Scam Artists on the Loose, John Engel!

From the Defiance Democrat - November 22, 1894

"BOLD, BAD SWINDLERS

John Engel, the Victim of Two Highwaymen

FIVE DOLLARS FOR A RING

Stopped on the Road Home and Bunkoed on a Box Game -

A Slick Pair of Road Agents

John Engel is a well-to-do farmer who resides four miles north of this city.

Friday evening, in company with his wife, he was going home from town and had reached a point on the Holgate pike about one-fourth of a mile south of the Banner school house when he was met by two men, riding in a buggy.  They stopped him and began making enquiries of a trivial nature.

One of them stepped from the buggy and, taking out some small boxes with slide covers, proceeded to explain the beauties and mysteries of a trick.  He placed $40 in one of the boxes, carelessly leaving a corner of one of the bills sticking out.  He shuffled the boxes around for a time and then asked Mr. Engel to pick out the one containing the money.  This was easy to do and the game was repeated several times, Mr. Engel always selecting the right box.

Finally, the trick artist placed a large ring on top of the box containing the money and offered the whole outfit for five dollars. Mr Engel handed over the five and took the ring, but before he could get hold of the box, the swindler placed his hand upon it and refused to give it up.  He then attempted to catch Mr. Engel for ten dollars more on a watch which he placed on the box, but having got all the jewelry he wanted at those prices, the victim declined to invest any further.

 The two swindlers then drove toward the city and Mr. Engel wended his way home, wiser by five dollar's worth of experience. 

 Last Saturday he came to town and related his adventure, with the request that the newspapers publish a description of the robbers in hope that they may be captured, and also as a warning to other farmers to be on the look out for them and all others of their class.  

These men are evidently the same ones who have been operating through this and surrounding counties for some time.  Their plan of operation varies, but in the end they almost invariably get more or less money from each person they go after.  They are bold and do not hesitate to pull a revolver on their victim if he attempts by force to get his plunder they have fleeced him out of.  They are almost generally sharp enough to turn over some worthless piece of jewelry or some other trifle which they can claim they have sold the victim for his money in case they should be arrested for swindling.

No doubt many men are victimized who never mention it to escape being made the laughing stock of their neighbors.  It is truly unaccountable how people will continue to be bunkoed in the manner after the repeated warnings they get of such sharks through the newspapers.  Hardly a week passes but accounts of such transactions are published and yet it seems the only way to convince some men that they can never win anything out of another man's game is by dearly bought experience.

Mr. Engel describes the men as being of medium size and wearing black, stiff hats.  The older one is aged about fifty with heavy mustache and chin whiskers streaked with gray.  The younger one looks to be about thirty, with mustache.  They drove a black horse hitched to a top buggy.

All officers should be constantly on the lookout for them and arrest them on sight.

Mr. Engel says he has traveled considerable, was in the army, and has seen a good deal of sharp practice, but never was caught up before.  He is very desirous that all readers of this paper should be notified of the character of these swindlers so they they may steer clear of them and have nothing to do with any of their kind."