Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1921-08-24

OQor1u I'LL went TO 1IluCOlOVlllc. Me-
and brought the prisoner to Newport
Monday, where he will await trial.
His clever swindle was not only work
is wanted by the police from other
towns in the state where he piled his
trade. st. Adams and Burlington
port large number Of people VIC
timized by him.
While he was being held at Lin
colnville, word was received at that
place that he was wanted at Brockton,
Mass, but the Orleans county officials
were on the job and Mr.. Cohen will
be obliged to face Orleans county
courts before he can De taken to
Massachusetts,.
Cohen represented himself to be
connected with a concern known as
the Peoples Furniture Co. of Boston
Mass, and after his arrest claimed to
be from Mattapan, Mass. He must
have read great deal of Ches Ponzi
doings and when everything had
quieted down, thought he would come
up in Vermont and try little scheme
of his own, reaping harvest without
much work. His scheme was to go
about towns and cities in Vermont
and organize what was to be known
as so cent clubs, each club to have
60 members. In return for their so
cents each week one member Of the
60 would get a prize valued at $50.
The prize consisted of furniture or
dishes which they choose from book
them from the Boston Furniture Co.,
which company this man was purport-
ed to be representing for the purpose
only Of advertising their merchandise.
The terms Of contest were such that
as quickly as q person won they would
have to get out of the club so as to
give others chance. The terms of the
contest provided that the members
were to gain much and lose nothing
for at the end Of the 60, weeks If
they had not been lucky enough to
win a prize they were going to get
their money back in furniture any,
way. ~ 81 -0affs Ysa ~
6 Everything went well for So weeks.
Mr.. Cohen came. around every week
for, his 80 cents and every week one.
member Of the club, which was sup
posed to have only 60 members, won a
$50 prize which was Immediately for
warded to her and which were of such
quality that it brought many new
members into the club weekly. In
some families Mr.. Cohen would collect
as much as $3.50 a week. Some
joined the club intending to receive
their prize about Christmas time.
Recently Mr.. Cohen failed to show
up and he stopped calling for the
weekly payments After an absence of
three or four weeks the members awoke
to the fact that, they had figured in
swindle and the originator had made
a good deal of money. Upon investi-
cation it was found that instead of
having only so members in club
there were many more. The whole
scheme had been very cleverly worked
out and everything went smoothly I'M
! til the final week when hundreds of
members of the club expected to get
their money back by receiving prize.
One feature of the scheme was that
usually the winner of prize was some
popular young lady or married woman
who would help out the scheme by
putting their friends "wise", so that
they would at once seek membership.
EAt first it was thought that only a
few had been tricked, but each day
more members are discovered. That
Cohen reaped a good harvest out of
the swindle is evident by the numerous
towns in which he operated and the
| number of members of the clubs,
which run into the :, hundreds in
stead of go as was first supposed, and
| the receipts had mounted into the
| thousands.
1t was only about August list that
the matter came to the attention of
States Attorney Farman and the ap-
pretending of the man is worthy OF
| praise. The states attorney has up
to the present time received about 76
cards representing people who belong
/ ed to one of the clubs. AS each case
represents one count against the
| operator, he is being held on about
| 70 counts. Mr.. Farman in prosocut-
ing the case very much desires that
| all others holding such cards forward
them to his office at once. In comply
ing with this request you will great
ly aid him in disposing of the case.