The weekly messenger. [volume] (St. Martinsville [i.e. St. Martinville] La.) 1886-1948, 1888-07-07
2E BUNCO MEMS WALK.
Yoa Can See Them Any Day at tho
POst-OfIicc.
from the Y. Y. SUM-

From the y. Y. SUM-
Bunco steerers are plying a lively
trade on Broadway, from Mail street to
| Chambers. They work the simple, old
fashioned game openly and industri-
ously. There is police station in the
City Hall building. there are several
Park policemen in sight, and certain of
the regular force patrol Broadway at all
hours. Superintendent Murray has had
detective making something of an in
vestigstion, but the swindlers are there
yet. Operations are confined almost
exclusively to the Park side of the
street. and those who have been in a
position to notice the matter say that
eight men are concerned in it. They
work in pairs, according to the old style.
On Wednesday afternoon Sun repor-
ter went into one of the buildings be-
tween Park place and Murray street and
looked out of the window of a second
floor tenant. The tenant was with him
explaining how the swindlers were live
Hest in the morning, and they had not
been in their post of observation full
minute when the tenant said:
"There's two of them now."
ward the Post Office. One was a heavy,
comfortable looking fellow, and the
other slim and dark.
"The big fellow" said the tenant,
"does the tackling, and the other one fol
lows up the stranger. That book you
see in his overcoat pocket is bank or
business directory. Hulloal there's q
man with bag! I'll bet five dollars
to one they will tackle him. I've
watched those fellows too long not to
know their ways"
The man with bag was elderly, and
plainly dressed. He had Just crossed
Broadway, and was about to turn into
the Park. Sure enough the suspected
pair stopped in their walk and looked at
him. They consulted a moment, and
the big one set out after the man with
the bag while the other remained on the
sidewalk. The man with bag had got
half way to the City Hall when the big
fellow, by dint of running in a rounda-
bout way, appeared before him and &C
costed him. The man with bag stopped
short, looked at the stranger, smiled
knowingly, said something, and went
on, whereat the big fellow looked back
at his companion, slapped his thigh and
laughed. They rejoined each other at
once. and went up towards Chambers
street. Nothing could have been clearer
than their attempt to entrap the man
with bag, and what they would have
done with him or where they would have
taken him are matters for interesting
conjecture.
"That has been the commonest kind
of an incident for six months" said the
tenant. "They frequently snare a vic !
tim, and not n day passes but they are
at their work. We wrote to SupeIn-
tendent Murray about it, and 1 believe
a detective was sent down, but the de-
tective confined his attention to the |
wrong side of the street. When we had |
learned this we wrote again to the Su-
telling him of the mistake,
but, so far as know, no attention was
paid to the letter"
If the police should make an effort to |
get acquainted with the Broadway bunco
steerers, they might find an interesting
open gambling game to investigate at
the same time, a game of dice throwing
!ndulged in by loafers of mature years.
The driver of a mail wagon told q re-
porter that the game is what is known
as trap"
"And it is trap" said he, smiling,
for it is SO complicated that it is hard
10 learn, and the chances are so much
against the player and in favor of the
banker. The bank passes on some sys-
EN- from one player to the other; SO
hat theoretically the chances are even
III around, but it don't come 80 in ac-
:usl play. I've been driving here for
our years, and lately there isn't day
passes that a crowd of those loafers don't
'quat on the sidewalk and play trap
or two cents, or even one cent a crack.
Is many as want to can play, and they
,fteh get such crowd in and watching
hat the sidewalk is blockaded. don't
NOW how those fellows make their
money to play, for when they are not
rambling here they are usually loafing
Town in Theatre allev.