St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-12-24

Joe" determined not to let the apostle
of short pants get away with the profit.
He laid for Oscar, and within a week
they became fast chumS, but only to
separate the next week, when the
apostle was steered against bunkO
game and fleeced of $1,000.
Shortly after the big Chicago fire
"Hungry Joe'' was arrested here and
indicted for robblng a granger OF sew
eral thousand dollars. He narrowly es-
capped conviction, but succeeded IN
proving an alibi by confronting the
granger with another confidence man
who bore striking resemblance to
Hungry joe" The jury acquitted
him, and soon after the police broke up
the gang and drove them out
Europe, tleeced hundred or more
titled suckers" and came back with
a big wad of money. In Detroit he killed
Billy Flynn, but was acquitted on the
ground of self-defense. In 1885, after a
long career of crime, he made big
blunder in bunkOing brother OF Capt.
Williams, of the New York police force,
and from that time on Capt. Williams
declared war against him and his star
set. He was arrested for rObbing
wealthy English tourist and sentenced
to four years in the penitentlary. In
some way the term was shortened, and
he got out only to be arrested in New
York about three weeks ago for bunko-
ing a retired merchant of Baltimore out
of 5000.
A SUCKER HIMSELF.
1t was common expression OF
Hungry Joe" that new sucker is
born every minnie. and he freely bosted
that there was not man on earth that
he could not rob at bunkO if he once
made up his mind to do it. "But
Hungry Joe" was not so cunning but
what he could be taken in at his own
game. Several years ago clever con-
tidence man who was entirely unknown
to the New Yorkgang, arrived in Gotham
from the West. fell in with Hungry
joe" and permitted himself to be
fleeced to the extent of $500. Then
he told Hungry Joe" that he was
ricch stock-raiSer from Abilene.
KAN, on his way to Europe to
be treated for sore eyes. AS
Hungry Joe'' had won all his
money, he asked him to help him place
mortgage on his stock ranch. Joe
telegraphed the banks at Abilene, CIV
ing full description of the man and
the fact that he had asked for loan.
The banks replied that the man was
perfectly good, and Hungry Joe'' and
his gang advanced the stranger $4,000,
taking a chattel mortgage. 1t was sew
eral weeks later when they discovered
that they had been victimiZed and that
the genuine stockman was really in
Europe, while the man who got their
money was only a clever confidence
operator from Denver,
The manner in which HnUrE ,IOA'
fleeced his victims is illustrated in ln-
spector Byrnes' history of professional
criminals in America. Joseph Rams
den. wealthy Englishman, arrived in
New York one day on the steamship
Gallia and the following afternoon
strolled down Broadway. Reaching the
Metropolitan hotel he was accOSted by
an elegantly dressed stranger, who held
out his hand and said
'Why, how do you do, Mr.. RamsdenF'
Mr.. Ramsden had never seen the
young man before, but the latter intro
duced himself as Henry Post, a bust
ness man from Baltimore aud a nephew
of Capt. Murphy, of the Gallia. His
uncle. he said, had described Mr.. Rams
den so accurately, and had spoken OF
him in such warm terms, that he had
no difficulty in recognizing the English
man. IL ~ lidppCDCo tudp NIL
den and Capt. Murphy had become quite
intimate during the voyage, and it
seemed perfectly natural to MIR.
Ramsden that Capt. Murphy should
mention him to his nephew.
Young Mr.. Post said he
was on his way home and that he was
going to the ticket Office for his valiSe.
Mr.. Ramsden accompanied him and was
led into bunko-roOm that had been
fitted up to resemble a railroad ticket
office. When once into the web the fly
rarely gets out before he has lost his
wings. In this case Mr.. Ramsden was
coolly robbed, the confidence man re-
sorting to the methods OF the high
way robber. Usually the operator tells
the victim that he has won a big
prize in a lottery. The victim is i'll
duced TO try his luck. The chance for
winning prize of $1,000 seems SO great
and the game is apparently so honest.
AT first he wins, and is then induced to
put in more money and draw for big
ger prize. Again he wins. Infatuated
with the game he puts in all he has got
and then draws blank. 1t is as old
as the hills and has been written about
and exposed in the newspapers times
without number, but even some of the
sharp writer's who have exposed it
have been roped in and made victims Of