The Fort Dodge Messenger: Feb. 5, 1903

Short Change Man on Central

Gentleman With Deft and Oily Fingers Works Smooth Graft

A Nebraska Man His Victim.

Son of the Soil, Out to See the Sights, Exchanges $50 for Meagre (sic) Roll of $15.

Waterloo, Io., February 5. – Marshal Simmering this morning received a letter from Cyrus Alton of Elmwood, Nebraska, stating that he had been victimized to the extent of $35 on the Illinois Central passenger train between Waterloo and Manchester Saturday night. He gave a description of the grafter and told how the game was worked.

Shortly after the train pulled out of Waterloo a well dressed stranger sat down in the seat beside Alton and began conversing with him. Alton readily fell into the snare. Judging by his letter he is a farmer. He had become weary of the long ride and was glad of the opportunity to break the monotony. Soon after the stranger worked himself into the good graces of Alton he told him how badly he wanted to exchange some small bills for a large one to give to a relative who would leave the train at Dubuque. Alton liked to be obliging and inquired how large a bill was wanted. The stranger thought a $50 would do and Alton pulled out his roll and selected a fifty. The stranger had a number of small bills and counted them out. They appeared to be $5 bills. There was just $50 the first time he counted them out, but in order to escape a mistake he counted them again. Sure enough there was just $50. Alton took them and placed them in his pocket, not suspecting the fraud. However, when he arrived in Chicago he took an inventory and found that the roll contained just $15 a number of $1 bills having been substituted for the $5 ones.

Tags: 1903