Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1874-10-10
4 Virgimian SWindled at ''BanhO
From the Baltimore American.


Yesterday Marshal Gray unear,hed a party
who are charged with swlndllug qlrgiplah
out of over $500 by an operation known as
"banko." This is not a game it is downright
robbery. by the SIDE Of which lighting the
tiger the sweat CLOTH, and keno rise al
most to The plane of responsibility. =, victim
| is chosen who has 40 knowledge OF gaming,
and who does not reside 10 this city. lie Is III
duccd to bet upon a pretended game, aud 10
! which a table, dice, Chips, and other gamb-
ling paraphcnalia are used. Each time the
Jrr ar. thrown he is tnj that he wins GER
Iain sum, which is placed along with his stake,
At one corner of The table But he dare not
tnuch his winnings until they have reached
certain figure. which is named. He conSe-
ouen:Iy keeps on playing, wlnnlog all the time,
As he is told, until the swlDdlcrs lind that his
money is running short, when at turn OF the
dice-box he is conny informed that he has, IN
fortunately fer himself, thrown numoer tlat
has forfeited all the pile upon the table, and at
one sweep it is removed, and the Victlm dis
covers that he has been robbed. Any one who
has ever played game OF any KIND, or even
watched the progress of game, would detccl
| the fraud IN a lew minutes. :.
! Yesterday about noon an old gentleman VI
good address. who halls from Que OF the coun-
|
visit TO the State Fair, presented himself to
the Marshal at Police Headquarters and stated
that he had been induced by young man,
who Introduced himself as an acquaintance, 10
visit a room at the corner OF Charles street and
Bank lane, where he had TAX en- part 10 little
opcratiOn, aud the result was that he was
minus some 5000 and over. He started to ex-
pIaiu the process, but had proceeded only
| few minutes when the Marshal suddenly jump
ed UP, and CALCULATED the single word ''bauk'
to the astonlshcd Nirginian. Detectives Shacl-
fer and Hagau were summoned and in their
COMPANY the Marshal sailed forth. lu short
time they had ''bagged' five men, all of them
immediately dressed in the latest fashions, and
displaying considerable jewery in the shape OF
watches, diamond pins and hnger-rngs. These
nice looking gentlemen were all locked up IN
the Central Station until p. NJ, when they
were arraigned before Justice Hagerty. aud
gave their names as Edward Watson, Il. b.
Foster, NJ n. Foster, S. Edgar and Joseph
L:velle.
Tie old gentleman who had been victimizad
affirmed that he was on urgent business upon
Baltimore street, prior to starting for home; be
was accosted by geuteel looking young man,
who introduced himself as Edward Watson,
the son of Rev. Mr. Watson, "a plous old man
who lives 10 my county," said the witness
with whom | am well acquaIutcd;' witness
was surprised that he did not recognize the
SOD of his old friend, but concluded that the
Young man had grown out Of his recollection;
Watson Insisted that he knew witness very
WE'LL he told witness that he had to get 5000
or 50, 600 and witness told him to ''lonk out,
or the sharpers would get after him." Watson
then begged witness to 20 with him, who,
thinking to do The son Of his old friend in Viz
GINA favor went aIong; they entered the
room Oh Charles street, where three or four
pcrsous were seated at the table, engaged with
a dark looking box; they explained their game,
which looked fair but they operated SO rapid
ly that for the life Of him witness could not
see how the thing was worked; witness was at
loss to understand how the operators made
their percentage" Watson induced witness to
put down 81; witness won, and continued.to
win. but could not take up the stakes the
figures ranged from 81 to $4,000; If you drew
blue numbers you lost.
! | put up until had several hundred dollars
on the table, aud was then told that | must
nut up q certain sum, and would get all my
own money back, aud 81 900 or $4,000 besides;
witness had no more money with him, aud
started out TO get more; having been told that
| if he did not return IN one hour he would loose
all, he procured more money and hurried back
so as not to forfeit his tune; Watson appeared
| at about the same momcut, aud the play re-
commenced; when witness had put up his last
dollar, and his pile of alleged wiGungs had
grown to huge proportions, he threw the dice,
aud the mau who kept the game, said you
have got number tibet looscs you the whole
sum-" the money was Instantly swept Oft, aud
then | knew was swiudled the men gave wit
ness so or so, enough to go howe with; the
young man who had represented himself for
Watson walked up the street With witness and
begged him to say nothing about the matter,as
the reputation of both would be taruShed if
| lie did; witness lost $6l5.3 10 money and gave
his check tos 500 on q Valley of Virginia
| Bank, which would, however be stopped.
| Marshal Gray asked the Justice to hold all
| guilt would be forthcoming They were then
committed, in accordance With his request, in
default of 81 900 bail each. The Marshal went
to the room on Charles street, but found the
door locked, and on it a notice that the occu-
pants would return shortly. The door was
broken open aud in the room was found many
evidences ofthe operations that had been carried
on there. On the walls We're pIacards with
such inscriptions as the following Paris Mu-
,ual Pool Ticket Cashcd Here" $ Remember
81, So for So, or Mica Jack" Tickets in all
| Iegallzcd lotteries cashcd." Three Of these nen
arrived in this city last Saturday, and stopped
at hotel, where one Of them registered from
New York, one from Rochester, aud the third
| from Plttsburg. On Tuesday the other two
| came GU, aud registered az from Jersey City.
Its stated that one Of the parties was arrest.
! ed 10 this city some time ago for engaging 10
swindling operation. Marshal Gray made
them hand over their watches, jewclry, and a
considerable sum Of money which was in their
posscssion.-Bah. Sum-
Letter from Jefferson Co., w. Va.
Correspondence of the Alexandria Gazette
DuFFIELDs, JEFFERSON Co., W. Va, Oct.
| 9, 1874 We have had almost week of rain
and rho farmers have hard m ado n oommenca