Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1883-03-24
Confidence Men and sharper,,

it will not be amlss to point ont
q few of the ways in which they ara
frequently .'done up" for their money
by sscon'' men and sharpers who i'm.
pose Upon them. In the first place.
ssbunko" is the most dangerous species
of the confidence game, and though
there is not known to be any game Of
the kind running in this city just at
present, a number of the most success
full ssbunko" people in the country have
arrived in this city within the past few
weeks, and they are quite likely to open
up in full blast at any time, The game.
of "bunko," or banco, as it is, more
properly termed, is somewhat intricate.
1t is played upon a cloth, or rather OIL
cloth, upon which appears figures,
stars and blanks, and such is the sys.,
tenn of representation, as the manner
of betting is called, that a mar may be-
easily induced to loose all he possesses
in trying to win back what he has al
ready been swindled out Of The
''bunko" roper generally begins by in
viting his prospective victim to accom-
pany him to the Office of a lottery, in
which he has just ONE fabnlously
large sums of money. The t'guy," as
a countryman is technically termed by
the ssprofesh," can not do better when
he comes to town than keep his eye
peeled for the ssroper."
Another racket which has been worked
in Chicago and hereabouts with signal
success for the past few years is what is
known as the s'express package" The
operator picks out some gullible BLOCKING
"guy'' about the railroad depot, and,
after a few words of Introductory con-
versation, inquiries how much money
the traveller has about him, and forth
with explains how he has just come
from some Iowa town to purchase a bill
of goods in Chicago, and how he has
foolishly spent all his ready money, and
has left only an Endorsed check, OF per-
haps a certificate of stock in the United
States Mining Company, of Colorado.
The latter is gotten up in the most.
elaborate style, and is as close as may
be an imitation of a United States bond.
The train is just about to leave. The
sharper in the role of q country mer-
chant has just purchased bill Of goods,
but, having run short of cash, is unable.
to pay the freight. Would the gentle
man be so kind as to advance the sum
necessary upon the worthless check or
bond? Transparent as the game is. it
is astonishing how many people get Bit
ten, but it is generally the case that the
amounts are small, and are taken from
the class of travellers who can best afford
the loss. Sometimes the victim is hood
winked by two OF more operators, who
approach him in succession.
Outside of the bunko and confidence
NQmnC nrOnor fhQro oro a r,,oohow 1f
side tracks, so to speak, which are prac-
ticed by the "profesh" every time an
opportunity presents itself. 1t used to
ada Bill, when three-card or soon"
business was a little dull, to make some
remark incorporating the word STRAINS
pire" used in the sense of ssperspire.'r
His confederate, who was generally as
countrified looking as himself, would
take him up. and t%hereupon a debate
would ensue as to the existence of such
a word as transpire, end its. correct use
in place of perspire. The debate had
no sooner waxed hot than some wisacre
aboard of the car would assure Bill that
he was wrong, and that the word was
''%perspire." Then Bill would begin
betting, and the w~iseacre, "capped" by
Bills confederate, would run the amount
away up. The money was put up in
the ''capper's" hand and at the very
first way-station at which the train STOP
ped for any length of time, an Una
bridged would be searched out and con-
suited, and Bill won every time. This
game was so simple, and yet so success
full, that Bill finally got into the habit of
making the conductor the referee, and,
placing a dictionary in his hands when
he got aboard, he was thus enabled to
''skin'' any number of suckers without
putting himself to the inconvenience of
leaving the train.
Three-card monte, which is by long
odds the most popular train game, o n
sists merely of throwing three cards
about with such dexterity as to deceive
The better as to where a certain card is,
placed. Generally a three-card outfit
consists of q card with the picture of an
man or woman, another with g
baby, and yet another with only a STAR
These are bent and clipped in such a
way that when held between the two
foretpgers and thumb of the operator
they may be thrown face downward I'M
quick succession upon a table in any
order which the operator chooses. Al
short, shuttle is then made, and the
operator a defy even his most famous
rival in the business to pick out the
proper card. When it is so impossible
for one three-card monte man to win
from another, the total impossibility of
a %greenhorn winning may be readily
imagined.
Yet another favorite game of the con-
fidence man is the thimble-rig, but good
thimble-riggers are fast dying off.
Three cards are very much easier
thrown, and the average sharper is quite
content with just so much legerdemain
as will enable him to throw them prop
erly. AS an example of the thimbfe-
rigger's art it need only be stated that
an adept in the business, upon being ar
raigned before a police justice in this
city, once upon a time, proposed to
''shake the Jedge' to see which of the
two should serve the term in the House
OF Correction. which had just been i'm
posed upon him as a punishment. The
''fakir" produced his walnut shells and
balls, and tossing them aboutfor a time,