Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1882-07-30
WORKING THE TRAINS.
Men who Make Their living by
Swindling Railroad Passengers.

while now," said an old Erie railway
conductor to New York reporter, but
we've got 'em down so fine that they
can't work our trains with much profit.
Ten years ago were the flush times with
our monte men and confidence operat-
ors.
"It's funny thing, but its fact,
that these swindlers are not experts from
one would naturally suppose them to be,
but are natives of the towns along the
road. Wayerly, Oswego, Elmira and
Blnghamton are the places from which
they usually come, and l think that
these country sharpers can discount
anything that comes from the big cities.
They presume on their knowledge otsthe
country and their acquaintance with
railroad men. They are generally what
we call the best fellows in the world
They don't care for money, and will go
further to do any one q favor than the
best Sunday-school superintendent you
ever saw. Once we started a subscrip-
ton for brakeman's family. He was
killed at Susquehanna, and left wife
and four children withouta cent. Ihad
the paper in Binghamton, where quite
a. number of the boys were, and was
talking about it so any one in the room
could hear. A preacher-looking sort of
fellow was on the platform waiting for
train. He came up to me and says: L
guess III help this brakemans wife a
little He wrote down: Cash, S5O.'
and gave me the money. Who do yoi
s'pose he was ? John Bailey, the worst
confidence man that ever worked train.
He got an even 800 out of a granger
from Allegany county on the busted
stock-raiser business. The granger
got on to the swindie at Addison. He
just necked the fellow, showed him down
the aisle of the car to the platform, and
in the struggle Bailey fell OF. His
father was a county Judge in one of the
northern counties of Pennsylvania, and
they sent his remains home.
Emigrants ten years ago were big
game for the three-card-m 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. 'Hig Jersey, one
of the quietest fellows you ever saw, was
the boss worker of emigrant trains. He
could talk all the languages there are.
His real name was Warren Kirkham. He
was native of Baltimore, but lived
nearly all his later life in Northern
Pennsylvania. He always claimed to be
graduate of Yale College. He was the
originator of very many Of the card tricks
with which sleight- hand performers
amuse their audiences. He could ham
die cards with deXterity that was sim
ply wonderful. He took over -. 900
from an emigrant train on the Central
| road between Auburn and Canandaig1a.
IN one night. He was an inveterate ia
TO player. One night he went into Steve
| Bradford's place, in Scranton the Ma
jOrs, thuy used to call it-and won
$4,000, breaking the bank, and causing
Bradford to leave the place. The same
night he was robbed of the entire sru
III o notorious resort in Commercial al
ley, and he went to New Mexico He
was killed there in a drunken row by
the brother of the brakeman in the aid
OF whose family John Bailey, q chum
and an occasional assistant of Kirk
hams, subscribed $50
But the vigilance of the men who
are now running the Erie has about
broken up the three-cmd-monte business
on our cars. We know pretty well now
who the swindlers are, and we always
keep an eye on them lie othe" day.
for the first time III years. one Of them
managed to get his work i'll Oh a passen-
ger and got $500 out of him. lie was
spotted, though, by q brakeman, and
was caught as he was attempting to
| jump off the train at Belyidere. He'sin
fosl
| doubt he will serve the State tor a spell.
" About tae neatest thing any of the
Erie employees ever did in th3 way of
| getting the best Of q train sharper was
Poppy Ayers capture Of well-known
expert known as BmBy Silver. Silver
had been a printer, and uid do more
tricks with cards than any fellow / ever
knew. He hailed from Syracuse. if T
remember right, and DID - first-class
business on the Central tor :; long tine.
Under the old Minot maragl y trains
on the Erie were few and fer StUeen.
and finally Silver got 10 work.sg on our
| trains, as the chances We're better for
his getting away with MS gam. He got
! down into Cattaraueus COUNT. ard one
night ut EilicottviIle swindled a lauyer
cut of $100 by one OF lis card tricks. IT
was necessary for him to gel out. and he
struck across to Dayton {. station on
the Erie road. He boarded Poppy
Ayers train, which lad big load of
Swedes who were going ont to illinois.
| The Swedes who emiorata3 to this conn
try III those days generally had money
! about them. What does Silver do but
watch his chance and personate an agent
OF the road. He went through the cars
telling them Ii their own language, for
he could talk it, that it would be neces-
sary for them to exchange their money
for American money. Then ernigrants
did not get their money exchanged in
Castle Garden. Silver got big pile OF
money, and showed off on the emigrants
lot of queer stuff. When the train ar
rived in an out. of-the- way place he gave
the bell-rope a jerk and waited for the
train to stop. Poppy 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
off and start on dead run across the
fields. Poppy knew something must
be wrong, SO he hops of, and starts
after the sharper. Poppy was fat.