Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1921-04-23
Federal Agents
No1u Have Hand
In .Bunco Case

Case
That Atlanta was only :'way sta
tom for bunco artists, and that
the reported cases Of victims in that
city amounted to a "mere drop in
the bucket" when compared With the
amounts dropped in Florida resorts
by wealthy tourists was the re-
markable statement made Thursday
by postoffice inspectors who are now 3"
combing the country for all mem.
bers of the gigantic swindling syn.
dicate still at large.
The Wiretapper always passed
through Atlanta en- route to Florida,
and many of them stopped over long
enough to "clean up healthy sums,
the inspectors said. Floyd Wood
ward, who has been widely "touted'
as the chief of the ring. was MOTH
ing more than the Atlanta agent Of
an international organization of con-
fldence men, they declared.
When it is remembered that tbe
| rings winnings in Atlanta aggre.
saleu' according to estimates of in.
VesuSatlng agen.j, more tina two
million dollars, some idea of tho
magnitude of the syndicate's opera.
lions IN Florida can be cleaned.
Many new and sensational deve1-
opments in the bunco situation in
A'lahta were predicted by the postal
inspectors, who announced that
Ieueral net spread last week in soy.
elaI cities resulted Wednesday in +ba
arrest OF four alleged lannon's cor.
Ildence men and in the discovar,, 80
Information that may lead to 49,,
additional arrests
Wednesday Arrests
o, Inc following alleged bunco steer-
Atlanta and other cities p,ara ny IN
nars as the result of Wednesda s!
| roundup: e"iesday
George Lloyd, alias "Knoc1x ,sn,
LEAD George of HuntsvilIe All IN
' OnGer arrest in Indianapolis, He ia
W grand jury. oo'n-
James Connolly, alias ."rhe T,ugr
allas j. Conway. He is wanted On
| various federal charges. and is ma
Indictment in connection Will ~
SWlnuIlng syndicates Operations
| Alabama HUNTSVILLE
r.. d. Huntington, alias "Hoosier
MD Jailed in Cincinnati. ITnder
indictment here o'A0oi
EharIes McCord, of Atlanta. I'm
ner arrest IN Cincinnati. Wanted for
participation in swindling Operations
mere and in other cities.
inspectors said Huntington and
MecCord were caught i'll Cincinnati hy
teueraI agents while in the act Of
| OF $4,000.
All the prisoners made engthv
1 sldlelnents To the agents after they
! We're taken in custody, reports
! ss ia "A tlanta Inspectors Indicated
1 the quartet will spring new sensa-3
lions in connection with the alleged
relations existing between the con-
! iloence men and members of the de-
/ tectlve apartment
Wednesdays arr ests made the Sec
ond blow the government has struck
at the big bunco syndicate that for
merly operated in Atlanta and other
cities throughout the country. Mark
Inlery, said to have been Floyd
| WoodWard's predecessor, as chief Of
the Atlanta ring" was recently
taken in Ell Paso by postal inspectors.
and is now held in the Fulton tower
awaiting trial in the state and fed
eral courts. When nabbed, Tillery
dence game in the Texas city.
Seek A. H. Thompson
| The federal search for additional
members of the ring now centers on
Albert Fl. Thompson, said by federaf
agents to be a sOn-in-law of the late
| Carter Harrison, former mayor OF
| Chicago. Inspectors revealed that
| Thompson is wanted in several cities,
| including Atlanta, as one of the ring
| leaders of the syndicate.
They characterized Thompson as
one Of the cleverest of all confidence
men and said he spent much of his
time in Florida resorts, trimming"
wealthy tourists. 1t was said no
900 home in Buck Shoafs. n. c.. be-
| tween ASneville and HenderSonville,
| several days ago when he learned in-
| spectors were on his trail.
Inspectors said a squad of Sleutha
| is hot on his trail. His arrest be-
| fore the end Of the week was pre-
| dicted. Dispatches said he was re-
| ported as trying to make his way
| to Cuba. Federal agents believed
they. would be able to nip his plans
| in the bud.
| According to dispatches, Thomson
| is wanted in Birmingham, Daytona,
Asheville, Palm Beach, Atlanta and
| several eastern cities on charges of
| Fleeing people out of large sums.
|
| touring cars, considerable property,
and had a handsome bank account in
| Asheville, n. c. They said his wife
moved in the exclusive society cir
| c4eS of that section, and that Thorn
! son managed for a long time to cover
| up his tracks remarkably well.
In telling of the roundup of We'd.
nesday, inspectors limited that bid
les named had prevented the earlier
| arrests of these men. They intimated
that far-reaching bunco probes
might soon be under way in a num-
Der of cities
Federal Court Trials
Inspectors said the four men Jail
ed Wednesday will be brought to
Atlanta Immediately for trial in
| United States court on charges Of
using the mails to further fraud
ed to Solicitor John A. Bopkin for
trial under the indictments he is
HOLDING. against them.
Within a short time, the Fulton
dence men, the inspectors predicted.
A large squad of federal operatives
is combing the entire country fos
the members of the big syndicate
and practically every one of them are
wanted here nconnection with the
recent exposure of "Wire-tapping and
swindling."
Officials said the statements OF
the men now under arrest will prob
ably disclose considerable important
information concerning alleged "po-
lice connivance with the ring and
the other charges and counter
charges that have been passing right
and left lately"
THOMPSON LEFT ASHEVILLE
BEFORE AGENTS ARRIVED
ASHENILLE, n. c., April 21-Al-
bert H. Thompson, wanted by ederal
n c,,iti AZ i.,.. Ii.