Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1881-09-29
WORKING THE TRAINS.
swindling Railroad Passengers
A Good Poker Hand

confidence operators.
Its funny thing, but it's a fact,
that these swindlers are not experts
from New York and other big cities, as
anyone would naturally suppose them
to be, but are natives ofthe towns alofg
the road. Waverly, Oswego, Elmira
and Blnghamton are the places from
which they usually come, and think
that these country sharpers can dis
count anything that comes from the big
cities. They presume on their know
ledge OF the country and their acquint-
ance with railroad men. Ikey are
generally what we call the best fellows
in the world. They don't care for
money, and will go further to do anyone
a favor than the best Sundayschool
superintendent you ever saw. Once we
started subscription for brakeman's |
family. He was killed at Susquehanna
and left wife and four children with
out cent. had the paper at Bing-
hamton,s where quite a number of the
boys were, and was talking about it so
anyone IN the room could hear. a |
preacher-Iooking sort Of fellow was on
the platform waiting for a train. He
came up to me and says: 4 guess I'll
help this brakeman's wife little He
wrote down: Cash $50 and gave me
the money. Who do you s'pose he
was? John Bailey, the worst confidence
man that ever worked a train. He's
dead now. He got an even hundred
out of granger from Allegheny county
on the busted stock-raiser' business.
The granger got on to the swindle at
Addison. He just necked the fellow,
showed him down the aisle of the car to
the platform, and in the struggle Bailey
fell off. His father was a county Judge
IN one of the northern countries of
Pennsylvania, and they sent his remains
home.
Immigrants ten years ago were big
game for the three-card monte men
and other swindlers. 1t was impossible
to watch them because the trains were
so long. They could get through with
their business and off the train before
we knew anything was wrong. EHig
jersey one of the quietest fellows you
ever saw, was the boss worker of emf
grant trains. He could talk all the
languages there are. His real name
was Warren Kirkham. He was ma
tive Of Baltimore, but lived nearly all
his later life in northern Pennsylvania.
He always claimed to be a graduate of
Yale college. He was the originator of
very many of the card tricks with
which sleigh-ofhand perform ers amuse
their audiences. He could handle
cards with a dexterity that was simply
wonderful He took over three s., 0O0
from an emigrant train on the Central
road between Auburn and Canaan
daigua, in one night. He was an invete-
rate faro player. One night he went into
Steve Bradford's place, in Scranton
the majors, they used to call it-and
won $4,000, breaking the bank, and
caused Bradford to leave the place.
The same night he was robbed of the
entire sum in notorious resort In
Commercial alley, and he went to New
Mexico. He was killed there in
drunken row by the brother of the
brakeman in the aid of whose family
John Bailey a chum and an occasional
assistant Of Kirknam's, subscribed $50
"But the vigilance of the me2 VINO
are now running the Erie has about
, broken the three card monte business
on OUR cars. We know pretty we'll now
who the swindlers are, and we always
keep an eye on them. The other day,
for the first time in years, one of them
managed to get his work in on a pas
senger and got $500 out of him. He
was spotted, though, by brakeman,
and was caught as he was attempting
to jump train at Belvidere. He's in
the Steuben county jail now, and no
doubt he will ssrve the state for spell.
'About the neatest thing any of the
Erie employees ever did in the way of
getting the best Of a train sharper was
Poppy Ayers capture of a well-known
expert known as 'Bunky' Silver. Sill
yer had been printer, and could do
more tricks with cards than any fellow
| ever knew. He hailed from SYRIA
cuse, if [ remember right, and did a
first class business on the Central for a
long time. Under the old Minot man
agement trains on the Erie were few
and far between, and finally Silver got
to working on our trains, as the chances
were better for his getting away with
his gains. He got down into Catta-
raugus county, and one night at Eli
Cottville swindled lawyer out of 500
by one of his card tricks. 1t was neces.
sary for him to get out, and he struck
across to Dayton, d station on the Erie
road: He boarded Poppy Ayers train,
, which had big load of Swedes who
were going out to Illinois. The Swedes
who emigrated to this country III those
days generally had money about them.
What does Silver do but watch his
chance and personate an agent Of the
road. lie went through the cars tell
ing them in their own language, for he
could talk it, that it would be necessary
for them to exchange their money for
American money. Then emigrants
did not get their money exchanged in
Castle Garden Silver got big pile OF
money, and showed off on the emf
grants d lot Of queer stuff. When the
train arrived in an out-of- the-way place
, he gave the bell-rope jerk and waited
for the train to stop. Poapy Aver was
, in the baggage-car. He saw the bell
rope jerked, and hurried back to see
what was the matter. He saw Silver
Jump Oft and start on dead run across
| the fields. Poppy knew something
must be wrong, so he hops off, and
starts after the sharper. Poppy was
fat, but he ran that fellow down,
although it took the distance across
three ten-acre lots to do it. collare d
him and brought him back o the train.
He got every cent of the money back,
and had the thief sent to Auburn for
seven wears pom uaS reDrinoapdad q T