The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1922-04-04
FLORIDA CLEANS
OUT WIRE TAPPERS
RACE TRACK GAMBLER VIC
TINS HAND OVER $2,5OO,OOO
IN YEAR TO CROOKS.

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla
Governor Cary Hardee and other state
officials are making determined efforts
to break up the gangs of wire tap
pers and other confidence men who
infest this state. Operations of these
crooks during the last year have
swindled wealthy guests from the
north out of more than 81, 10000
Recent raids here, which resulted in
the arrest OF a dozen men, believed
among the leaders in one of the gangs,
and the closing OF one Of the wire
tapping stores, is only the begin
ming of the states activities.
Governor Hardee wasted no time
when he learned of the huge sums the
confidence men had obtained. We'll
clean 'em out" he said.
He didn't order out the militia or
call an army OF deputy sheriffs. He
picked a man in whom he had conf
dence, swore him in as deputy and
told him to get" the swindlers.
Robert Shackelford the man Hardee
had chosen, began a quiet investiga-
ton. A week or two later he dropped
into Fort Lauderdale.
Evidence Is Discovered.
I'D like about twenty or thirty
deputies immediately" he said, walk
ing into the sheriff's office. Within
few minutes score Of citizens, picked
up in the streets and sworn in, were
on their way with Shackelford to a
fine two-story house, almost in the
center of the city.
The place was surrounded and
Shackelford entered alone, demanding
the surrender Of the occupants.
Within an hour twelve men, rang
ing in age from 20 to Is, and in ap-
pearance from thugs to capitalists,
were behind the bars. Inside the house
was found a complete equipment OF
blackboards, telegraph instruments,
fake money and all the other usual
apparatus of wire tappers.
Judge Fred Shippey fixed maximum
bail so high that only three could pay
it.
Governor Hardee later ordered Sher-
if A. w. Turner, of Broward county,
in which Fort Lauderdale is located,
to resign his office. The governors
statement SAYS Turner was removed
because he refused to raid the wire
tappers' den, although he knew it ex-
isted
Wire Tapping Popular,
Although all kinds of swindling
games have been worked on rich Wis
itors to Florida by these bands OF
crooks, the overlapping game was the
most popular.
This method was the Turing OF vic
Tins into what purported to be the
tapping of telegraph wires to obtain
race results before the results were
generally known to the public.
The swindlers fit up house, known
to them as a store" with full race
betting equipment. Usually this house
is in a good neighborhood to add
class" to the appearance. :.
The victim is lured to this store
and by subtle methods is led to belleve
he has won large sums. No cash IS
required of the victim during the bet
ting, his checks being accepted, but
after the winning" has been announc-
ed the cashier" would demand that
the winner give evidence OF his
financial responsibility by producing
certified check or cash to the amount
of the money originally bet. Once the
swindlers get their hands on this cash
or certified check the victim either is
slugged or enticed away until the
swindler escape.
Rich Men Duped.
The whole scheme is so carefully
laid out and so methodically worked
that scores of the wealthiest men IN
the north have fallen for it.
Bankers say they have repeatedly
warned these rich men that they were
being duped, but in most cases have
been told not to interfere. In Jew
days the victims came back, panic
stricken, but too late to recover their
money. .,
The real hackers of the swindling
gangs now infesting the winter resorts
are believed by officials to be wealthy
criminals living in the east. They are
said to recruit their store" men from
the ranks of criminals and to carefully.
train them for their parts. No store
man is allowed to operate, officials say
they have learned, without at least a