Evening Republican, Volume 16, Number 46, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 22 February 1912 — Farmer Boy Buncos City Firemen [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Farmer Boy Buncos City Firemen

CHICAGO. —Whether Frank Anderson came from Wheeler, Ind., or whether he didn’t, he succeeded in working a "skin game” on. scores of members of the city fire department that would do credit to the most experienced and skillful of Chicago confidence men, and now the firemen are looking up Wheeler, Ind., on the map. To their relief they find that Wheeler, Ind., is really so. .This is the only think they have found to be true about Frank Anderson, however, and hi fact they are beginning to doubt that he is Frank Anderson at nil and may be somebody else —which latter suspicion the police concur in. Frank is a stolid, healthy-looking country lad, with rosy cheeks. He went around to the various fire, houses and told his story. “I live back on a farm near Wheeler, Ind.,” he would say, “where my ma has 3,000 chickens and 19 cows. We got a tol’able sized farm back there. I came to Chicago to find my Aunt Jane, but run out o’ finances and I calculate as how I’ll have to hoof it bac> If one of you gentlemen will assist me in getting back home I’ll send you more than I borrowed in eggs and butter.” Jerome Connor, a salesman, who ha.-pened to be in the quarters of en-

gine company No. 5, 326 South Jefferson street, listened and Saw visions of omelettes. He bought $2 worth of eggs. Members of the engine company brought the donation up to $lO, and Frank took the names of all. x As he was leaving one engine house after having made an extremely successful plea, he asked one of the men whether he preferred “Ply* mouth Rock” eggs or the “Jersey" kind. Several days later he was relating the incident to some friends, and inquiring about “Jersey” chickens. When he was told the truth he sent a message over the wire to all of the fire houses warning the men against purchasing eggs and butter from Frank Anderson. “Too late. .We’ve waited so long for them eggs I guess they’re all spoiled,” was the answer that came back in nearly every instance.