acre. but
Beyers asked $l55.
Lawrence admitted that he didn't
know whether tn buy or not. lie de-
cided To send for his friend. Mr.. Cor
don. Gordon, also well dressed and
affable. went To Minnesota Lake. He
looked over the farm. protested at
the price asked by Beyers, but final
ly agreed to join with Lawrence in
buying
Deeds for the purchase OF the farm
were finally filed out. but an obstacle
arose. Lawrence's wife was i'll I'm
Minneapolis and her name could not
be procured TO the contract. II was
finally determined that Gordon, Law
renee and Beyers should come 10
Minneapolis to wind up the land deal.
Gordon Meets Old Friend.
Beyers was I'm Minneapolis with the
men June 3. ., 10. Lawrence's wife
was so III she could not sign the
papers. Gordon entertained Mr.. Bey-
ers at Minneapolis restaurants and
he had most pleasant time. One
day Gordon saw an old friend on the
street. The friend was William Sher-
man.
This Sherman is n wonder" Cor
don told Beyers. He is the best
mOueymaker I ever saw. He's on the
inside. Race horses. stocks. all that
sort of thing. Watch the size of his
roll when he pays his bills"
Beyers watched. The roll OF bills
certainly was large.
II was then that Beyers learned how
money could be made on race horses
He went with Gordon and Sherman
TO room In a hotel. Three men
were working telegraph wires, the
telephone was ringing. there was a
uniformed messenger boy. On al
llackbosl a man was marking up
the results of horse races I'm the east.
s. Swanson was the proprietor OF tbs
bets. He was introduced to Mr.. Bey-
ers. And he, too. was affable.
Wins $4,000 Just Like That.
Beyers placed small bet lie won
Sherman took him over to the side of
the room and gave him an inside
tin" II was on the next race. Beyers
placed 5000 on q one To four chance
The news flashed over the wire that
the horse he backed had won. Swan
son shrugged his shoulders and turn
ed to Beyers. You win $4,000" he
said. Beyers didn't enter any de-
mails. But you'll have to put up s1O,-
900 To show your good faith In making
the bet" said Swanson.
Jumped Their Bail.
Minneapolis, July John l.. Lane
and William Sherman. alias Maxwell.
wanted I'm Minneapolis on a charge
of attempting TO swindle William Bey-
ers, a Minnesota Lake farmer. out OF
$4,000 or more In a fake horse race
game. have jumped their bail I'm Chi