News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1883-01-18
POOR OSCAR WILDE.
The Young IEsthete Taken i'll by Il BancO
Steerer.

A short time before he left New York
Oscar Wilde walked up Broadway.
When near Union Square ahatchet-faced
young man accosted him and introduced
himself as a son of Mr.. Drexel, the
banker, of Drexel, Morgan & Co. He
had seen the poet in his fathers office
and took the liberty, ETC., etc. Mr..
Wilde was delighted. He had been in
Mr.. Drexel's office, and though he did
not remember the junior Drexel he was
glad to see him. The two went to-
gether to restaurant, where Mr..
| Wilde's new-found friend ate as if he
were hungry. The poet remembered
this with grim smile when informed by
| Captain Williams later in the day that
his alias was Hungry Joe, the name of
noted banco-steerer and confidence
man. During the meal Mr.. "DrexeI'
incidentally mentioned that he had won
a prize in a lottery and suggested that
Mr.. Wilde go with him and get it. It
was very old and worn bait, but the
victim bit on it; swallowed it whole, in
fact. He accompanied his friend to a
house in Fifteenth or Seventeenth street,
which he could not remember or after
ward discover, and there found some
men throwing dice. ''Drexel' threw
once for Mr.. Wilde in fun, and won him
quite a sum; he then easily persuaded
him to join in the game. Soon he be-
gan to lose, and when q settlement was
having the ready money he gave a check
for the amount and played on. Soon he
had lost $100 and gave a check for that
sum at the solicitation-of the men who
played with him.
Once more, now thoroughly excited,
he plunged into the game and came out
a loser by 81, 900. This sobered him.
While slowly signing check on the
Madison Square Bank for the amount,
he weighed in his mind a suspicion that
he had been swindled, and formed plan
for getting the best of the swindlers. He
arose to go, and shaking off Mr.. "Drex-
ell who lamented his i'll fortune, and in
sisted on going with him, made bee
line for the Bowery (the house in which
he had been playing was between Second
and Third avenues).
Hailing a cab (of course the Bowery Is
always full of cabs) he told the driver tc
go on dead run to the Madison Square
Bank His scheme was successful; he
got there before the thieves, and calling
the cashier, told him to stop three
checks, representing total sum OF
81, 100, which he had just signed. The
thieves doubtless followed him and saw
where he went.
They did not present the checks at all,
but on the following Monday Captain
Williams received them by mail, doubt
less from Mr.. "Drexel."
Having made sure of the money Mr..
Wilde visited the Thirtieth Street Police
Station and confessedhis folly to Captain
Williams.
In the Rogues' Gallery he recognized
his friend Drexel in the picture of ''Hun-
CRY Joe," otherwise Joseph Sellick. He
expressed a determination in no event to
90 to court and when the checks were
returned without any attempt having
been made to cash them, expressed great
relief
Now that he has left the city Hungry
joe is at liberty to try his tricks Oh
some other poet, as there is no charge
against him. The tale is interesting il
not novel, but it may be as well to wait
till Mr.. Wilde is heard from before be-
lieving it.-NctO YORK World.