ROB HER OF $1,000 IN COURTESY RUSE

The New York Times
December 14, 1922

Two Men 'Repair' Wheel of Car for Broker's Wife and Get Away With Cash and Gems.

Special to The New York Times.

MOUNT VERNON, N. Y., Dec. 13.—Adopting a clever ruse to hold her up on the highway near White Plains, two young men, displaying unusual courtesy, stopped Mrs. Allen Tobey, wife of a New York broker, by telling her that one of the wheels of her sedan was loose and stole $1,000 worth of jewels and cash from her car when she got out to look at the wheel.

Mrs. Tobey lives at Appletree Farm on the Wilmot Road.  She drove her car to the County Trust Company at White Plains this morning and obtained $80 in cash, diamond earrings, a scarf pin and other jewels from a safe deposit box.  Then she started driving slowly down Old White Plains Road toward her home.  When near the Simpson estate a dilapidated Ford with two well dressed young men drew up beside Mrs. Tobey's car.

"Pardon me," said one of the men as he lifted his hat, "I think one of your rear wheels is loose."

"Thank you," said Mrs. Tobey, and she stopped her car.

The Ford also came to an abrupt stop.  Mrs. Tobey, who knew little about any defect in the wheel, gladly accepted the offer of assistance from the courteous strangers.  One of them used some tools on the wheel and in a few minutes told Mrs. Tobey the repairs had been made.  She thanked the young men and they drove away.

After Mrs. Tobey had been riding a short distance she remembered her valuables, which she had placed in a handbag under the front seat near the tool case.  When she looked for the bag it was gone.