The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1917-03-20
CLEVER F0RCERS
 DEFRAUD TRIO OF. MERCHANTS HERE
Elaborately En gr a'v e d Checks and Spurious Let
 ters Assist in Deceit. DETECTIVES ISSUE
 GENERAL WARNING 'Georgie's' Engaging Smile Disarms Suspicion of
 Store Managers.

Should a styhshly 'dressed, Mrs. Vernon Castle type of young woman enter your store, accompanied by her stage partner, a swagger, suave, good looking youth of about 26 years, and after making some small purchase ask you to cash a check, sent her partner to cover losses on account of injury, don't do it.
 Three Bridgeport business men re- port they were badly stung last Fri day and Saturday and others are be- lieved to have suffered losses but are afraid or ashamed to admit it.
 Their method of swindhng business men is considered by Capt. B. o. Cro- nan one of the cleverest frauds in the country. The pair entered the wo- mems apparel shop of Burstein & Brown, in the Poli building, Main street. The young woman, very handsome creature with an engaging smile, bught a s6 shirt waist.
 Her stage partner posing as George F. Andrews, Jr.,'' whose blase expres- sion as he stood swinging a cane att tracted the girl clerks admiration; then steppsd to the front He pro- duced a check, on which his supposed name and the name of the maker was stamped, TOT $lo.
 The check was made out by the International Brotherhood of Theat- rical Employes, Lodge No. 1, New York City" In one corner the words Financial Department were printed and it was signed by ID. w. Brennan, Financial Secretary" The check was made payable to George F. Andrews, IT,, and purported to represent losses he had sustained as. result of acci- dent for $2s, to be drawn against the account of the organization in the Manhattan Bank & Trust Co.,, New York City,
 The engaging youth then showed a letter which accompanied the check advising Andrews to please find enclosed check for injuries sustained. ' The letter head. showed it was the stationery of the. International Brotherhood of Theatrical Employess and was signed by the financial secre- tary.
 The firm was "only too happy to oblige it's patron. The clerk gave him $22 change in bills, his partner picked up her waist, took .'Georgie's'' arm and they waltzed out the door to the tune of Hawaiian Hula Hula" which "Georgie" blithely whistled "Georgie" is the name with which she addressed her partner.
 Next they took Benjamin Spector, a jeweler, at 97 Fairfield avenue, into camp for about $20 in jewelry and s6.75 in money, the latter represent ing the change from a check for $26- 75. Gray's shoe store, at Main and Gold streets, was kind enough to mart with a pair of shoes, selected only after a most exhaustive examination of the stock. The management also presented the pair with $21 in bills, change for check for $26 The others who suffered are keeping quiet. Today Capt. Cronan informed the business houses that there was no such bank in New York ass the Manhattan Bank & Trust Co., the International Brotherhood of Theatrical Employes'' proved to be a myth; George F. An any stage The whole thing from start to finish was a bunco scheme.
 The checks had been elaborately en- sraved and printed, and the stationery of the fake brotherhood carefully or dered, with the deliberate intention of defrauding business houses. 'It is 6ne of the most deliberate fakes and eleverest schemes to swindle business men I have seen in my career" an- nounced Cronan this morning. To the business men who were victimized, the . fact only too obvious to them.