The Brookhaven leader. [volume] (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1883-1891, 1883-03-22
TRICKS OF BUNKO MEN.
Ingenious Devices for Swindling Unsus
pecting Countrymen.

Ingenious Devices for Swindling Unsus
pecting Countrymen.
A New York Sun reporter has recen
~ interviewed a confidence operator il
that city, vii the following result:
An introduction to coincidence Sam
was managed BY the reporter in such
manner that while the reporter knew al
about the bunko man, that individual
had no idea who or what the reporte
was beyond the suppos.tion that he wa
the friend of friend
Glow do we work the confidenc,
rae ct? In the first place, you mus
know that we work in sections OF four
and each has his professional title, nc
cording to the part he plays in leading
up to the grand finale Of the comedy
the pocket book. ArIi No | is thu
hand-shaker. Artist No. 2 is the eerer
who is No. 3 in the combination anC
la t. but by no means least, in the com
pany, is the joint keeper. whose pres
ence is needed to give an artistic ant
efficient completeness to the whole con
Germ
1.-The ranks being complete for wor :,
all that remains, my boy. is TO wait FOL
money to come along like fish for the
bat And it comes every time, you can
bet, ii you go about it right. just
stand in the Bowery and wa. CHI it.
tell you what, the old Dutchmen who
were bossed by Peter Stuyvesant did
not know what gold mine they were
creating when they started that eauti-
full Bowery. A fellow coming from the
country wants to see the Bowery, and
we show him some things he ne er
dreamed were there.
well, as / was aging, we stand out
side the joint and wait until 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 physiognomst to pick him out
of crowd He gives himself away at
once. You can see him looking around
everywhere, with eyes and mouth w de
oTen, taking in all he can of wonderful
New York. We at once take a phlan-
thropic interest in his welfare, YOU
know, so we retire and leave the field to
the hand-shaker, to get the guy name.
He arranges his attire with scrupulous
Cd Cs duOllS MS laSC VIII a IDOSb Will
ming smile, and saunters down slowly
towar the guy TO give him the duke,
as The boys say. What is the duke?
Why, the duke is the hand.
There. he met the guy, and smiles
in recogn ton of the stranger. The
countryman, QUILL find, is deli hted to
meet some one in the big city who
seems to know him, We see, and takes
the outstretched duke OF the hand
shaker. Then the latter opens plav
with the remark
"'Wh MIR. Herkimer how are you,
cd fellow? 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 ma lie mistake.
wei, pom my word, that very re.
markablP,' he exclaims, with that cult
ured flow of language, for which the
confidence man is peculiar. Peg your
pardon. but really, never saw any
one who looked so much Ike Fred
Herkimer. Why, give you my word,
l can hardly believe now that your
not Fred PLAY ing a practical 'oke on me
by denying your identity. Ha ha! it /:
a pretty good one on me.
1.-The countryman sees the Joke OF
thinks he does, which is the same thing
to all intents and purposes, and chime:
in with Jack hearty gulaw.
"'Oh, no. he volunt, rs. Il be nj
Herkimer, ha! ha! my names John
Tapley. l be down from North Adams
vis.tin' some city frien' s. Jest got intel
town yester mornin'. Fine place be
mt it?'
"Jack does not prolong his converse.
ton. He has pressing business, and
drops MIR. 1apley, of North Adams, like
a hot potato. But. his hurry to gel
away from the countryman is screened
behind the polite apology: Well, Mr..
Tapley, you II pardon the mistake,
I'm sure. l hope We'll meet again. j
have an engagement to attend to now,
SO you IL excuse me if leave you. sir
They shake hands warmly. and Tapley
SOco Oh MS way cOHEIHceu IndI Lnere are
very sociable people in New York. He
doesn't 60 very ar, you may be sure,
be fore he is overtaken. Jack rushes
into the joint the moment he gets away
from the guy, and announces to the
waiting steerer: The fellows name is
Tapley. He's from North Adams.
The book of names and addresses, which
Is sometimes called The Confidence
Dire tory, is hauled out of drawer. II
Is volume prepared with great care.
and represents the information CLEANED
by the travels of the confidence operators
through the country. l. contains the
names OF the Presidents of anks 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
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.
1.-The steerer, as nephew of the bank
President, first oyertakes Tapleg, then
runs ahead of him a little way, and