Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1923-12-20

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 it.
1t is only fair to say, however that
in some cases Of fraud practiced on
the newcomers the sWindlers are .sot
Americans, but are natives Of the
country of the exploited, men who
have been here long enough to learn
a few tricks and who already know
now best to attack the weak points
OF their fellow countrymen.
Not long ago a half interest in the
pennsylvania railroad was sold for
$5OG to two ignorant immigrants who
had not been long in this country be-
fore they were parted from their
money. James ]. Wilson, who is a
deputy assistant district attorney in
New York, has said that more than
Sl2,OOO,0O0 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
told is productive and finely located
When they go to look for their new
bought possessions they have to sound
for them some distance down under
tide water.
Real Estate Swindles.
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 it. Frequently, however,
men who have an interest In property
sell it 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
desire 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 a trifling amount
Of common sense would understand
were frauds pure and simple.
When the writer was a reporter on
Chicago daily he wrote true story
of Michigan farmer who bought"
the Masonic temple in Chicago, valued
at some millions of dollars. for $13,-
600, making a $1,000 cash payment
for the building to two men whom he
met on the street. He agreed to go
back home to get the remaining $4,000
which he was to pay for the structure
and 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 $3.50 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 it was a building wonderfully
contrived mechanically and that it
would turn on vertical axis at the
touch of a 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 dead one, but within a
week visitor to the city of Philadel-
phia paid So 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 while. told his
woes to the police.
A 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 scrape
their acquaintance There are plenty
of Americans in the city of Paris
who make prey Of their fellow
citizens.
Disgraced.
Mr.. Wombat was well liked in the