The New York herald., 1922-02-17
Continued from First Page.


pal. Roxie Casoletto, in the Hotel Astor
the night of November 20, after he
swindled q tourist in Orlando out of
5000?
do you want to know why certain
confidence men disappeared from Or
lando the day before the murder of
Casoletto? Do you want to know who
owned that black derby hat. size 67s,
sold in Toledo. o.. and found in the
room rented by Bill carp, alias ]. e.
Martini
Postmaster Mclean, OF Orlando, says
one of the biggest obstacles to the rout-
ing of the confidence man is the victim
himself. Most return to their homes
silent, little ashamed perhaps, because
of their standing in their home towns,
that they have been taken in.
The figure of s1,500,000. already ad-
mitted, is a conservative estimate of
the haul this year. And the season is
by no means over. A City Attorney of
a coast resort estimates that no less
than $780, has been taken from vis-
itors to his city.
Division of Spofls.
THE NEW YORK HERALD's correspond
ent has learned from an authentic
source that the spoils are divided at the
end Of the season in this manner: Five
per cent. for rentals, 20 per cent for
protection, which includes attorneys
fees; 5 per cent. for fall bank
crooked banker through whom drafts
and checks are regularly handled to
bring money of victims to the fake stock
or race horse exchange; 40 per cent. to
the "steerer." less any money advanced
to carry him along, and 25 per cent. to
the big store keepers" who very sell
dom 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 camoufaged Eek
change"
The big "storekeepers" are the treas
urers of the syndicate. Although the
money is always extracted from the
sucker in the long run by means OF
the fake race horse or stock market in
side information" hoax the approach va
ries. The confidence of the visitor may
be obtained by casual conversation on
park bench. chat about the hotel lobby,
or on automobile rides, but inevitably
the man who Is to be feeced reaches
the club" to invest his life savings for
tremendous returns.
William Werner. president of William
Werner & Co., contractors and builders,
of 110 Hale avenue, BrooElyn. n. Y. was
reached by the park bench route
When he landed at the Bungalow Club
at Panama Park, a suburb of Jackson
vile, and plunged into race horse bet
ting on returns which we're telegraphed
from an adjoining room. Werner won
! Oy1a COrinnP. which
was "surc thing" according to the
inside dope" In order to take down
this sum Werner had TO put up 100000
in cash as proof of his financial credit.
When Werner thought the deal
over and got to wondering why he
should put UP 500. 900 to collect his win
nings, when no cash had been necessary
for him to win" the sl.209.0o0. he be-
came suspicious and tipped off the po-
| lice. The Club was raided. and five
alleged confidence men landed in Jail
They are charged with attempting to
defraud Werner and operating a gam
bling house. Under the first charge
they gave bail of $1,000 each. but were
Immediately rcarrested on the second
and are still in Jail. II they get bonds
on the second charge the case will
never come to trial. Bonds will be for
feited and they will go to California
| Atlantic City or some other tourist CEN
| ter for next years activities.
The Pocketbook SwfndIe.
The old pocketbook approach" was
worked a few days ago when Il. Cohen
of New Kensington. Pa, was fleeced of
$4,000 at Orlando. After mortgaging his
home in Pennsylvania and drawing the
cash from local bank. Cohen gave
the money to the men. He was to meet
! IT,.
| peared. Cohen doesn't think they ever
WILL Here is Cohen's story as it was
told to THE NEW YORK HERALD corre-
spondent:
About two weeks ago he met a man
calling himself Mcknight, who said ne
was wholesale grocer in Cleveland,
Ohio. Mcknight was gifted with a
magnetic personality and he and Cohen
became warm friends One evening they
were sitting in Eola Park and Mcknight
suggested they walk down to Lake Luz
cerne. The two men We're walking
around Lucerne Circle when Cohen
found a pocketbok containing $3.50, a
cold certificate for 100000 and ticket
which entitled the holder to membership
ia the international Stock Exchange
At that moment a man approached,
crying out that he had lost his wallet
and was ruined. Mcknight told the
man. who gave his name as William
Cousins that Cohen had found the
wallet. Cousins was overjoyed. He in
sisted that Cohen keep the $3.50, but
Mcknight hastened to refuse for Cohen.
| Cousins said he was in a great hurry
to get to the stock Exchange" and
| after some discussion 1t was agreed
that he should invest the money found
in the wallet In Cohen's name. 1t took
| Cousins Just fifteen minutes to return
with $500 which he said Cohen had
won. II was then agreed to invest the
| entire amount and in a short time the
third man appeared representing him
self to be the manager OF the exchange.
He told Cohen he had won 100000 and
produced n package OF bills. but with
held payment when he learned that
neither Cohen nor Mcknight would have
been able to meet the loss IL the market
had turned against them.
He Raises $4,000.
| Cohen was anxious to play the game
squarely. He offered to raise $4,000 to
invest. Mcknight promised to get s22.-
600. After that things moved swiftly.
Cohen made flying trip to New Ken
sington and mortgaged his dry goods
store. He returned with a certified
check for $4,000 on the Logan Trust
Company. but the broker would not
accept the check. He gave IL TO the
1