News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1885-06-25
THE FAMOUS HUNGRY JOE.
THE MOST NOTED CONFibKNCE MAN
IN TUE WORLD.

THE MOST NOTED CoNFibKN5E MAN
In TUE WORLD.
A Bunco Steerer who has Victims all Over
the Country.
ssAre bunco victims numerous ?" asked
a reporter of Inspector Byrnes, of New
York. The reporter was referring to the
case of Hungry Joe," who had just
been sent up for four years.
"Why," said he, 81 could show you
over twenty letters which / have received
since Hungry Joe's' arrest, urging me
to be sure and not allow him to escape
conviction. These letters are from
clergyman, bankers, merchants, actors,
men in all ranks of society, and all of
them, presumably, at some time or
other the victims of this man. Some
of them, know, have been. Now, if
there are all these that have communi-
Gated with me and great many more
doubtless who have not. are victims of
one operator, Just think how many there
must be when the total number of
operators is considered.
"These men are known. When I
arrested Joe for the last offense, he said
to me reproachfully, Now, Inspector,
this is really too bad that you should
have had all this trouble; why didn't
you let me know was wanted, and I'd
have come to your Office at once He
knew well enough" said the Inspector,
laughing, "that had been hunting for
him. and he had been evading me for
three days.
81 had reason to suppose he was STOP
| nil OF toin
there and watched it. and finally, one
evening, we saw man go in about Joe's
! build, and leaving the officer, I went
and rang the bell, and when the girl
came to the door said quite carelessly,
Mary, tell Joe I want to see him for
minute Hes downstairs said she.
We'll, tell him to comesup, said I, and
when she went down / followed, and
there was Joe in the front basement.
why, Inspector, said he, jumping up
and shaking hands with me, now this
is an unexpected pleasure; what's up?
Where's your coat and hat p said I,
for he was in his shirt sleeves, and it was
then that he got off his polite little
speech that was telling you about 1
tell you, when it comes to politeness,
Joe amt no SLOUGH. Well, we brought
him down here and placed him with |
seven other men, and then brought the |
old gentleman whom he had robbed in. |
He picked him out in an instant.
"Joes real name is Joseph Lewis, but |
he has gone by the names of Francis J.
Alranley, Ashton and Post. He was
born in Chicago. On the right side of his
upper lip he has the scar of cut re-
ceived in an alteration with another i
bunco man in Chicago. He is a pre-
sentable fellow, extremely polite and |
fairly well educated. He made strike
when he victimized Oscar Wilde. He
got $500 out of him. He tackled Barnum
in front of the Metropolitan Hotel, and
the great Snowman actually went some
distance with him; but soon smoked who
he was, and gave the whole thing dead
away to a newspaper man, getting a big
advertisement. One day Joe went up
to Central Park and picked up a man
there that was looking at the menagerie.
He found out the hotel where this
gentleman stopped and went and took
rooms near there, and finally swindled
him out of s., 500, and the man bore
the loss and looked as pleasant as pos
sible, utterly refusing to appear as a
complainant. Last summer Joe went to
Long Branch. Of course these men
combine business with pleasure and
to stop at the best hotel and live
on the best. We got from there great
of complaints, but could do
He had with him down there
a chap we call Western Sam, and an
other called 'Brocky, from his face being
slightly pitted, and the three made a
daisy trio, and worked the Branch to
the Queens TASTE"
"What do they do with all their
money ?"
"rhey spend it freely it comes easy
and goes Just as easy. These fellows
don't value money at all they some
times say they have all the bankers in
the country to draw upon. Joe has been
arrested twice in Chicago; once for
fleeing man in Chicago and the other
offence I have forgotten; but in both |
cases the victims refused to make 9 |
complaint. Five different times he has |
been arrested in Philadelphia. He is |
the man who went up to Speaker Ran
dali, representing himself as the son of |
Mr.. Drexel, of Drexel, Morgan & Co.,
and Randall treated him very nicely. |
He was afterward told who Joe was,
and when afterward the real young Mr.. |
Drexel called upon Mr.. Randall, hesaid:
Get away from me, you scoundrel, or
I'll have you arrested, and Mr.. Drexel
thought Mr.. Randall was crazy. Wash
ington was favorite resort of Joe's, and
it is with bunco men generally. After
week or ten days there they locate a
man or two and will hire furnished
rooms and sometimes have to wait
week or two before they can catch their
man, but they are almost invariably
successful in the end. It's business"
continued the Inspector, 'sjust as much
as reporting is, and if you'll excuse me,
1 think it needs more cheek and quite
as much brains. The bunco man has the
lists issued by all the mercantile
agencies, and he studies it and has the
standing of the principal business men
in the small cities and towns. All he
needs is to know from what town q
stranger halls, and then his records give
him the names of Mayor, city officials,
bank President, and perhaps minister of
the principal church. With this informa-
ton he gains the strangers confidence,
and the rest is easy"
From what class is the bunco steerer
recruited ?"
For the most part, they are men of
good families, well educated and pre-
sentable; too lazy to work, and with too
little nerve to steal openly they are
bright and with an unlimited amount OF
lmpudence, or as we call it, cheek.
The allowance from parent or guardian
runs short, and they gradually drift into
this profession. At first they are bor-
rowers from their acquaintance on all
sorts of specious pleas, and then from
strangers, and once a young man of this
kind gets acquainted with bunco man,
the rest is easy. They soon learn that
there is little risk in it.
''This same Joe has been arrested
twice or three times in Boston. He was
connected with the robbery of old Adams
there some years ago, but got off. He
picked up here man named Col. Ash
ton, British official, who was living at
the Brevoort. Joe took rooms near
there, dined the Colonel and wined him,
and finally got out of him 81 800 and
f300 additional. This man came to me
and 1 tried to get him to make COM
plant, but he said 1T would ruin me;
1 cannot do it. When the British rifle
team was over here Joe relieved the
tallest man of the lot of .e400. There
was celebrated English divine visiting
here. could tell you the name, but
would rather not F.; and Joe got from him
el5O. OF course, he was in q position |
where he could make no COMPLAINT with |