Butte semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1886-1890, 1886-07-10
the SEDUCTIVE TEA GAME
A Cold. BlOOded SwindIe Now Being
Operated Upon the Good Citizens
Of Butte City.
How the 'sFakirs" We're Driven from
Portland, Oregon, by the Power
Of Wide.A Awake Press.
Old. Fashioned BunkO Distanced in In.
genuity by the New Racket
How It is Worked.

III OtC ~ ~ r.
snme that the science OF bunko had moi
assumed the numerous DISCUSSES under
which it now feeces the great and avari
cious majority of American citizens. Twen
ty years ago bunko operators were
few and far between. and their schemes
we're 60 transparent as to deceive only the
resident Of ~Bumpkinville on his
visit to the metropolis, the unsophistlcated
Jack Tar just returned from a long cruise
or other human innocents whose lie was
mostly spent far from the madding crowd
and its snares for the unwary. Those were
the days when the Cardiff giant deceived
thousands, the horse whose head was
where his tail ought to be held crowded re-
ceptions, the "what-is-it" made its exhibit.
ors wealthy, and P. T. Barnum uttered the
m~oss-covered chestnut a~bove-quoted.
NEW
Within twenty years as many new
wrinkles in bunko have been invented an0
successfully worked, however. The Doodle
ringers" the ''gold-briek" racket and sew
eral other ingenious devices OF the conf
dence operators have been exposed by the
newspapers, but it yet remains for an
American journal to show up the complete
modus operandi OF the "tea game" which
is now in full swing in Butte. Under the
caption of Licensed Robbers" the Port
land (Oregon) Sunday Mercury OF June 26
last furnished the following semi exposure
THE TEA GAME::"
When the so-called Merchant Tea Com
pany opened out in this city about ten
days ago their agent called at the Mercury
office with an advertisement and claimed
that he was the representative Of a large
tea and coffee importing company h a
professed TO locate permanently in Port
land. He was shown a copy OF the paper
OF a week previous in which the Prize Tea
Company was exposed as frauds and at
the SAM time was informed that the Mer-
cury was not the advocate OF bunko joints
and 'fakirs' who came here to rob the
u~nsuspecting. He assured us that he was
engaged in no such business, and upon this
the Mercury accepted the advertisement
Last Monday afternoon a number OF
complaints came to this office to che
effect that they were robbing the
people, and a brief investigation on the
part OF a Mercury reporter, who was de-
tailed to write the place, convinced US OF
this fact. In the hope OF ~subsidizing the
Mercury one OF the 'fakirs' palmed a
cheap uldUuCuu TluS lllGo - OIL VI NuSt
poisonous tea. and handed it to The reporter,
while a poor with two little bare
footed children by her side was robbed
cold-blooded out OF $40. Since the opening
OF this notorious thieving joint the robbers
and confidence men who preside over it
have robbed the poor people OF Portland
out OF not less than $4,000. In return for
their money the poor families have re-
ceived a lot OF tea and coffee that is rank
poison, and the 'iakirs' will be in big luck
il they are not arrested for murder by its
use before they leave the city. Night after
night they have stood there Turing poor
people into their snare by the use OF cap
pers. They have useu the names Of people
all over the country as winners OF prizes,
when in fact they have not forwarded a
single valuable prize. Each package that
is sent to theinterior is first examined, to
make sure that it contains nothing of
greater value than a brass chain.
There is no such company in Chi
cage or anywhere else as the Mer-
chant Tea Company, and these fellows axe
bilks OF the first water. 1t would bea rank
injustice for officers to pull a brace faro
game and allow this steal to be operated
in plain violation OF law, and We demand
that the officers do their duty by at once
arresting the whole gang. This is without
Il doubt the most dastardly, barefaced
swindle that was ever perpetrated upon
the people OF Portland, and the officers
are derelict in their duty if THESE fellows are
not landed in the penitentiary, where they
belong. A poor widow, the mother OF five
helpless children, came to this Office last
night with tears in her eyes ard related
how she had been robbed OF Sc, the con-
tents OF the childreu's bank, at this worse
than bunko joint in the vain endeavor to
win a valuable prize. We have just learned
from a reliable source that these notorious
swindlers were arrested and subsequently
run out Of San Francisco. We advise our
friends throughout the country to look out
Tor these r~ascals, as they are liable to ap-
pear under another title as they have in
every town from Kansas City to San
Francisco. Just as we 60 to press word
is sent to this Office about a fatal case OF
poisoning that has occurred in the west
ern part Of The city from the use OF their
goods"
TIT "sNAP" IN BUTTE.
A couple OF weeks ago the "fakirs" de-
scribed above arrived in Butte from Port.
land. and a few days later their swindle
was in full blast in a store on East Broad
way. They engaged q brass band to play
in front OF the store every evening, flooded
the city with dodgers and advertised ex-
LCH6IkCIy III IL uahy PdpClS- ACPCdICu
their Portland manGuvers, in fact, to the
letter. They caught myriads Of suckers"
Last night their store was crowded with
people anxious to win" q GOLD watch, a
diamond ornament or a can full OF money,
and the "faEirs' raked in dollars until their
arms were tired.
HOW IS IT WORKED?
Those people who paid a dollar for a can
Of vile tea with a cheap article OF jewelry in
it felt that they had been swindled,
but just how they could not for
the lie OF them discover. They SAY
rams taken from the shelf which, when
opened, revealed a watch, an alleged dia-
mond ring or pin or a number OF silver
coins, and while their conscience told them
that they had been victimized their optics
informed them that they had a chance to
win. The fact OF the matter is that they
had no chance to win until the ''fakirs"
them to win. The "tea game" is a
clever game.
THE MODUs
The game is worked by means OF cap
pers' on the outside OF the counter and a
combination Of clerks on the inside OF it.
Four sharpers with but a single thought
stand behind the counter OF the Merchant
Tea Company's" store in Putte. The wall
behind them IL hidden byshelves laden with
.ans OF tea and coffee. These shelves are
and the shelves between each
hold about a dozen cans each.
On the counter is a glass case containing a
display OF watches, jewelry, etc.
The band is playing outside the door,
he men behind the counter are yelling at
he crowd and at each other, and the
'cappers' are at work in the crowd. A
'eapper" advances to the counter, throws :
Town a dollar and in ~stentorian tones
one OF the clerks that he wants q :
an of tea. pointing out the particular can
le wants. The crowd press around, and :
he clerk takes the can from the shell, opens
t, and reveals II cheap baubie of some
lind. The ''capper' swears. Try it
yells the clerk; ''for this car Of tea
md half-a-dollar you can have
draw The ''capper" draws
gain, and selects a can with a prize in it.
The result is recorded by all the clerks in
horus, and the "capper" exultingly ex-
libits his prize to the suckers around
i'm until their avarice is aroused and !
hey squander their dollars. That is one
OF working the "tea game" OF course.
clerk selects the can containing the !
'rize for the ''capper." |!
ANOTHER MODE l..
( "doing up the suckers" is quite !
9 ingenious az the foregoing. When
victim has spent IS, $40 or 500 without