Mexico weekly ledger., 1880-11-25
THE PANEL GAME.
HOW 1T HAS BEEN SUCCESSFULLY
PLAYED IN THIS CITY
a Wife Forced to Play Pigeon for the Par-
pose of Extorting Money from Her
Husbands Victims.

Husbands Victims
From the Kansas City Times.
The particulars of one of the most.
schemes for robbing amor
,us ard uninitiated travellers that
his scheming generation has yet
produced has just come to light i'll
his city through the medium of one
If the conspirators, who wearied of
he work and gave the whole thing
away.
Yesterday neatly dressed and
'ather prepossessing woman, appar-
entity about "a years of age, applied
10 Mayor Chace for assistance in Sc
.uring situation as servant in 8
family. She said she had story
10 tell, and as His Honor was busy
at the time, he called the Chief of
Police Speers to his Office to hear
what she might have to say.
HER STORY
was we'll and concisely related with
an earnestness that carried convic-
ton of the truth of the story With it.
She was a married woman she said,
and her husband was still living here
in this city. but she had run away
from him because she could not rec
onclle the life he compelled her to
lead with her sense of right. For
this reason she wanted TO secure a
situation where she could earn an
honest living and be free from the
man who had proved himself not on
ly villain, but wretch without re-
spect for his own or his wife's honor,
but who, on the contrary, made an
almost daily practice of furnishing
both for the sake of little money.
She declared herself to be innocent
in intention and in deed, except 80
far as appearances went, and that all
she had done she had been forced to
do through fear of
PERSONAL VIOLENCE,
as her brute of husband and his
.'ale partner in the nefarious scheme
had frequently threatened to kill her
if she refused to do her part.
She was married about three years
ago to man named Harris, at En-,
poria, kas., where she had formerly
lived with an aunt, and shortly aftes
marriage the couple removed to this
city. Harris had no regular bust
ness, and he did not seem at all anx
ious to secure work, and the result
was that their lives were full of up.
and downs. A continued scarcity o
money being the most prominen
feature. Thus they lived for two
years upon whatever chance income
fortunes wheel, the gaming table q
confidence games threw In his way
During this time she was very uncer'
tain about their manner of living ant
at last became aware of the sources
from which her husband derived hi
income, but like faithful wife sh'
clung to her husband and kept hi
secrets, although she could not re
spect either him nor his conduct
But the last straw that was to breal
down all her regard for him wa
placed upon her when she was force'
to become a party to the prosecutio
of the last scheme for raising money
which he finally forced her to joi
| him in.
/ About one yearago Harris becam
associated with man calling him
self DIR. Martin, and the two wen
into a partnership for the purpose q
carrying on what is known as th
panel game" and which was, Sc,
eral years ago, practiced with grcs
success in several eastern cities
While many are familiar with tn
name, the large majority of reader
are not familiar with the modus opel
andi of the game and as Mrs. Hat
ris' recital of this part of her exps
rence gives thorough. deseriptie
OF it. it will be of general interest.
THE GAME.
The first step in the game was fo
the three to put up at hotel, Hairi
and wife registering as such undo
> any name that pleased his fame,
while the ssdoetor' took like iibe
ties with his cognomen. He ".
supposed to be sort Of speciafis
and of course had an extensive pra
tice. After having domiciled
! wife comfortably, Harris made hin
self comparatively scarce about Il
house, but the "doctor" spent mo
of his time there. The arrivals we
closely watched, and as soon as Il
doctor, who is known in slal
as s.slick" talker, found q strang
sufficiently impressionable, and wi
promised well in the way of rest
D cash, he ripened the casual tsble a
quaintance into familiarity, and
last invited him to his rooms. whe
Mrs. Harris was introduced as |
niece. After a time whist, euchre,
any game that best suited the visite
was proposed and INDUCED In IN
the doctor received word that he "
wanted at once to
ATTEND A PATIENT.
Excusing himself with profuse .
ologies the pseudo physician tai
his leave but insists upon the visi
remaining and concluding the ga
in the company OF his niece. T
invitation is accepted, and in sh
time, wine being plenty, the two |
humping glasses, drinking toasts
each other and altogether havin,
grand time. This soon leads to
timacy and by few slight hi
dropped by the woman, it sc
dawns upon the visitor that his nj
ly made acquaintance is not ave
to a male coat sleeve for a corset s
SO dd infnitum. just at the crit
moment, when things look dark
fSrathe fair fame of4he lady, III sts
7 the dcctor-unele accompanied
the nephew and husband. Both p
senting reyolvers at the startled =
tor so play upon his console
stricken mind as to force him TO
GIVE UP HIS MONEY,
which he usually did, down to
last cent, and having thus hes
their wounded honor, he is allo'