Thomas County cat. [volume] (Colby, Kan.) 1885-1891, 1888-06-07

be held in fifteen minutes. and that
$500 will in every probability win $5.-
600 in good money. The stranger ac-
cents or hcsitates. Generally he has
only $500 or $500 about his person.
| The bunco man comes to his help. He
| will take half risk and divide the
| profits. The interest is bought. the
drawing occurs, and the selection wins
nothing or a small sum. But it al
| WAYS comes within an ace OF hitting
the capital prize. At this point the
victim "sours," to use slang phrase,
and often "squcals. to use another.
Sometimes his credulity is so great
that he continues playing until bank
rupt. If. when he percives that he is
being robbed, he shows the white
feather, he is either beaten or scared
into silent and hasty flight In any
case the victim is quickly disposed OF.
peaccably if possible, forcibly if need
full.
1t is opposed to the etiquette of
bunco to rob q man by force. 1t is al
so much more severely punished by
the law An action of this sort cost
Hungry Joe his liberty and his prestige
as the first operator in the land. !"
The intended victim foolishly dis
played a large roll of bills in his hand
to Joe and his partners after having
refused to venture penny upon any
scheme. Joe. hungrier than usual,
snatched the money and ran away,
committing robbery instead of swind-
ling he had contemplated.
Another odd feature of the art is tho
aversion of the buncO man to remain
long in the same place. either "the of
flee" where he does business. or tho
house or rooms where he resides 1t
is not from fear of the police, as all or
nearly all the worthless are known by
face, name and record to the force.
So constant are the changes that it
would require large volume to keep
their record. 1t might be supposed
that the police would have difficulty in
experimenting one in case he were
wanted for some Offcnsc. The very
opposite. however, is the fact. They
are grcgarious in their habits, more
like wolves than bears. Nearly every
one knows of the whereabouts of the
rest, and being aware of the difficulty
of conviction for buncoing has no hes
itation in giving information rs to Il
friend or pal. A second mode of plac-
ing them arises from their convivial
and social habits. They are debarred
from good hotels and decent bar-rooms
on the one side and on the other will
not patronize low saloons and cheap
groggeries. They, therefore, frequent
those sporting houses where mans
character has neither value nor mean
ing. and where their company. on ac-
count of their extravaganza and folly,
is warmly welcomed. These establish
ments are not many in number and
are all familiar to the police.
A third method Of locating them is
based on their singular addiction to
the opium habit. They are the best
customers to the opium joints, and
since these were prohibited by law, of
the private op um clubs which are scat
tered throughout the city. OF the
five or six hundred affairs of this class
it is fair to assume that two-thirds are
made up of crooks. 1t is also fair to
assume that three-fourths of all the
bunco men are victims of the habit.
10 the question that is so often put
to the police: "Why don't you sup
press bunco and arrest all bunco
men?" The only answer is the ques-
ton: "How can you do it?" They
are never disorderly in their conduct.
their victims seldom complain. and
when they do complain usually fail
through excitement to identify the
swindler. When an old provision of
law is called into play, and
they are arrested as Migrants,
it certainly is ridiculous to ac-
cuse man of being without visi-
BILE means of support who is the best
dressed man in the courtroom, and
who almost invariably has more money
and more jewelry about his person
than the judge or district attorney.
The true remedy would be statute
whereby any confidence operator seen
pursuing his business who can not sat-
isfactorily prove that he is engaged in
legitimate business should be adjudged
a professional criminal or thief and
fined or imprisoned. in the discretion
of the magistrate. Until then the only
thing that can be done is for the po-
lice TO use their discretion and often
club and drive these thieves from pre-
cinct to precinct and in eyerywise
both interfere with their nefarious
trade and call public attention to their
faces and characters.
Though the buncoist has fair seas and
smooth sailing compared With other
criminals, he has but one end-the
state prison. Hungry Joe is in Sing
Sing and Cigarette Harry in Buffalo;
Lew Martin and Sheeny Doc have just
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