Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1882-07-09
THE CONFIDENCE Racket
Two of The Gentry Taken IN Out of the Wet
and Cared for.

| Detective O'Connor and Officer Hanft
did good piece Of work about O'Clock
p. m. yesterday, in the arrest Of two I'M
doubted slick confidence operators. The
GLOBE yesterday morning noted that two
men had been don by the gentry the
day previous. One, an Englisbman, pass
ing through the city, was let down for
$50, upon the old game of having some
freight to pay for and only wanted a
| temporary loan until. he. could get check
| cashed. The other was a resident of
Glendlve, by name Jonn Glenn, who gave
up $50, almost for the asking, one Of
the swindlers keeping the victim COM
pany while the other made good his es-
cape with the money, when in turn he,
| too, levanted and made good his escape.
Both the losses were reported at police
headquarters, each giving the same de-
scription Of the confidence operators.
Acting upon the descriptions given a
close watch was instituted. The result
was that Officer Hanft, little before y
O'Clock yesterday, got his eyes ON
two men answering to the description
given of the two swindlers. Reporting
his suspicious to Detective O'Connor,
the two started on the trail and at about
/ o'clock the suspicioned men were found
at the Exchange hotel, Fifth street, be-
tween Wabashaw and Cedar streets, and
taken into custody, and soon after lodged
in the lookup.
On the way to the station house the
two men most vigorously protested
against the indignity done them, de-
claring they were simply men of the
world, travelling about for health and
pleasure, and they certainly looked what
they claimed. One is fully six feet In
height, of robust build, black hair, and
full black beard and mustache, and
clear. ford complexion. The other
was about five feet eleven inches, dark
chin whisker and mustache, with his
goatee clipped. Both were well dressed
and had the general appearance
of having taken life easy. When locked
up, both refused to give their names or to
make any explanation Of their movements
beyond the fact that they were travelling
for their own pleasure and enjoyment,
but gave the officers to understand that
they would make them suffer smartly for
the great indignity and injustice done
them in their arrest.
Having their game safe, and not at all
commenced working up the proof to sus-
tain their suspicion AS first move
visit was made to the Exchange hotel,
where the two men had been stopping
since the Goth of June, where 1t was found
they registered as j. Gibbs and H. N.
Guy of Chicago. A visit to their room
followed, where the officers found small
hand satchel, black round topped hat,
dark colored fruck coat, fl caliber
revolver, and better than all in a small
wallet in the pocket of the coat, the evil
dence that most effectually seals the
doom of the prisoners, whether either of
their confidence victims can be secured
to identify them in court.
This evidence consists of United States
gold bond for 81 600 and three checks pro-
perly filed out and signed ready to be
worke off upon the unsophisticated. TO
the gold bond, which was in due form, was
attached by neat FASTING twenty coupons,
for $35 each, upon Denver Mining COM
pany Colorado. The checks were upon the
Union National bank Of Chicago Two
were payable to the order of j. F. Harris
or bearer, $2,27075, while the other was
payable to the order of H. +. Franklin or
bearer, $1,S16.4O Each check was
signed by what purported to be the
names of different parties, but the hero
glyphics used in writing the supposed
names were such that no one has vet
been able to decipher them.
After finding this evidence, the priso-
ners were placed in separate cells, where
they were visited by GLOBE reporter,
but beyond the fact that they claimed
their names to be Gibbs and Grey, as
registered at the hotel, and that they
came from Chicago, they would say
nothing.
Shortly after o'clock the man Glenn,
who gave up so easily, was found and
upon being introduced to the presence
Of the prisoners declared they were not
the men who beat him out of
his $50, though the larger
one of the two, he said, very
closely resembled the larger of the two
men who victimiZed him. The other
VICTIM the Englishman, left for Toronto
Friday evening, and is probably beyond
reach for purposes of Identification, but
there still remains the bogus United
States gold bonds and checks, found
among the personal effects of the prison
ers, upon which to prosecute them. The
possession of the bogus United States
gold bond is sufficient to put them behind
the bars, for term of
two years, two operators well known
throughout the Northwest, Ryan and his
pal, having been sent up from Omaha
but few months ago for a similar Of
tense, for terms OF twelve years.
But there is still another chance to
hold these men. Some two weeks ago
a farmer living about five miles from St.
Cloud, was confidenced out of $165. The
description given by this victim, of the
men who beat HIM, agrees with the ap-
pearance of the two men now in custody,
and he has been telegraphed to, IN &C
cordance with address left, and will prob