The evening light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1881-1883, 1883-01-02
1T WASN'T 0. WILDE.
The Man who steered says it was Another
Oscar.

The Man who steered says it was Another
Oscar.
But the Police Still declare the Poet Was
BancOrd.
Special Correspondence of the EVENING LIGHT:
NEW YORK, December 29.-Police Captain
Williams has confirmed the story that Oscar
Wilde was taken in by bunko men, notwith-
standing Oscars denial. The man who Is re-
ported to have caught the aesthetic gave his
name as "Dresel," but is known as Hungry
joe" Joe was hunted up but did not confirm
the story. He is a campaniQnable, smooth
faced, lantern awed young man, and gener-
ally occupies bench i'll Madison square Park
on SunShiny afternoons. He was there as usual
on Wednesday. His silk hat was new ana CLOS
sy and his whole get-up was spick and span;
Best known as "Hungay Joe, ne is also called
John Jacob AstorhauS, Samuel Johnson, James
John Smith and other names. lie mad come
good clothes Hungry Joe wore an AIR OF mel
ancboly when he made room for IL reporter
upon his bench. He said i'll coniidentiai
whisper:
Cuisines is getting deuced dull i haven s
caught on to anybody for two hours. III TINS
sort of thing is to last shall have 10 hire roomt
in the almS-hOuse. | saw four black cats one
morning last week and again that same night,
That means the worst sort of luck, and we
made the worst sort OF Il mess OF 1t with oscar
Wilde"
The reporter asked how that was. Ask me
no questions and you'll get no lies, SAID
Hungry joe" told this story as the version OF
the Wilde affair that he desired to live In 1alne
I'VE don't know so much about Wilde as We
do about the other fellow, and we know
deuced little about either. The first time the
plan was thought OF was when he came back
to the city and stopped at the Fifth Avenue
Hotel with an English Lord-Lord knows who
The first report hat the man that was set to
and that it would take hard pull to get any
money out of him. One fine morning he
moved over to the Brunswick. That was an
advantage to us: Our man had got TO he
known in the Fifth Avenue. Then Wilde
climbed up TO the Windsor. We could not
make out what was the matter. plan 10
strike him was attempted at the Windsor
Somehow or other he had dreadful lot of bus
mess on hand up there and was too busy 10 he
socable. In a short time he dropped down
into West Eleventh street, As j think was the
number. Some one said he had lost pile OF
money in Wall street That was the news of
the boys and they set about investigating the
matter. OF course if Oscar Wilde spent his
money in Wall street he was of no particular
use 10 the boys. They discovered that lie had
not
LOST HIS MONEY,
but his several removals were part of plan of
economy which Mr.. Wilde had imposed upon
himself. When he got nicely settled III Eleventh
street he had more time than usual on his
hands. He had grown gOOd-natured besides:
Early on Friday forenoon yeung man accOsted
Mr.. Wilde on Fifth avenue, just below Del
mOnicos. Mr.. Wilde seemed quite taken with
the young man. There was good deal OF talk.
don't know on what tack the young man
steered Mr.. Wilde but he took him into house
on Fifteenth street near Third avenue. An
actor that Wilde had known lived thereabOuts,
and Wilde mentioned the fact TO his companion.
When Wilde came in he commented on the ap-
peaTance of the room, saying that there was
too much red. After Il little shaking OF dice,
in which great pile of money changed hands.
Wilde was asked to take hand. Al once he set
to work ana
WON, THINK, $50.
He put that by in an inside coat poe xet in spite
of the protests of the young man who had
brought him in. The next time Wilde lost SjU.
Then followed another $50. From all accounts
il was thought better t. play light, and as
Wilde became excited to come in with the hig
licks his next losses were Sl2j, 500 and 93UU in
bills. 1t surprised everybody TO lind that he
had so much money about him and that he wa
so cool. He had recourse in the next game to
the $50 stored in the inside pocket. He lost.
Then he tossed back his hat and accused the
man who was playing with him of cheating.
There was long growl. Wilde apologized and
paid the $50 in bills. Next he lost SlSI, and
gave us a check on the Fifth Avenue Bank.
The boys knew he had no account there, and
told him so, but he insisted that he had. The
next loss he paid with check on the Madison
Square Bank. THAT'S more like it,
SAID THE BOSS BUGLER.
The next was on the Madison Square
Bank and so was the next. Here the
fellows began 10 suspect that job had
been put up on them and that the police
were somewhere around. But they con-
suited the sentincls outside and concluded
to go ahead. The next play Wilde
were a gang of swindlers and that
he wanted his money and checks back. He
was told that he would get them all back in
time He became more excited then and cried
in a most pitcOus voice that the savings of his
trip were gone. This made some of the fellows
sad. Wilde was then for striking u bargain.
He said he aid not know how much he had
lost, but he would give his check for $500 for
all the money we had got. lie was told to keep
his $500 check. Then he threatened us with
arrest. He was told that publicity would be
unpleasant for him. Then he wilted and made
no further efforts to get his money. All he
wanted was to be free. He promised to make
only ordinary efforts to get his money, all he
paricy &C was allowed to go out.
The profits were found to be $685.. 1t oc-
cured to one of the boys that one of the
greenbacks looked queer. Then the boys
looked over the whole lot. They were all
counterfeit. Even the boys own $50 package
that had passed a few minutes in Hr. Wilde's
overcOat had come out counteTfeits The sig
nature on the check was not Oscar Wide's sig
nature. This was very gloomy. The boys
waited, but nobody sent them back their $50
by mail or express. The boys don't know
who the bogus Oscar was They wish they
did -
The famous singing soubrette, Nera Vernon,
the great comedian, Dick Oglesby, and White
ley's Hidden Hand Company, at Turner hall