The Web : $b The Authorized History of the American Protective LeagueHough, Emerson
History
The Web : $b The Authorized History of the American Protective League
Hough, Emerson
American Protective League; Propaganda, German; World War, 1914-1918 -- Secret service -- United States
His room was searched but absolutely nothing was found that could
possibly throw light on the use he intended to make of the money,
or the purpose of his visit to Cincinnati. He was “covered” that
night by operatives of the League, and on the following day was
taken to the office of the Special Agent in charge, and there
questioned for two hours, without his disclosing anything of
importance. K—— finally told his story, and from this point on the
plot quickly unravels.
He was born near Hanover, Germany, emigrated to America at the age
of sixteen, settled in New York, married, and was naturalized at
the age of twenty-two. Three children blessed his union. He was
a stone-mason by trade for ten years after his marriage; then he
entered the contracting line and continued in it for some eighteen
years, later removing to East Orange, N. J., where for some five
years he operated a saloon and road house, later retiring from
business and removing to West Hoboken, N. J.
After a severe siege of rheumatism, he was ordered by his
physician to Mount Clemens, Michigan, early in the spring of
1918. At that resort he came in contact with two very affable
gentlemen, “Fred B. Grant” and “Jack Connel.” They made a lavish
display of wealth and finally were successful in getting him to
ask where these large amounts came from, whereupon Grant, who
was the spokesman of the two, told K—— he was a wealthy coal
operator of West Virginia and that he had a special system of
playing the races. After taking K—— behind one of the buildings at
Mount Clemens, he swore him to secrecy, and “let him in” on his
get-rich-quick plan.
The party left Mount Clemens and went to the Vendome Hotel,
Newport, Ky. They took K—— to a supposed pool-room and in less
than a week he had won upwards of twenty-five thousand dollars
in bets, whereupon the proprietor of the pool-room told him that
he could not withdraw this money, under the laws of the State of
Kentucky, unless he had an equal amount on deposit in the State.
K—— told his daughter in Hoboken that he must have twenty-five
thousand dollars to complete a business deal. He put up some of
the money himself, and she secured the rest by a loan from the
Empire Trust Co. Again the shuttle moved back to Cincinnati, where
he arrived on Monday, August 5, 1918, and the League came to his
rescue. K—— was now convinced that he was marked for a victim, and
he did all he could to help land his supposed friends. All these
were taken and the prisoners were held in $15,000 bond. They were
notorious confidence men!
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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