Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1885-11-08
NEW YORK CROOKS.

The Devices of q Confidence Man of
Good Family.
New YORK, November 6-I was in the
lobby of the Hoffman House the other
evening with friend, when we were joined
by a ", Il dressed, agreeable young man,
who shook my friend cordially BY the hand,
asking How the world was using him.
Very we'll, indeed" was the answer,
"and how is luck running with your
Fairly vel" replied the other man, as
he Lit cigarette. Il have been following
the flyers ell Summer, aud have come out
a winner to the tune of couple OF thou
sand afterwards learned that THE ty.
ers" meant racehorses. "As soon as gene
raj business brigbtens up III flash two or
three schemes or the con6ding public. I've
got come splendid rackets | can work as
soon as l notice people around with
money enough to make it worth while to
deal with them. But for the last year every
one has been so poor that even the best
schemes under the the sun wouldn't word
l tell you when it comes TO any mans Bit
ing at any racket l con pat out, in the line
of gambling, he says 10 himself: We'll,
if I've got to choose between eating and
gambling today, / guess III eat. So long;
I'll see you later, perhapa.'
Then be sjrolled of, and my friend, who
had been regarding him with an amused
smile, turned 10 me and aaid: THAT fellow
always makes me laugh. Hes q sort of
welLbred banko steerer. He's Of good
family and has number Of respectable
acquaintauces Yet be il a tcOnfImed
crook, and although he makes 10 secret of
the fact that ne gets his living by aeecing
his fellow-crestures in various ways, he
still manages to maintain q certain stand.
ing among men, and ia recognized by
great many people who would cot dream
of speaking to an ordinary confidence
man"
And what sort Of scheme does he fash
upon the corfding public? / inquired.
"All sorts of things" said my friend.
Sometimes he adver,ises in out-of.town
papers for an elderly gentleman to help
young girl make living on the stage. He
ia pretty sure TO get dozen answers from
fools in different sections OF the country
to each Of them he mails photograph Of
o lovely female face and requests money
enough to enable the young gid 10 90
from New YOU; 10 he elderly TOOLS resi-
Gence In many cases the money is sent;
and the dupe waits ia vain at the railroad
station OF hi. town, hoping to see the myth:
ical stage struck ispsle slgbt from an ar
irving train. It's the photograph which
does the business Then he has all sorts
Of schemes for winning money at horses;
you heard him say that he had been follow
ing the flyers sil Summer. It's had
lookout for the greenhorn who is induced |
to put his money into that young mans
hand for investment on cure thing he
used to do a mysterious business in Nassau
Street during the last boom in stocks, but |
the rspidity With which margins melted !
away in hia pG,oe made him unpopular
With his customers. His blind pools were
not only very blind, but they we're go deep
that no sounding line ever inveAted could I.
ind any bottom in them. All the money
that was put in somehow stsye in the pool !
This resulted in transferring his talents to
other fields Of usefulness. AS | just said,
the eunons thing about him is that with
all his crcokedness he contrive5 to keep up
semi respectable connection. He 10 BY
nomeans the parish that you would expect
a man of his class &c be-
This 1bsrper watches the state of bust
nsss as carefully as 90 the magnates who,
BY greater ability, manage to fleece the
public on a larger scale. lie holds his
new schemes 10 reserve, waiting for the
proper nement to spring them upon the
world, Just as the conductors Of larger
speculative enterprises do. His motives
are the same as theirs, and, to the best Of
his power, he follows their methods. What
is there, then, 30 incongruous about bis
preserving certain respectable connec-
tion2
Another species OF crook has been Civ.
ing the police good deal of annoyance
lately. 1t is the "grisly crook" who infests
the downtown districts, and who is:geDe
rally the immediate executor Of the impi.
Gus enterprises Of the dandy crock " He
is ready for sDyihing, "s.ndbsgging," ",sfe
cracking" burglary or any other offsnse
in the category. / shall some DAY inter-
view one OF this character for tsS atause.
ment Of my readers, --
GsohGE Parsons LArHRoP.