From the Chenango Union of Norwich, NY
Saturday, August 14, 1875

   Swindlers Outwitted. - Our Otselic Centre correspondent, " Hawkeye ", furnishes us with the following particulars of the operations of a party of traveling swindlers, and how they came out :

   " When Mr. John Quigley, who has been foreman of the section hands on the Auburn Branch near this place, was returning from Norwich, on the evening train last Thursday, one of the party of three suspicious looking fellows, who had been using cards for gambling purposes in the car, showed Quigley how to open a certain tobacco box, which contained a secret catch or spring, evidently designed for swindling.

   "In a few moments after, another one of the part presented the same box, to all appearance, to Quigley, and offered to bet at the same time, twenty dollars against Quigley's watch, that he (Quigley) could not open the box. Quigley immediately handed his watch to one of them, who was to hold the stakes ; but the conductor discovered them, ordered them to cease such work, or he would put them off the car.

   "At this, the man having the watch jumped off from the car, when it was going at full speed, and Quigley after him, chasing him about two miles into the timber, from where they left the train, which was a little above Plymouth; the other two following right after the first two. But Quigley was too much for the first one, both in the chase and in the squabble to have the watch. The last two, finding that Quigley had regained his watch, pursued him in hot haste for a time, but failed to overhaul him."      Hawkeye