Offshoreonly.com - Buyer beware OSO member not dead!!!!!

I have NO hard facts on my story. Please remember my first statement.
What I have learned about OSO member MERC575 Paul Smith. [email protected]
1. I sent him a Teller’s check for $210.00 on 4/16/02 for a stock Bravo 1 rh 24 pitch solid hub.
2. I sent check to Paul Smith, 700 South Popular Street, Bucyrus, Ohio 44820.
3. I sent Paul Smith a email on 4/23. I asked Paul Smith if he had received my check and if so did he mail the prop.
4. About 2 hrs. after I sent my email I received an email from Mrs. Smith. The letter said in her words: This is Mrs. Smith i’m sorry to tell you this but PAUL was killed in his shop friday when the furnace in there blew apart catching the place on fire. I lost it all friday my husband his buss. everything we had built together. as for your money i will send it back to you as soon i get all the arregments made and takin care of. all i ask is that you please be patiant with me. i will get it to you I promise Mrs. Smith
5. I was going to email Mrs. Smith back and tell her to not worry about the money and to take care of what she needed to do for the tragedy she had suffered. I felt sorry for her. I felt like this would help her in some small way. I went through the HTM tragedy. Like a lot of people did. (I personally don’t make that much money and I work 2 jobs to support my boating habits.)
6. Something told me to check things out first.
7. I did an obituary search on the internet in Bucyrus, OH. No Paul Smith.
8. I then called the local newspaper in Bucyrus. I asked about a fire accident involving Paul Smith. They put me on hold and came back with no findings. Not a fire on Friday the 19th or a death of Paul Smith. They asked for a phone # to reach me at. They said they would do some searching and call me back. I told them why I was doing this search. I asked for the local police station number and they gave it to me. (the newspaper told me that Paul Smith’s address @ Popular St was a residential address.)
9. I called the police station in Bucyrus. They came back with the same. No fire and no death. I told them my story and they wanted my # also.
10. A few hour passed and the newspaper called me back. They told me they found out nothing on a fire or a death of Paul Smith. They told me that they called several boat repair shops and dealers inquiring on a Paul Smith. They said they talked to one business and said that they had a Paul Smith working for them that lived on Popular St. The lady from the newspaper told me that Paul’s workplace told her that Paul was fired this morning. 04/23/02 @ 8am. I sent all of my OSO private messages on buying the prop to the newspaper. Also Mrs. Smith post on her husband’s death.
11. Five minutes later the police called me back. They told me there was no fire and no death of a Paul Smith. They even set out a car to his address. They said no one would answer at the house and saw no fire damage. When I first talked to the police they would not give me their email address so that I could give them my history dealings with Paul Smith. Now they gave me their email address and wanted my history. I sent it to them.
12. I called the place of business that Paul Smith worked at on 4/23/02. I asked for Paul Smith. The operator told me that he was not in today. I asked would he ever be in. The operator told me to hold on and she would direct my call. I got a voicemail. I got back with the operator and told her I needed to speak with someone. She paged him for me. I told him who I was and that I knew that they fired Paul Smith this morning. I told them my story. The place of business was very polite to me and told me what they could.
13. I then email Paul Smith and told it would be in his best interest to call me as soon as possible. Over 24 hrs and no call back.
14. I called back the place of business that Smith worked at and they were very interested in Smith’s activities. The person I spoke to was not a member of OSO but had been on the site. I think he will become a member now!

Like I say I have no hard hard hard evidence bbbbbbbbbbbbbut Paul Smith MERC575 is a very sick pup to come onto our site to announce his death. If this is the same Paul Smith. There was no fire in my opinion that claimed the death of Paul Smith and a co-worker. Just the fire on his ass when he was booted out the door from the company he worked for. If this is the same Paul Smith that I got all of my info on from his local newspaper and local police station and place of employment.
If you have every purchased anything from MERC575 I would be very interested in hearing about it, Mike.

Paul Smith
700 South Poplar St.
Bucyrus, OH 44820

Shop in Marion, OH ?? so called engine specialist??????

Paul Smith
[email protected]

http://www.offshoreonly.com/forum/sh...threadid=22111 this is were I found the prop for sale MERC575 (the second post). This is a boating site called OffShoreOnly.com Look under props for sale at the near the bottom.

http://www.offshoreonly.com/forum/me...fo&userid=3738 his profile

http://www.offshoreonly.com/forum/sh...604#post267604 his wife’s comments on Paul’s death

This is my emails to Paul
http://www.offshoreonly.com/forum/pr...messageid=8136
http://www.offshoreonly.com/forum/pr...messageid=8159
http://www.offshoreonly.com/forum/pr...messageid=8210
http://www.offshoreonly.com/forum/pr...messageid=8257
http://www.offshoreonly.com/forum/pr...messageid=8284
http://www.offshoreonly.com/forum/pr...messageid=8427
http://www.offshoreonly.com/forum/pr...messageid=9053 my email this morning.

This is Paul’s emails to me
http://www.offshoreonly.com/forum/pr...messageid=8205
http://www.offshoreonly.com/forum/pr...messageid=8215
http://www.offshoreonly.com/forum/pr...messageid=8264
http://www.offshoreonly.com/forum/pr...messageid=8460

This is the letter Mrs. Smith sent me this morning when I asked about my prop. Questions wer

----- Original Message -----
From: "PAUL SMITH" <[email protected]>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, April 23, 2002 12:16 PM
Subject: Re: 24 bravo 1 rh

> Mike
> This is Mrs. Smith i,m sorry to tell you this but PAUL was killed in
his
> shop friday when the furnace in there blew apart catching the place on
fire.
> I lost it all friday my husband his buss. everything we had built
together.
> as for your money i will send it back to you as soon as i get all the
> arregments made and takin care of . all i ask is that you please be
patiant
> with me. i will get it to you i promise
>
> MRS.SMITH
>
>
> >From: "MIKEHTMSR24" <[email protected]>
> >To: [email protected]
> >Subject: 24 bravo 1 rh
> >Date: Sat, 13 Apr 2002 22:30:29 -0500
> >
> >This is a message from MIKEHTMSR24 at OffshoreOnly Forums (
> >http://www.offshoreonly.com/forum/index.php ). The OffshoreOnly Forums
> >owners cannot accept any responsibility for the contents of the email.
> >
> >To email MIKEHTMSR24, you can use this online form:
> >http://www.offshoreonly.com/forum/me...orm&userid=221
> >
> >OR, by email:
> >mailto:[email protected]
> >
> >This is the message:
> >
> >Tell me a little bit more on your prop. Is it rhand, is it a solid hub,
> >does it have damage, what is on the outside of the hub (Mercursier of
> >Mercury) How old is it and was it used in fresh or salt water. Has
anything
> >been done to it. Is it stock diameter.
 >[email protected]
>