The Cheyenne daily leader. [volume] (Cheyenne, Wyo.) 1870-1884, 1883-10-23
BUNK0 MEMS WORK.
The Perfect Harmony of Their sya,
tom of Entrapping the
Unwary.
t"Durandaps" New York Letter.

Last night an incident occurred which
showed the perfect harmony with which
punko men work. / was walking past
French's hotel, and looked particularly at a
little bunko man whom l have known by sight
for three or four years. He was a natty little
fellow, with a hard face and bow-legs and a
keen expression OF the eye. His back was to
the sidewalk as he talked to another man.
Just in front of me was a roughly-clad fel.
low, who looked as though he might have como
from the uppe part of New York state. He
wore rusty boots, a long black coat and
cotton gloves. He was wandering along,
staring about him and running into every
third man he met, but he had got twenty OF
thirty feet beyond French's hotel when one
OF the bunko men touched the little handy
legged fellow with his cane and indicated the
countryman with a turn of his eyes, The lit
tie bunko man was off like a shot. Amoment
later he was along side the countryman just
as the latter stopped to admire the Brooklyn
bridge. He stumbled against him acct
dentally, raised his hat, assumed a genial
smile and begged his pardon. l was Just
moving up to hear what the little fellow was
saying to the stranger when three men
crowded themselves in front of me and began
to talk excitedly. l stepped to one side, and
they, apparently with involuntary accord,
moved the same way. L tried to get around
SAohi vi bho June Sllet when OnCe mOTt IneY
swayed over and impeded my progress with
out apparently intending to do so. Mean
while the little bunko man and his victim
had got half n block ahead. For a moment
was annoyed, but, on looking at the three
closely, 1 discovered that they were members
of the downtown gang, But they played
their parts perfectly. II was impossible to
accuse them of any design of impeding my
way, and when l touched one of them on the
shoulder and asked him to let me pass he
jumped aside with the utmost courtesy and
raised his hat, with an Apologize smile. /
thought now L would catch up with the little
bunko man and his victim, but [ had not
gone fifty feet when another of the gang,
whom l also knew by sight, stepped up to
me with n courteous and polite bow, and
asked me for a light. He held an unlighted
cigar in his hand, and, taking my cigar, he
fumbled with it, putting his own till he was
red in the face, but he could not get a light.
Meanwhile 1 tried to get away, but couldn't,
as he was apparently unable to light
his own cigar, and l did not want
to leave mine with him. Finally
he laughed with great good humor, pulled
his cigar out of his mouth, and showed me
that he had not bitten off the end. This he
did very deliberately, and, after getting a
light, offered me a fresh cigar, which he
hoped would recompense me for the delay. l
refused it and went on. BY this time the
bandy-legged bunko man was walking back
again, and the countryman had gone on,
closely followed by the ''steerer."
Although L knew from the start that these
bunko men were working in the interest of
their pal, who was ahead with the victim,
yet so cleverly did they impede my way that
it was impossible for me to find any fault
with them. The incident shows how well
the men work together.