The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1883-03-16
TRICKS OF BUNKO MEN.

TRICKS OF BUNKO MEN.
Ingenious Devices for swindiing Unsus-
pecting Countrymen.
A New York Sun reporter has recent
ly interviewed confidence operator in
that city, with the following result:
An introduction to Confidence Sam"
was managed by the reporter in such a
manner that while the reporter knew all
about the bunko man, that individual
had no idea who or what the reporter
was beyond the supposition that he was
the friendof friend. mR8R
"HoW do we work the confidence
racket In the first place, you must
know that we work in sections of four,
and each has his professional title, ac-
cording to the part he plays in leading
up to the grand finale of the comedy
the pocket book. Arti No. / is the
hand-shaker. Artist NO. is the steerer.
After him comes the artistic player,
who is No. 3 in the combination; and
last, but by no means least, in the COM
pany, is the joint keeper, whose pres
ence is needed to give an artistic and
efficient completeness to the whole con-
Germ
1.-THE ranks being complete for WORK,
all that remains, my boy, is to wait for
money to come along like fish for the
bait. And it comes every time, you can
bet, if you 60 about it right. Just
stand in the Bowery and watch it. I
tell you what, the old Dutchmen who
were bossed by Peter Stuyvesant did
not know what a gold mine they were
creating when they started that heauti-
full Bowery. A fellow coming from the
country wants to see the Bowery, and
we show him some things he never
dreamed were there. grr IA
''Well as | was saying, we stand out
side the Joint and wait until a guy
comes along The guy, you know, is
what is commonly known as the green
horn from the country. 1t don't re-
quire a physiognomist to pick him out
of crowd, He gives himself away at
once. You can see him looking around
everywhere, with eyes and mouth wide
open, taking in all he can of wonderful
New York. We at once take a philan-
thropic interest in his welfare, you
know, so we retire and leave the field to
the hand-shaker, to get the guys name.
he arranges his attire with scrupulous
care, adorns his face with most win
ming smile, and saunters down slowly
toward the guy to give him the duke,
as the boys say. What is the dukeP
Why, the duke is the hand.
There, he's met the guy, and smiles
in recognition of the stranger The
countryman, you'll find, is delighted to
meet some one in the big city who
seems to know him, d We see, and takes
the .outstretched duke of the hand
shaker Then the latter opens plav
with the remark:
"'Why, Mr.. Herkimer; how are YOU.
old fellowP it's months since I've seen
YOU If the guy didn't repudiate the
name, why, Jack, give you my word,
would be completely nonplus ,ed,
euchred; as it were. But the moment
he hears the guy say he is not the
man he is taken Tor, why, that
very moment Jack begins to get in
his fine work to hook the fish. And he
begins the work by pretending to be
astonished that he has made a mistake.
Wei, pom my word, that's very re-
markahle, he exclaims. with that cult
ured flow of language, for which the
confidence man is peculiar. Beg your
pardon, but really, / never saw any
one who looked so much like Fred
Herkimer. Why, give you my word
l can hardly believe now that you're
not Fred playing q practical Joke on me
by denying your identity. HaI ha! it. s
q pretty good one on me.
1.-The countryman sees the Joke or
thinks he does, which is the same thing
to all intents and purposes, and chimes
in with Jacks hearty outlaw.
"Oh, no. he, volunteers, Il be MT
Herkimer, ha! ha! my names John
Tapley. be down from North Adams
visitin' some city frien's. Jest got inter
town yester mornin'. Fine place be
n itp'
Jack does not prolong his converse
tion' He has pressing business, and
drops Mr.. Tapley, of North Adams, like
a hot potato. But his hurry to get
away from the countryman is screened
behind the polite apology: Well, Mr..
Tapley, you'll pardon the mistake,
I'm sure ! hope we'll.meet again. 1
have an engagement to attend to now.
so YOU II excuse me if leave YOU, SIR
They shake hands warmly, and Taplev
goes on his way convinced that there are /
very sociable peoplein New York. He /
doesn't go very lar, you may be sure,
before he is overtaken. Jack rushes |
into the joint the moment he gets away
froms the guy, and announces to the |
waiting steerer: The fellow name is !
Tapley. He's from North Adams.
The book of names and addresses, which 4
is sometimes called The Confidence
Directory, is hauled out of drawer 1t !
is 2 volume prepared with great care.
and represents the information cleaned /
by the travels of the confidence operators
through the country 1t contains the !
names OF the Presidents of tanks in all |
the towns of the country. The steerer.
runs rapidly through the pages devoted
to Massachusetts, finds the name of the \
President of North Adams bank. and I
is instantly ready for business, and to /
play his part as the suddenly created
nephew of the said bank President.
Jack drops out of the job temporarily
now.
THE steerer, as nephew of the bank
President, first overtakes Tapley, then |
runs ahead of him little way. and /
turning about suddenly seizes his hand, (
as usual with ELUSIVE cordiality, and /
exclaims:
why, Tapley. my boy, shakel !,
When did yeu get down from North
Adamsp -
" Iapley is more than ever impressed
with the extreme friendliness of stran-
gers in the big city, but is especially
surprised that any one should know his
name. The steerer then explains with
smile who he is, or rather who he Is
aot, and asks atfectionatelv after Tan
ley and all his friends. He lets the
aOuntryman do most of the talking, and
thereby gains clue t. much Of the
latters personal and family history. /