Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1884-10-16
THE v1CIssIrUDEs OF BUNKO.
A "steerer'' for the Games Gives 1t ..Dead


A "steerer'' for the Games Gives 1t Dead
Away"
New York Herald.
an. G.. The bloke's tumbled," said a
salloW-faced young man in a pepper and
salt suit yesterday, and with that he
lOunged around the corner Of West and
COrtlandt streets. He had a semi bel
ligerent elevation of shoulder and in
clinatiOn of head, intended to represent
occupation and utter Indifference to
mundane affairs. But his eyes stole un-
easily in the direction of a prOfessOr-hke
body who was looking after him with a
good deal of animOsity, and who evident
Iy was ''the bloke" in question.
The sallOW-faced young man had
spoken In an undertOne, and the eng
matte announcement was evidently in
tended for the ears Of a Well-dressed
young man to whom a Herald reporter
was talking. The Nell-dressed man
looked at the prOfessOr-like body and
again after the other and smiled.
"Tripped up again." said he; 'my
pards tried to touch the old 'un and he's
cropped"
whats the matter?" asked the puz-
lied reporter.
The Well-dressed man drew back in
the shadow of a doorway. In addition
to being well dressed he was fluent and
affable. He was also a notorious buncO
steerer. ooh, the old fellows too much
for Boston" said he, referring to his
confederate and VOuchsa6ng to patrOniZe
the vernacular sparingly. Hes clearly
a shreWd old file, and I guess he's been
nipped before. That's the trouble gen
tlemen in our walk of life have" he went
on quite pOmpOusly. There are so many
low fakirs and iil-bred bunglers that try
to catch the greeneys that it's ruinOus to
Us. 1t is, in fact Now, just look there.
Some poor, sneaking chump has barney
ed old Nerdlgris up the street and given
himself away. I'll bet, before he ever got
his lamps on the old mans coin. See
what follows. The old un's a-scared of
every soul he sees and fly to every job
we put up on him. Oh, it makes me
tired to think O. the Chumps and way
they break up the biz
You talk as if buncO were q science"
"And isn't it a science? It's more'n
theology and philosophy, and all the
OlOgies and OsOphies chucked together.
When a fellOW'sOn my lay he'sgOttO know
everything. Understand? Everything.
He has to know how to coax the fresh
uns and larry the fly fellows and give ali
sorts O. taffy to the cranks. He's got TO
have a ghost story thatll hold when any
one bites, and he's got to know just how
to play his man."
do you attempt to swindle-ahem,
that is, to operate on all sorts Of peOple2"
'tAs a reporter you ought to know that
we catch on TO 'em all, the highest and
the lowest, sir; the highest and the low
est"
"And which is the easiest prey?'
"Well, it used to be the greeneys, fresh
from the country. 1 suppose you can
get 'em on q string easy still. But the
big bugs are the best to bait trap for,
and if ydA get 'em dead to rights they
pay big money. Best Of all is, they're
the safest game. You see, they don't
care about squealing, cause they feel
mean bout being touched. So they just
slash their cab and let the ducats 60.
But often some fresh duck that's been
touched for a small stake III roar like a
bull. I've seen It all and 1 know what
I'm talking about"
"But aren't you afraid Of running foul
of men too clever for you among the bet
ter class Of peOple?"
''NOW, when you begin to talk that
way you'd better advertise yourself for a
COW pasture. You're not green enough
to mean it. Why, it's the most bangup
men with the snuggest headWOrks that's
pie for Us. just yauk along your tall
thinkers andthe fellows with the biggest
variety of noodles, and We'll take the
cOnceit out of them In short order. Os-
car Wilde. for instance2 BOsh! That
lOng-haired galOOt wasn't a patch on the
men we've tackled And We done en-
too, every time. If cared about men
tiOning names, young fellow, / could give