Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 34, Number 75, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 20 May 1902 — Found Easy Marks Here. [ARTICLE]

Found Easy Marks Here.

A young man named Leo Hauk, well known, in fact and alas, far too well-known to a number of Rensselaer people, is now under arrest in Chicago, and a movement is now under way to bring him to Rensselaer to answer to the charge of obtaining money by false pretenses. He began coming here 8 or 9 months ago, representing himself as the agent of tfie United Merchants’ Supply Company His scheme was to collect $1 per week from as many easy marks as he could find in a place, and every week there was to be a drawing and the holders of the winnf&g tickets would receive a watch, or suit of clothes, and would then and there cease paying. Those i who failed to draw prizes would drop their little dollar a week into the slot, and at the end of 35 , weeks would receive their valuable , time pieces or outfit of dizzy raiment of the latest cut — (latest cut) in price of ancient hand-me-downs —probably. I Along early in the deal two of . the Rensselaer contributors did (receive prizes, one a watch and ' another a suit of clothes. This j served to keep the rest in good i faith and they paid right along to , the end of the 35 weeks. They I are not still paying, but they are Still looking for those valuable prizes. Investigation showed that The United Merchants’ Supply Company had its only headquarters wherever Hauk took his hat off, and the contributors here have awakened to the fact that they are the victims of a barefaced swindle. It is to be hoped that Hauk can be brought here and properly punished.