Rensselaer Union, Volume 7, Number 52, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 16 September 1875 — American Swindlers Abroad. [ARTICLE]

American Swindlers Abroad.

Says the Paris correspondent of the London Telegraph: There is excitement among the jewelers of Paris over a robbery, of which two Americans are heroes. Some days since the two men called upon a wealthy tradesman of the Paris Royale and invited him to send gold chains for approval to the Hotel Viollet. Here, as in other cases of fraud by Americans, there was evidence of thought, of boldness and of cunning to which we are little used in the proceedings of their European kindred. The jeweler went, but no business was done on the first occasion. He found the gentlemen comfortably installed, and in no hurry for negotiation. They passed as representatives of Messrs. J. D. Conover & Co., of Philadelphia, and no suspicion could be aroused by their manner. The next day the jeweler brought seventy-two gold chains, all of which were approved and purchased.. The Americans sorted them with apparent intelligence, and arranged them by groups in a tin box. The vender looked on, and when all was finished lie put the box beside him, and wrote out his bill. The strangers moved about and talked, but-without any suspicious action. The account complete in duplicate, they asked to have the box tied up and sealed. This also was done leisurely, the bill discussed and discount settled. It came to nearly £4OO. Then the Americans gave back the parcel of chains, requesting the jeweler to take it at a certain date to Messrs. Munro, bankers, Rue Scribe, when his bill would be discharged. Thereupon he left. It was mere chance that led him, some hours after, to call upon Messrs. Munro, where he learned that no such persons as those described were known to the bankers. Filled with sud- 5 den alarm, he reopened the tin box, and foitnd in it rolls of lead. On going to the Hotel Viollet the Americans liaa vanished, leaving their baggage, which contained many more boxes of the sort, wax, ribbons and other paraphernalia, the use of which had just been demonstrated. These people may -well visit England on business, for the police as yet have utterly failed to trace them. The elder is described as very dark, very harsh of feature, full-bearded; he seems to be a Southerner, and speaks French well. The younger is tall, fair, wears only a mustache, anadoes not speak French. “ “