The Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1885-1886, 1886-07-06
TRICKS In SAWDUST.
MORE MEN THAN EVER TRYING TO
BUY COUNTERFEIT MONEY.

stimulates Other swIrdiers to Re
newed Exertions The Panel Game
Given In for More Original Devices.
The porular form Of swindie at the time
the Texans bullet ended Tom Davis life
last August was By working the panel
game" Davis was the inventor of this
trick and by 1t he supported large mum
Ter of agents and grew rich himself. Tbs
first move was TO secure the list of the name,
OF eople who were regular subscribers to
the oui,ieua lott rics and the various gift
hook concerns, for, reasoned Tom, "reo-
pie who go into those things will lie pretty
likely to bite on my sc':eme Woen the
list had been daily s. lied agents were sent
cut all over the country TO look Vi The his
tory of the most promising ones hi done,
IA circular was mailed to each man, which
ran something as follows:
~DLAE SIR: / Will contide to you through
tins circular secret by which you can
make speedy fortune | have on hand a
large amount o. counterfeit notes Of the
following DENOMINATIONS. 81, e. -. 80,
So. | guarantee every note to be perfect,
as it is examined carefully by ME as soon
q 0NlSIIeu, anu IL HDL SliiCty
is Immediately destroyed Of course
1t would be perfectly foolish to send out poor
work, and it would not only get my custom.
ers into trouble lu. would break up my
business AM ruin NE. So, Tor personal
safety, | ain compelled to issue nothing that
will not compare with the genuine fur
nish You with my seeds at the following
low price, which will be found as reasonable
as the nature of my business will allow:
"For 81 ,20o in my goods assorted, charge
Sl00; for $500 in my goods assorted, /
charge 500; for $5,0D III my goods las
sorted, | charge 500; for $4,000 in my
goods assorted charge $500
Then follows advice to the verdant reader,
impressing upon his mind that the gates Of
state pri on are yawnIug for him, and that
lie must lie very careful He must send
word two DAYS before his expected arrival
in this city, 20 to n hotel which was named
aud remain IN his room until the manufae-
turer called upon him This done an agent
sent up his card anl devoted an hour to
sounding the man to see if he was fair game
or an emlssary from the police in disguise
If all promised well the man lett, appoint
ing the next day as the time for the bar
gain.
DETAILS OF TIE PANEL TRICK
Tn the day appointed the first caller drops
in to the hotel and leads the stranger to the
factory. In a roughly furnished office
iefore high desk at the wall, sits Tom
Davis hUsIly counting out huge pile OF
crisp bills They are fresh from tile gov
erument treasury, and of all
The sucker Is introduced, explained the pro
cess by which the money can best be dis
poSei OF and given general directions of
how to avoid suspicion. The man always
protests that they are poor Counterfeits and
Toili never deceive him, but on the whole
thinks they Will 10. The amount desired is
carefully counted out and handed to the
stranger to recount They are then nicely
done up In packages, each denomination by
Itself. and the whoe ,arelessly tossed into a
small leather gripsack This done, the bag
Is laid on the top Of the desk while the
manu-. acturer holds the attention OF the
sucker and lifts tn lid Of the desk in front
of III bag. Half a dozen bonds are shown
as specimen OF good counterfeiting, and
the suggestion is made that after the money
has been used the customer may take II
fancy to handle some bonds also
While the two heads are busy looking at
the bonds a confederate in the next room
opens a slide or panel at the back of the
desk and substitutes an empty satchel IN the
place of the one with the greenbaeks The
customer is then handed the bag and hurried
away, while Davis closes up his Office for a
month or so and moves to another similarly
equipped establishment
Since the panel trick became known
IrC Ia - ;
men have been forced to invent another
device. Within the past few weeks they
have issued long circular, which contains
an alleged clipping from New y ork news
paper announcing that a full set of dies and
plates has teen stolen from the sub treasury
This is the basis on which the circular is
framed, and it claims that the writer has
obtained those plates, from which the green
backs are being struck Off. The interesting
circular end with the following: The slip
will show you our officials in high standing
have used them for their own purpose and
benefit, and why not every one in need
Address, in confidence, Philip Berg, box 40,
20 East Fourteenth street"
THE BEER or "HlRsE-CAR" GAME
The purpose of the letter is to lead the
one addressed 10 believe that the money
offered is really genuine being printed from
the plates claimed TO have been stolen from
the treasury. The same old trick of CON
Quoting the man TO q hotel and then to the
office is used, but the panel trick Is no
longer worked Instead, the beer or
horse ar game Is made use of. In the
first case the purchaser is INTRODUCED to the
awdust man on the street and to conclude
the bargain the party adjourn to the nearest
saloon stepping INTO n private room they
take seats at n table and the money Is exhib-
tied This done, the amount demanded is
aid and as the opel ator rolls the goods
into little rcd package and snaps an elastic
around it lie calls for beer. But before tn Y
are handed over the appearance of the
waiter alarms the Sawdust man and he drops
the package into bis lap, with wink at the
customer. While tie beer is being brought
another red package Is substituted from
under the table and tue trick has been
played
If tue beer fails the creenbacks are
-, -. ".
ls,n,, duIv lo,.l al tho ,.a1 IL ba,,,ad 80 ~
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