The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1920-01-19
CONFIDENCE MEN
WORK OLD COTTON
EXCHANGE RACKET
Continued from page q

REGARDS the purpose for which they
wer going.
They drove up the back street
when they got there" broke in Mr.
Bokermann at this point in the story.
Il ought to have known something
was wrong from that for we went in
the back way" It appears some pa
pers, apparently checks, were written
inside and the, man hose name had
been stated as King, and who was
supposed to be skilled in betting went
into the exchange Office and from the
checks was declared to have won sew
eral thousands of dollars. Here there
appeared to be hitch up on payment,
or else it was to be left as sup
posed security that bets could be tel
ephoned from here. This part of the
story Is rather uncertain In the minds
of Mr., and Mrs. Bokermann, but 1t Is
known that from the conversation the
men learned that there was money of
theirs in the bank at Pittsburg and
that their name was goor for any
reasonable sum desired. 1t appears
that it was necessary that both Mr..
and Mrs. Bokermann's names should
be signed to papers they should give
and so Mrs. Bokermann was brought
into the deal.
Told Pitifu Story
Her intuition was to have nothing
to do with it, but her sympathies
We're enlisted by the story which was
told her the next day at her home
and also at the stock exchange at
Tarpon Springs. The man by the
name Of King stated that he was in
hard spot, and faced by lasting dis
grace. If he could get some money
together to back him and make q bet,
and win, as he surely could, he could
redeem all of his past difficulties and
come out of the matter securely. He
stated that he had a wife, and her
father and mother and sister and
two nurses to support and under this
terrible burden he had taken some of
his employers money and that unless
he could pay it back he faced impris-
onment, and that instead he would
commit suicide.
I'VE never had anything to do with
people who lie," declared Mrs. Box
ermann excitedly. 1--WE have always
dealt with honest folks and we had
no idea that such things were done.
This is our first time away from
home, and we were just too easy and
trusting"
I'VE didn't want any more money
for ourselves" said She I'VE have
enough Of our own
Il really did not want anything to
do with 1t at all, but | felt sorry for
the man, and as the man by the name
of Wagner was willing to 60 to Ohio
and get $4,000 to put in II we would
put 1t $4,000, 1t seemed that we
ought to help him if we could. I did
not like it, though, and even after we
had telegraphed for the money and
it was at Tarpon Springs, wanted
to have it put into the bank here, and
not leave it where it was"
IF we had only listened to what
we were told she mourned, FOR /
went to the First National bank here
and talked with the cashier He told
me to have nothing to do with it. He
said that they were thieves, and that
it was an old game they had been
trying for two years"
81 went to the detectives here she
affirmed, "and told them the story.
They said that they could do moth
ing but that / would have to get the
sheriff at Clearwater as Tarpon
Springs was in another part Of the
county But they told us the men
we're crooks and to let them alone"
There was an intermission in pro-
ceedings of Is days when Wagner
was suggosed to go to his home in
Ohio to get the 10000. Then the par
ty. including Mr.. and Mrs. Bokermann
went again to the cotton exchange"
at Tarpon Springs Wagner appar-
emily had his $4,000 and the legal
people had their money, or its equiv
alent in a check One of the men,
taking some money, went into the ex-
change office and came back later
highly jubilant saying he had won
good sum, Then the other man, so
the local people think, though they
are not very sure just what happened,
took up all the money from the table
where 1t was awaiting a final agree
ment, and went inside the inner Of
fee. He came back in an hysterical