The Calhoun chronicle. [volume] (Grantsville, W. Va.) 1883-1984, 1923-12-27

been called to many cases OF the
swindling of immigrants which would
be laughable If they were not in a
way tragic. Means are to be taken to
prevent the immigrants from becom-
ing victims of Americans who know
what they want and how to get IL.
IL is only fair to say, however. that
IN some cases of fraud practiced on
the newcomers the swindlers are not
Americans, but are natives of the
country of the exploited, men who
nave been here long enough to learn
few tricks and who already know
now best TO attack the weak points
Oh their fellow countrymen.
NOT long ago half interest In the
pennsylvania railroad was sold for
sooo TO two ignorant immigrants who
had not been long In this country be-
fore they were parted from their
money. James j. Wilson, who Is a
deputy assistant district attorney In
New York, has said that more than
slZ'OOO,OOO has been obtained from i'm
migrants by what is called the under
water lots swindle" The immigrants
are sold real estate which they are
tolu Is productive and finely located
When they go to look for their new
bought possessions they have to sound
lor them some distance down under
tide water.
Real Estate SwlndIes.
Many pieces of real estate are sold
TO immigrants who first are shown the
property. The property is real, and
the immigrants part with their money
only to find later that the land be-
longs to somebody other than the
man who sold 1t. Frequently, however,
men VINO have an interest In property
sell 1t to immigrants who later find
out that the lots which they have
bought are heavily mortgaged. In
cases of this kind the sellers usually
ask for comparatively small amounts
OF money, the reason being that they
uesire to keep the sum received under
the grand larceny limit so If they are
caught they cannot be sent to prison
for felony.
immigrants are not the only ones
who are the easy victims of swindlers
through games which it would seem
that any person with q trifiing amount
or common sense would understand
were frauds pure and simple.
When the writer was a reporter on
Chicago daily he wrote a true story
of Michigan farmer who bought"
the Masonic temple in Chicago, valued
at some millions of dollars, for s13.-
600, making a $1,000 cash payment
for the building to two men whom he
met on the street. He agreed to 90
back home to get the remaining $4,000
which he was to pay for the structure
ana to report at the same street cor
ner the next day. Somebody In his
home village heard of it and com
municated with the police. The Mich
igan man was saved $4,000, but his
$4,000 was gone.
Paid to See Building Turn.
Years ago in Chicago scores of
visitors from here, there and else
where paid anywhere from so cents
to $1.5O each to see the Masonic tenn
pie turn round" The twenty-storied
temple was at that time show place.
Men would approach obvious strang-
ers on the street who happened to be
looking at the structure to tell them
that 1t was a building wonderfully
contrived mechanically and that II
would turn on a vertical axis at the
touch of button. They would collect
the "sight fee" saying that they
would go in and touch the button.
That was the last seen of them. but
the victims would wait for a while to
feast their eyes on the vision of a
twenty-storied structure making an
"about face"
Everybody thought that this old
game was a dead one, but within q
week visitor to the city of Philadel-
phia paid $5 to see the city hall turn
on its axis. Ben Franklin, however,
who surmounts the structure, refused
to turn his back on the visitor who.
after watching for a while, told his
woes to the police.
good many of the men and women
who swindle immigrants are persons
who come from the same general
locality in the old country as that
from which the victims hail. It is
very easy for them to get acquainted
with the newcomers, asking as they do
about certain places in the old land
and occasionally about certain per
sons who happen to be known in com
mon. Americans going to Paris fight
shy Of Americans who try to scrnpe
their acquaintance. There are plenty
Of Americans In the city of Paris
who make prey OF their fellow
citizens