The semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1882-1886, 1885-05-27
SURE THING.
III" Latest Schemes introduced and
Being Worked by the Gang Of
Thieves in Butte.
How Counterfeit Dollars are Palmed Ofr
-Other Ingenious Devices The
Spelling and Lock Games.

Fol some days the bunko and other sn,e
thing men in Butte have been either absen.
or comparatively quiet, THAT is, the OLE
gang but there must have been a rein
lorcement OF new faces, but old criminals
Tor people are being worked in several small
but ingenious manners. In the bold anf
daring bunko, and similer devices, there is
hardly any sympathy to be expressed TO,
the victim, yet the fact that many smart
ones are roped in proves that it is hardly
in the power OF average human nature to
resist the seductive Establishments of the
'capper, and the apparent innocence oil
his accompliccs.
THE COUNTERFEIT DOLLAR.
Differing entirely from the ordinary conf
dence games, yet a scheme that can be and
IL being worked, is the passage of counter
felt dollars As lar az the victim il con-
cerned the crime does not reach above the
level OF petit larceny, but in the aggregate a
smooth worker cal in one day do a large
business and take chances of the stringent
laws OF the United States against ~uttering
counterfeit com Or currency. The mOdUs
OperanM is plausible and can be readily ac-
cOmplished unless the u%nsnspecting mer-
chant is on his guard. The worker is, of
course, a wel[dressed, w~ell-spoken a He
enters a placeof business, purchases ii small
article, and with II nonchalant air throws
down n So or SO piece. He has at the
time, concealed in the palm Of his hand, a
81 piece. In making the change he must
under ordinary circumstances get three or
Jour good coins OF the same denomination.
BY Il dexterous movement II good coin is
exchanged for the bad one, and the thief,
pretending to count over the change, dis
covers the spurious article and handing it
back, pleasantly suggests there is something
wrong with it. The dealer sees the error,
wonders how he could have been fool enough
to take such a poor imitation, apologies
to his customer, hides the dollar in a back
compartment OF the money drawer and
puzzles his brain trying to think who could
have passed it on him. The stranger thief
goes on his unsupported way to seek the
next victim.
BAD SPELI4ERS.
Another new game but which cannot be
repeated very often in Il city Of this size,
but which is likely to catch IL guilible man
who thinks he knows a thing or two, is the
spelling MATCH One or two OF the slick
people meet the stranger who is selected to
be tleeced in Il saloon, and after the usual
interchange OF courtesies and Il few social
drinks, Il general conversation follows, in
which the question as to the spelling OF Il
word arises, say, for instance, choir " or
their The greeny OF course spells them
correctly and the thief insists that the first
is spelled "quire " and in the latter the
vowels should be transposed. Naturally
the MAJ who is in the right will insist on it,
and the discussion eliminates in Il bet with
OF the cappers as stakeholder. The
latter then goes off to look for a dictiOn-
airy to prove the matter and settle the bet,
and Of course never returns. The accom-
plices always manage to give the victim the
slip and he has the extreme satisfaction of
knowing that it cost him $50. more or
less to attempt to prove that he knows
how to spell il single word.
LOCK GAME.
Another scheme which is now being
in the West and which it is said has !
Butte is the clock game which
like all the other sure thing games, requires
one or more confederates. They pick up
the stranger and during the interview one
Of the party shows al ingrniOusly CON
lock. This is opened, taken apart
md a SO bill placed inside and then closed
up, with the remark that the sucker can
not open it. The lock is then passed to the |
confederate and the first man goes GU for
4 moment or two. During his absence, the
in the presence of the stranger
opens the lock very readily, shows that
here is Il lock within Il lock and agrees to
i'm with any bet made. The greeny
bites and on the return of the worker the
BET is made, the lock exchanged for another
,ne and the man robbed before his own
yes. These are only IL few OF the recent
5ricks imported into Butte, but our readers
will be kept posted.