Con man has long history of getting money

To the editor:

I just read the story about James Powell getting arrested and admitting to being a con man.

To say the least, I was shocked as I read it. Powell was a classmate of my husband's, and he personally came up to us at Wal-Mart in Cape about four years ago and told us that his battery was dead and he needed money for it. My husband gave him $40. He has been apparently pulling this scheme much longer than people suspect. He asked for our address and told us that he would pay us back. We never saw a dime of it. He was so nice and honest. We trusted him totally, plus he knew my husband and used that to his advantage.

But what is even more interesting is that about three years ago he ran into us again at the same place and told us the same story all over again. I guess he forgot that we had already fallen for it once. This time we told him no and walked away. I'm glad he was caught. There is no telling how many more people will come forward to tell their story or how much money he really got from hard-working people.

BEVERLY MILLER

Tamms, Ill.