The Bourbon news. [volume] (Paris, Ky.) 1895-19??, 1918-11-15
l SMOOTH TALKER WORKS
SCHEME ON PARIS PEOPLE

Il 4&kAAk4kRkk
SCHEME ON PARIS PEOPLE
| From the days of old, when the old
time prophets worked all kinds of
skin games on the unlearned and sim
pie people of that time up to the more
/ enlightened" days Of the present,
the smooth-tongued "persuader" has
always managed to make handsome
living without work.
| This inclination, coupled with a
good appearance, a smooth tongue,
and similarity Of names, led to sew
eral Bourbon county people parting
with considerable amount OF ready
cash and checks for large amounts
not long ago. Perhaps Paris people
may remember a smooth-tongued,
well-dressed man of prepossessing ap-
pearance, who came to Paris some
time ago, accompanied in swell
looking automobile by nattily-
dressed colored chauffeur The stran-
ger announced with a flourish that
he was here for the purpose of selling
stock in a motor car company, whose
| name is similar to well-known CT
gazette concern doing business in
Virginia. He gave demonstrations Of
| the car on the public square and sue
ceeded in interesting a number of
Paris people in the machine. Incl
dentally he was empowered to dispose
dentally, he was empower to dispose
of few shares of gilt-edged stock in
the concern. This he gave out in an
off-handed way, in fact, in kind of
Well-I-don't- have-to-do-this fora
living" kind of way. And thereby
hangs the tale of woe for his victims.
In the course of his Investigations
the smooth stranger learned who the
auto devotees in the city of Paris
| were and proceeded to look them up
| for purposes of his own One of them,
the first one he approached, a pros
Gus farmer who had moved to town
| to do his farming, was told of the
great thing the auto salesman had,
and after long interval of pro-and-
con arguments, in which everything
| was demonstrated to the advantage
of all parties concerned, he produced
his check book and invested in the
stock of the concern to the extent of
$1,000 Mr.. Stranger pocketed the
check, turned over its equivalent in
stock, and departed, for the next vic
tim. Prospect No. 2 was this time a
woman, one who was and is also a
devotee of the go-as-fast-as-lightning
machines. The seductive proposition
was unfolded in all its alluring lights
to her, and as before, the argument
was hard to resist, the result being
that the sum Of $500, with more to
follow, on an investment of $4,000,
passed into the strangers hands, and
he again departed, with that "Oh,
but isn't it the glorious feeling!"
Some time after his departure the
investors thought to examine their
certificates of stock, and found to
their dismay that they had purchased
block of stock in a concern of al
most the same name, doing business
in the same town, but which had be-
come insolvent and had gone out of.
business. Mr.. Stranger didn't Rind
a little thing like that. The SINH
larity of names was just to his hand,
and, with the check and cash tucked
securely away in his pocket, he and
his colored chauffeur hied themselves
away, with the proud satisfaction of
having proved the truth of old
Phineas T. Barnum's now well-worn
adage, 1.-THE American public likes to
be humbugged."
The farmer, who was the first vic
tim of the strangers smooth argu-
ments, in the hope of recovering on
his investment, engaged the services
of detective agency, and efforts are
being made to apprehend the artist
who trimmed him to the extent of
of $1,000. 1t was learned that the
same man had been working Fayette
county with good results. The vic
TINS in each instance, rather than
face the inevitable publicity attend
ant on these little affairs, kept ST.
lent and submitted to the touch Of
artist, who was thoroughbred in
every line and most accomplished
master Of the art of coaxing money
by the confidence game route. If he
had remained in Paris until the Unit
ed War Workers campaign this week,
the campaign would have lasted but
a short time.
THE NEWS learned yesterday that
Mr.. Stranger took toll financially in
city and county to the amount Of
$4,000, which went into his pocket
in the shape of checks and cash, in
return for his gilt-edged stock in
concern that was out of business. He
also touched up Fayette folks for
about $4,000.
- "a IA -
GET4YOUR WINTER SUPPLY OF
mar vYY1YYY Z TIT NJ M DE- uAn