Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1921-05-10
HOW BUNCO GANG
GOT FLORIDA VICTIMS
Continued From Page ~

| trance, appeals to the authorities and
the appeal goes unheeded.
Protested, Assaulted
F. D. Robinson, of Detroit, visited
this "store,p learned of the ways of
the ICON men," insisted to Chief of
Police G. D. Coke that they be ar
rested and for his pains he was
! openly assaulted by the ICON men"
and forced to flee from the city, while
the police refused to take action.
w. c. Kreul, wealthy Milwaukee
grain broker, was saved at the last
minute from the grasp of the ICON
men after his visit to this limitless
treasury resulted in 100000 deal,
of which he was to put up $4,000.
And there were others.
The oliver residence in Peninsula
drive at Daytona, sixty miles south
of here. was as extensively procured
and rugged out as the one of which
you have read. 1t, too, was operated
under official protection until Mrs A.
G. Krebs, widow of Tamaqua, Pa,
was feeced of $4,000 a few weeks
ago. Then the Ku-Klux Khan took a
hand and riddled the house with
rifle bullets. The midnight attack
of the $50 masked men on the swind-
lers' palace was witnessed by former
Judge Nathaniel c. Sears, of Chicago,
and his wife, whose home stands OPP
posite.
P. j. and H. P. Pointer, of Kersey,
Pa, were feeced of $4,000 in a visit
to store" in Ocala.
His Bit 100000
Simon Tuch, a retired merchant of
Jersey City Heights, N. j., was quick
ly trimmed of 100000 at the end of
this season in turf exchange" near
Miami.
Joseph Applet, proprietor of the
Central hotel, Farmingdale, L. l.,
dropped $4,000 through casual ac-
quaintancec with the Waco Kid"
whom he knew as c. H. Pogart, after
an auto spin over to an elaborately
equipped store" in the Trumbull
Castle on the Dixie highway between
Daytona and New Smyrna, which had
been rented by the ICON men" with
out regard to expense. Mr.. Applet
had his picture taken with the Waco
Kid''-but that was before he lost
the $4,000.
This castle and the store" in Pen
insula drive at Daytona Beach We're
run during the last season by lead
ers of the f1eecers, who have operated
in those vicinities for years. They
are Sam Harris. generalisimo; Fred
Stanley, G. F. Weber, B. Roberts, c..
H. Chambers, J. J. Johnson and J. w.
Adams. AS rule, you can't tell
who's who among ICON men," so far
as names are COuCeTHeu, DuI III ILLS
case B. Roberts and Fred Stanley
happen to be brothers-their real
name being Schaefer.
Most suckers" Keep Mum"
Most of the victims return to their
homes with nary a hint that they
| had ever seen a ICON mana little
| ashamed, perhaps, because of their
! standing, at having been taken in as
suckers"
| ~ i
| conserVatiVely as an estimate upon
| the seasons activities of ICON men"
by a native of Florida whose position
| has enabled him to watch closely the
year by year growth of this giant
organized system of swindling-these
ever-eXtending chains of deliberately
which are operated at a tremendous
cost after being leased and fitted out
| in advance of the arrival of the tour
| lists.
From an authentic source, the
| Daily News learned the manner in
which the spoils were divided at the
! end of this season:
| Twenty-Five per cent for protection,
| which includes attorneys fees.
Five per cent for rentals.
Five per cent for fall" bank
| crooked banker through whom drafts
! and checks were regularly handled
/ " DIlnS money OIL Victims 10 Iue lake
| stock or horse race exchange.
The balance is then split two ways,
| 40 per cent to the 'steerer," less any
money advanced to carry him along.
and 25 per cent to the "big store
| keepers, who seldom consist of more
| than three men. The former is the
! dapper or elderly man of means
who offers the victim a chance to
| make some easy money" and steers
| him to the camouf1aged s"exchange."
The big store" keepers are the treas
| urers Of the syndicate.