The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1920-01-19
(St. Petersburg independently

We've never wronged anyone out
of five cent piece in all our lives,
we have worked and worked and
saved and saved, and had got where
we thought we could take little
comfort and now $4,000 Of it has
gone to help thieves to play the gen.
tleman,' such was the statement this
morning of Gottfried Bokeramnn, as
in voice broken with emotion he
toll the story of being duped by a
band of crooks
His blue eyed wife, standing up
beside him as he talked, also ex-
claimed: mo, if we have ever done
anything wrong to anyone we have
not intended it. We had rather they
had stolen it than to have taken a
penny ourselves, but it's awful hard,
though, to have been imposer upon,
and have been so foolish. 1t seems
as If we ought to have known better,
and we really did, but we couldn't
seem to help it."
Il believe it was mesmerism," said
her husband for how else could they
have led us along the way they did,
tell such pitiful stories, and getting
us interested in their affairs"
1T was certainly mighty hard, it
was most humiliating, it was madden
ing in the extreme. To have ones
feelings worked on by tales of sick
ness and hard luck generally, to have
been led along skillfully as the wise
angler coaxes his finny prey to know
/ that through ones good will and
kindly intention, tremendous loss
has been sustained, and thieves will
profit by our hard-earned savings is
altogether too hard to be borne with
any degree of complacency."
On First Vacation
Mr.. and Mrs. Gottfield Bokermann,
of Pittsburg Pa, are spending the
season in st. Petersburg, with an
apartment at 1876 First street north
This is their first real vacation to
gether in all their lives, and they had
come here with the expectation tina,
this season an unalloyed happiness
and freedom such as they had never
known would be theirs.
A lifelong friend Of theirs who lives
at Big bayou and had visited fire.
ouently at their home In Pittsburf
had told them Of st. Petersburg, thu
land of sunshine and flowers, the re
sort Of all wise and prosperous per
sons who seeking thoroughly SAT-
and comfortable winter season coult
have every advantage known on thi
side of Paradise.
They decided to spend their frs
big holiday here, and had been happ.
in the result of so doing. They hat
| been here for some time, and wer,
| making the most of the simple pleas
| ures such as their frugal natures hat
| desired. They were realizing tn
| comfort OF a sufficient resource to en-
Joy all their needs; and just begin
ming to throw off the cares of har,
and toilsome life. And then thi
thinE happened so insiduously tina
they had scarcely REALIZED the net int
which they were being drawn, befor
they found themselves high up in tn
beach where they had been dumpe,
by the fishermen.
II II happened this way:
| MIR, Bokermann was fishing one da
down at the pier when a man az
peared casually and began to cor
verse. Incidentally, of course, h
inquired from what state Mr.. Boxer
| mann came and stated that he wa
| from Ohio. He said that he had
large farm there of 400 acres, an
that having just lost his wife, ha
left his two small children to the car
of nurse and had come to st. p,
tersburg for his health.
Il Looked Like Farmer
/ Just about this part of the narr,
! tive, Mrs. Bakermann declared: IAN
ho did Innly lilo hor1 ~