The Detroit times., 1915-04-17
Smooth. Tongued Para
sites Ply Their Game
With Skill
.FAKIRS OPERATE
ALL OVER LAND
TIL e0dore Friedberg
Nips Latest Attempt
to "Work" Detroit

Last wednesday. Theodore Fried.
berg. president OF the Lozier Motor
Car Co.. received a swell-dressed.
plausible stranger who represented
himself as a solicitor for funds for
. newsboys' home, and presenting
list OF about 500 prominent Detroit
ers. asked Mr.. Friedberg for a con.
tribution.
The young man talked so well.
and set forth the needs Of the news
boys so eloquently, that Mr.. Fried
,berE gave him . check for $50. AZ.
ter the stranger had departed, II oc.
CURED to Mr. Frfedbcrg that he
might have been imposed upon. He
called up certain men whose names
the solicitor had given him. These
men had never heard OF the un.
dertaking. Mr.. Friedberg called up
his bank and stopped payment on
the check.
This sort OF thing. 90 far as the
soliciting goes. is. frequent In De
ltroit. but II II seldom that the OPP
sration has such. happy denoue-
meat Usually. the donor OF the
check goes about for some time
with q happy feeling In his heart.
He 10 surprised. sometimes. TO nnd
what . popular man he has become,
when one htrsnser after another ap-
proaches him. under this or that
pretert. and asks him to be gener-
Gus to some cause or individual.
Game on Nation-vNids Scale
50 raw has the practice OF these
solicitors become that The
Times has taken steps to Investigate
the evil and inform the public of
Detroit how, the game isSSorked--.
for game it, Is. and gene on a ma
A horde Of sharpers II rApsing the
country. from New York TO san
ExsaeisNA. yAsayiRSs On he, gAneros-t
ity OF prominent citizens In every
civ where these citizens have noe
tss(eA steps p protect themselves.
Ne citisent must protect them
selves. for the police are poweriess
10 stop the I'VE boys as they are
called. There IN nothing crude about
their operations: the victim seldom
wakes up until days or weeks after
his money is reposing In the pocket
OF the eloquent solicitor, and some
times he never comes to an appre-
citation OF the fact that he has been
mulcted.
There ~ no strong-arm method.
The citizen falls as easily as n he
were being waited In an aeroplane
TO the ssin ssrface1 q sfpond. DO
fore he has the adumbration OF q
thought OF calling the police. the
I'VE boy In miles away, playing the
same trick in another city.
I'VE Boys" and the Taps"
The I'VE boys" have their head
quarters In New York. Thence
they set out a Who's who" In
their grips. and a good collection OF
tips regarding the gullibility OF their
TAPS" "a their victims are called.
These tips they obtain from their
brethren who have been successful
ut one time or another: for the
I'VE boys" trade information with
each other. and word OF good
tap. goes from one to the other
with incredible speed.
Arrived In the town which he
wants to work the I'VE boy
spends q few days looking about
him. He goes TO the banks and
picks up copies Of the last report. or
other pamphlet literature. contain.
Ing the names OF the directorate. He
lounges about hotel Hobbies and
bars. picking up acquaintances. He
finds the saloon which the I'VE
boys" have made their headquarters
and encounters members OF his or
ganisation who put him wise"
They tell him their own activi-
fies. and advise him to LAY on OF
certain 'taps." and to approach 9TH
ers. By the time the I'VE boy Is
ready TO begin operations. he IL
40 we'll posted regarding tho city
as . citizen Of several years stand
ing.
"osaBd,. "HaIf-orsnd" and Cheap
Usually this CRATER Is furnished
with, or has himself prepared. a list
of prominent citisens, with their
rating. In his thieves cant: The
man who n likely to give 500 II
called q "one grand II he usually