Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1883-10-27
THE POLICE And RUNCo1sTs.
superintendent WalIing On the Wash.
ingtOn Case.

Superintendent WalIing on the Wash.
lnStOn Case.
The Interview between Bob Murphy, the
bunco steerer, who was convicted and sentenced
| to states prison at Washington. as published in
the New York World. caused the police officials
of that city to put their heads together and talk
the matter over. No one claimed to know Bob
Murphy, although passing acquaintance with
several of the more prominent crooks" In that
line was ad mitted.
Superintendent Wallino was seated before
the crate fire in his comfortable office reading
the morning papers when the reporter entered.
DO you know any bunco stserer by that
| name?" was asked.
No. don't; possibly his face would be ia
milar to me il 1 saw it-you cannot tell any
thing by the names of "crooks" they change them
| to suit the occasion and place. There u.s. how
ever, one thing that know and would like to
impress it upon the public. and that is that dur
ing my connection with the police force there
has never existed a regular bunco house. There
are cases. however. where the steerers have a
room in respectable house. and it is often
some time before they are suspected and turned
out.
''The man Murphy is liar, and there is no
need OF my ever going 80 far as to say that. We
often have men report that they have been
f1eeced, and we go and look them up, but some
how when We arraign the prisoner in court the
Is obliged to discharge the prisoner for the want
of evidence. 1t is rare occurrence to get con-
1dence man convicted"
You know Hungry joe who has caught
more persons than any one else in his profess
sion, yet still he walks daily over his old stamp
ing grounds"
DIFFICULT TO HOLD.
"Of course we do, but what's the use; sup
pose he works man and we hear of it and then
arrest him, we cannot hold him, although we
know he is an old crook We must have q
magistrate hold him, and in that case his LAWYER
sues out habeas corpus and gets him out
Simply because man is thief or burglar will
not suffice to put him in jail; it takes evidence
to do that.
LET me tell you something about the new
way the confidence game is worked The old
lottery racket has seen its day. They do 1t upon
an improved plan now; and, mind YOU. speak
Of three cases that were brought to my notice
within the past month:
''They catch greenhorn and get on to his
name and address, then take him to a con-
venient place to have a chat about business.
The steerer announces himself as the general
agent of large cloth mandatory, and Incl
dentally mentions the fact that 1t would be q
good scheme to start branch Office in the state
the 'greeny' halls from. and so he bites At this
stage the irrepressible third man comes in. He
enters the place and makes bets about some cur
rent topics. OF course the 'steerer' takes him
up, luliu&POiuS tu0G lilo UcoC tuluS W SHuL Tue
loud talker up is to win his money. Well, he
loses and third man talks all the louder, and
then the pretended discounted steerer borrows
Of the greeny to put up, and when he is worked
for all he ia worth the-excuse-me-a-mOme
till-I-see-a-friend racket Is worked and they
dust out.
70 AN OLD NEW YORKER CAUGHT.
why, about two weeks ago an old New
Yorker, who had been absent from the city
few years, was caught by the gang. They took
him to a house up town and played the game
to perfection. The old chap got on to them and
came to me with his story. He said he did not
remember the number of the place, but he
would recognize it ii he saw It again, The re-
suit was that we got into the house and
arrested an old bird named Lake. Two DAYS
afterward the complainant came to me and
asked to have the man discharged and when it
came to testify In court he was nowhere to be
found. That's the way they all do; they hate to
put themselves before the public and have their
freshness aired.
at makes me angry to hear such stories
about the police standing in with the crooks"
and he replaced his glasses and hummed the
last bars of "Star-Spangled Banner"
The detectives on duty were quite indignant
when asked about the matter. ssWe don't
know him at all. Besides, he Is only q con-
victed thief. who gladly seizes any opportunity
to assail the police. who are his sworn enemies"
PLANTATION Philosophical pusson what
amt got no mussy fur q animal amt got none
fur man, an Is only KEEP from beatin' man
case he's q coward.
De puttiest wimmin is sometimes de wurst