Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1921-01-18


larceny after trust. Similar rewards
have been offered in each instance by
Solicitor General John A. Boykin
making the aggregate as follows:
For Woodward ........... ,t0C
For Smith % 700
For Ellis NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.. 500
For Irwin BOO
IOldl oa,oUV
A total of nearly s1,500,000 iss al
legged to have been, extracted from
victims from all parts of the coun-
try by a gang Of gamblers, wire-tap-
pers and swindlers, which operated
in Atlanta during the past four
years, according to a report of the
November grand jury, and the fact
that Atlanta was made one of the
principal headquarters of the gam
bling and swindling syndicate appears
to be undisputed.
Evidence which has been presented
to the grand jury shows that many
victims. mostly out-of-town visitors,
have been f1eeced out Of their entire
savings, amounting to sums rang
ing from a few hundred dollars to
$4,000. AS a result of the sweeping
investigation by the grand jury and
Solicitor General John A. Boykin
many indictments have been return
ed and countrywide search has
been instituted for the ringleaders of
the alleged syndicate.
MANY nisclosurea
Recent raids, conducted by the So
licitor general and his assistants,N
have revealed number Of gambling
dens and "pay-off" places and,
many arrests have been made.
though the majority of these are
considered as small fish in the big
net. recent expose of the ring by
two well-to-do farmers from Aiken,
S. c., caused the ringleaders of the
syndicate to make a hurried exit
from the city. The investigation has
caused considerable interest and ha.
resulted in request by the grand
jury for the removal of the heads
of the city detective department.
The recent raids, conducted by the
solicitor general, have revealed full
equipped gambling dens and fake
horse race pool rooms and fake
stock exchanges. In these places it
they were tricked out of their money
by the various arts known to The
confidence men.
so-called BRAINS"
1t is disclosed by Solicitor Boykin
that the syndicate was governed by
Floyd Woodward, a local man now
sought by the authorities Wood
ward was ably assisted, it Is said, by
w. Clyde Smith, property owner in
one of the best residential sections
I'll
trio, aided by "Jacknife O'Brien and
other nationally known confidence
men, it is said, had an apparent free
reign in the city and their swim
ding schemes are said to date back
to 1915.
More than a score Of alleged VIC
Tins from the north, east, south and
west have reported their losses to the
solicitor general and the methods in
which they were fleeced. Some were
game, Others dropped their savings
on fake stock market plunges and
still others claimed to have been
robbed outright. In each instance
the testimony proved, according to
Mr.. Boykin, that Woodward and his
gang were responsible for the swim
ding.
The system employed to ensnare
the victims was we'll planned and sell
dom did it fail to work. In one in
stance, Mr.. Boykin says, man be-
came suspicious and refused to give
up his money until he saw the actual
profits offered him in his own hands
In this instance, it is claimed, he
was set upon py three confidence men
and his money was taken from him
by force.
Interesting Stories
Many interesting stories have been
told Of the methods employed by the
gam blers to lure their victims. One
young man from Texas, who lost
eG says ne was wSs n
lanta, and, after short acquaint-
ance, was introduced to another man
equally well dressed The latter was
supposed to be prominent stock
broker. The Texan was invited to
visit the stock exchange in Atlanta.
which he did. and was invited to
take a plunge on the market. He
refused, but was willing to look on.
No persuasive methods were en-
ployed to get him, to play. neither
The alleged stockbroker took
plunge, however, and won" a large
sum Of money. He had put up a
blank check for the original amount
and in order TO get his earnings he
was requested to show the amount =.
nancially embarrassed at the time.
he was unable to do so. and the =
Texan was appealed to.
The latter agreed to produce S.
700, which he did. While waiting
for his promised share Of the win
nings and the return of his collat-
eral ne was again requested to try
his luck. He refused and the al
legged stockbroker told his partner to
take their winnings, and buy more
stock. In a few minutes the plung-
er returned with the information that
he had put the whole amount, in
Guiding the Texans money, on a sure
thing and had> lost. A fake fist
fight was thenJstaged between the
two men and the Texan was informed
he would be reimbursed by his friend,
but he failed to ever get any of his
money back.
=. Banker Victim
Further information furnished to
the grand jury is claimed to show
that a well-known south Georgia
banker, who disappeared from this
city under mysterious circumstances
a year ago, was a victim of the syn
dictate and that another man, an al
legged member of the gang, was shot
and killed in local hotel oyer dis
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