Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1922-05-18
WIRELESS IS USED
To CATCH SLICKER
aa3 VII O1h Sh" W
y BY GUY S. WILLIAMS
Ueased Wire Service to The Journal.)
DOWNRIGHT. 1922

Copyright, 1929
OMAHA, Neb., May 16.-NebraSka
and the surrounding states have been
broadcast" for radio slickers.
It had to come, for never has an
innovation swept the country that
the "slicker" playing upon the en-
thusiam of the more gullibie, has
not followed in it's wake. Certain
good Nebraska citizens, however,
are wondering vaguely just why the
radio slicker had to start and have
his being in their own fair state.
<<<fIaving swindled by the radio, it
: is the hope. of the authorities to
catch the slickers by that very same
means of communication. Perhaps
and probably, the slickers by now
have gone beyond the reach Of the
less powerful stations, and may be
plying their nefarious trade in
more distant parts. In any event,
: the Nebraska authorities are tell
Wing the world"' Of the experiences
? here, and if any more persons get
caught in the radio slicker's net, it
VIII not be their fault.
4 I'm one Nebraska town radio en-
= thUsiasts were thrilled a few days
: ago by the announcement that an
g"agency" for radio sets had been
) duly purchased by local merchant
land that soon a shipment of radio
sxets-enough that all might hear
4 and enjoy the ether concerts-would
.errive, There was much excitement
flor Nebraska, like most other states.
E has been completely run off its feet
!. by the radio bug"
ee1IaBut radio stock in the Immediate
vicinity of that town has taken a de-
cfded slump. 1t was a suaslVe
stranger who who knew all about
things radio-about detectors and
coils and tubes and everything-whc
dropped into the merchants store
week ago and offered the exclusive
agency to the dealer for the con-
scern the stranger said he represent
Eed He persuaded the merchant by
the force of his wireless eloquence
to part with a certified check for
$4,000 and to sign three notes, due in
four months, totalling many hun
dreds more.
aFhe merchant sat down to await
the arrival of the sets. But they
did not arrive. They have not yet
arrived, and the merchant, who is a
substantial and respected citizen, also
has proved that he is what might be
called a good sport" by Diminishing
the whole matter with a naive adj
mission: 81 guess ] was ripe" He
did not arrive at this stOicah atti-
rude, however, until he had told the
{ sheriff of his predicament. Where
. upon, he, and the rest of Nebraska
have learned that the same, or
similar, radio shark" had worked
B. the week before in a neighboring
1 city.
!. But to ease things as much as pos
,ssiLle for the merchant the sheriff
e pointed out that in another town
Z Nearby the victims had paid cut all
Z cash instead of signing notes for
some of the payments. The note
--signing seems, however, to be n
4 peculiar angle to all the slickers
J who have ever worked Nebraska. In
;.sthes fat year and a half following
the World war nearly every farmer
in Nebraska had signed his name
to notes in one promotion enterprise
or another. The state courts still
are trying to straighten out some
of the tangles tat followed the in.
-eyitable failures and bankruptcies.
iiissM embers of the police forces of
Kansas City, Mo-, Kansas City.
Kan, Omaha and intervening towns
had been looking for the radio
crooks for two weeks, it has de-
veloped, before anything was said
about the SWindlerS.