American Tricked Out of £300

Manawatu Times, Volume 62, Issue 68, 22 March 1937, Page 5

American Tricked Out of £3OO

GAVE MONEY TO PROVE GOOD FAITH

The old “confidence trick” of inducing a man to put up money as a proof of worthiness; to distribute a largo sum to charity was used to swindle a retired American business man out of £3OO. Mr Charles E. Record and his wife' told the Paris police that a supposed American named Churchill made their acquaintance, and, after establishing friendly relations, drove them about to various historic towns in France. Mr Record is a Catholic and it is believed the tricksters knew it, for in front of Notre Dame Cathedral an Irishman dropped a bunch of keys Churchill returned them to tho Irisfl-| man, who, after telling the party his name was John O’Rourke, said his uncle had just left him £120,000 in America on condition that lie gave £S,OOO to charity. He suggested that Mr Record and Churchill should help him, but said he wanted to be sure he could trust the person who would distribute the money. Churchill gave him his vallet and told him to walk round tho block with it. “When he came back,” said Record, “I, like a fool, gave him mine and toid him to keep it till next day. “I wish I had trusted my instinct, but the whole tone of his project was so religious and ho seemed so devout that I was ashamed to doubt him. “I never thought anyone would be so base as to use the Church as a pretext for robbery.”