Show 1 1 r < 4 CAUGHT BY A r CROOK J 4 lh Confidence Maim lets in Two I Smart Young Men forqSSOO II I I Monday night an account was given of I J L Dickinson and f F Simmons I losing the sum of 800 in a mysterious I transaction with a man named John Hardy at the Palace Hotel Various I I rumors are afloat regarding the alleged swindle and many are the suspicions that it is a clear case of the biter being I bit So far developments reveal f facts Dickinson made the the following Dlkmson acquaintance of John Hardy and reposed confidence in the gentlemans apparent I honesty not knowing that Hardy was an oldtime confidence man and chum of he notorious Doc Baggs On Saturday afternoon Dickinson solicited the partnership partner-ship of Simmons in a scheme sprung un luspeclingly on them by the man Hardy Simmons put up 500 with Dickinson to make a required 800 and Dickinson went with Hardy to his room at the Palace Hotel The 800 was placed in an envelope en-velope and handed to Hardy who wrote 0 K on the front of time package made Ihree crosses on time back with a pen and ealmg il placed he envelope under a newspaper lo dot the ink then handed it to Dickinson with the remark that the transaction could not be made until Monday Dickinson Dick-inson returned lo Simntons with the en elope and the presumed 2000 which upon opening proved to be nothing but worthless waste paper Simmons was completely nonplussed at the mistake and called on Dickinson for an explanation explana-tion who said that Hardy must have taken out another envelope from under time newspaper and kept the desired cash Marshal Phillips and his corps of aids have been in search of Hardy ever since bust with no avail so far The trick is I one of the oldest rackets known to the profession of crooks It has been worked successfully throughout Colorado for years by confidence men Hardy represented repre-sented that he had 2000 in counterfeit bills which he would sell for 800 cash He presented a sample of the stuff in time shape of a genuine 10 bill at t a bank on Main street and it was rived r-ived without a question being asked But in the dicker 2000 in greenback ad irtisemenls such as are thrown about the streets were used and as these fellows fel-lows never handle counterfeit money in working a sucker it is seldom the law can get sufficient proof of a fraud being perpetrated perpe-trated lo hold time crooks accountable Further developments will surely crop out but a clear case of taken in is about the size of the whole matter |