EASY MONEY

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume 47, Issue 2671, 17 September 1937, Page 5

EASY MONEY

TRICKSTERS’ MISTAKE SYDNEY TOURISTS WIN BETTING ON HORSE RACES. Two travellers from Sydney and a Melbourne family had the laugh on a gang of hospitable American confidence men.

Lavishly entertaining their intended victims, the gang spent over £2OO in an unsuccessful attempt to win £lO,OOO.

Travelling to England by way of America, the Melbourne family, Mr G. J. Johnson, and his wife and daughter, Jana, were befriended by a debonair gentleman who joined the Mariposa at Honolulu, and invited them to visit him at Los Angeles.

There he placed his luxurious car and a chauffeur at their disposal, and insisted on paying for parties at hotels and night clubs. The host was then called away on. business and gave a friend named Smith, 100 dollars to continue the entertainment.

Picks “Winners.”

Smith “chanced” to see a third party named Brown in a cabaret and Brown, admitted that he was interested in a betting syndicate. He produced 1000 dollars, and stated that he wished to preserve anonymity, he asked the Johnsons and Smith to put it on a horse through a betting exchange, promising them 25 per cent, of the winnings in return for the favour. The horse won a profit of 2000 dollars. Brown then wrote a credit note for 100,000 dollars, and Smith and Johnson agreed to add their so far theoretical share of the profit to a bet on another horse, which also won, the idea being that they would again be entitled to 25 per cent/of the profits. A hitch occurred when the betting exchange refused to pay the 100,000 dollars unless it were satisfied that the winners would have been able to pay 100,000 if they had lost. Became Suspicious.

Brown and Smith produced 25,000 dollars and the stage was set for Mr Johnson to offer the same amount; but, becoming suspicious, he remaked “My wife is the gambler in our family. The most I have ever risked on a horse was five bob on a Melbourne Cup.”

Smith and Brown speedily vanished. It appears that the Sydney travellers were feted in Los Angeles by the same gang and were so impressed by the plausible happenings of a chance to make easy money that they telephoned a brother in Sydney, who unwillingly, cabled £5OOO. On the brother’s advice, the travellers inquired at San . Francisco and learned that no such betting exchange existed.