St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-12-24
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The Notorious Bunko SteePeP
Gets a Long Sentence
at Baltimore.
His Real Name Joseph Lewis,
and He Lived in
Chicago.
His Father an Itenerant Jew
Peddler in the Windy
City.
Some Queer Stories Told Of
the Prince Of Conf
dence Men.

CHICAGO, Dee. 23.-"Hungry Joe,"
who was sentenced to a term of nine
years in the penitentiary at Baltimore
last Thursday, was the prince of conf
dence operators, and until recent years
one OF the most successful bunk0 men
that ever Infested the large cities of this
country and Europe. Among his vic
TINS were Shrewd and wealthy business
men, titled foreigners, statesmen, emf
nent lawyers, and even that esthetic
genius, Oscar Wilde. A more plausible
yet impudent rascal never existed. For
nearly twenty years he has preyed upon
unSuSpectlng humanity, and during all
that time he has openly defied the law.
Although arrested innumerable times
he has had the good luck to almost al
ways escape punishment for his many
crimes, and until now he has never but
once been Inundated by conviction in
court of justice.
Hungry Joe" was born and brought
up in Chicago. His real name is Joseph
Lewis. but he has as many aliases as he
has hairs on his head. In some cities
he is known only as Francis j. Alyany,
and in others as Henry +. Post, but to
the police and criminal classes he has
for many years passed as Hungry
Joe." No one seems to know just how
or when he got his nickname. Proba-
bly, some of the Old-time gamblers gave
it to him because of his enormous and
fastidious appetite. His friends say he
can eat more and oftener than
any man they have ever seen.
When he was in Chicago it
was nothing unusual for him to go into
Billy BOyle's half dozen times a day,
and each time eat hearty meal.
Paddy Ryan says he has seen Joe eat a
chicken and full portion of ham and
eggs in single night, and when Mike
Mcdonald ran a gambling house over
1.-The Store" Joe is said to have eaten
an entire luncheon that had been pre-
pared for thirty men. These and even
worse stories are related about his glut-
tonous appetite by the men about town.
WORKING A RESTAURANT.
A story that has been told about him
many times is that he once got broke in
Baltimore and walked into one of the
swell restaurants of the town and re-
queSted the proprietor to serve the best
dinner he could give him. Hungry
joe" as usual, was dressed in the hight
of fashion and impressed the caterer as
being great nabob. A SumptuouS
dinner, comprising the rarest and
choicest delicacies of the season, was
ordered by the proprietor and served in
private room ON the finest china that
the establishment afforded, together
with four different kinds of wine. For
two hours Hungry Joe" Toasted, and
when he could eat no more he politely
bowed to the proprietor, said he hoped
sometime to repay the courtesy, and
started toward the door. The restaurant
man angrily intercepted him, but the
gentlemanly bunkO-steerer cheekily eX-
claimed:
"Why, my dear sir, what is the mat
ter? l have no money, and | was hun
CRY. | applied to you for suceor and
humbled myself to the extent of beg
giBg you for the best dinner you could
give. You nobly responded to my APP
peal for aid by giving me banquet
that any king might feel honored to
have placed before him. Don't, l beg
of you, spoil my happiness and the high
opinion have formed of your great,
generous heart by restoring to harsh
threats and acts of violence"
"Who are you?' asked the irate pro-
prietor.
Hungry Joe.'"
The caterer, realizing that he had
been made victim of one of the slick
est confidence men in the country, COLI
cluded to make the best of it, and finally
he told hungry Joe" that he would
forgive him if he would play the same
game on rival reStaurateur up the
street.
whats his name?" asked Hungry
Joe.''
The restaurant man gave the name
and number of his rival.
"Name another" said Hungry joe"
bursting into fit of laughter. 1.-THE
fact is | sprung it on him this morning,
and he gave me s. extra to catch you"
Hungry Joe's' parents still reside in
Chicago, and are now living in humble
circumstances on Wentworth avenue.
They are ordinary people. His father
is an itinerant Jew peddler, who hawks
cheap jeWelry about the streets, and has
been familiar character around the
business center of the city for years.
Joe received but little schooling, and
for that reason his polished manners
apparent familiarity with almost every
topic is a marvel to those who knew
him as boy. How he ever acquired
his genteel bearing and his
extensive knowledge of things, per-
sons, and events puzzles his friends.
Ii els equally at home lounging about
the corridors of the big hotels, the
cOunting-room of some great mercantile
or banking house, the ballroom at some
fashionable watering place, the gam
bling hell or barroom, or among the
demi-monde. No matter in what class
of society he may be cast, he never fails
to shine as brilliant and accomplished
conversationalist. AT all times he is
the polished and cultivated gentleman
so much so. in fact, the other profess
sional criminals do not like him for
companion.
Hungry Joe" is thirtY-eight years
old, we'll built, fairly good-looking, and
probably the Smoothest talker in Amer
lea. He is regular dude in his dress,
and generally possesses as many suits
of clothing as Berry Wall. In New
York he has appeared OH Broadway in
an entire change of dress seven or eight
times in single day. He and Wall and
George Parkes, the actor, a few years
ago had regulations of being the three
most elegantly dressed men in America.
He is much better looking man than
the portrait shows, for at the time it
was taken he was under arrest and he
distorted his features as much as posi-
bic.
BEGINNING HIS CAREER.
1t is nearly twenty years since Hun
cry Joe'' first started along the crooked
path that invariably leads to prison.
and for him the path has been a long
one. Together with the notorious Gar
rity boys he got in with an expert gang
of confidence and bunko men. and for
years they intimidated the police and
terrorized the town. No matter how
shrewd he might be, no man who came
TO Chicago was safe. As soon as spotted
some member of the gang would take
the victim in tow, and almost be-
fore he could say Jack Robbins" every
dollar in his wallet would be gone.