The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1889-12-07
THE BUNCO STEERER.
Verdant Green of California
Visits New York.
SOME OF 1.-THE FINEST CENSURED.
For Gross Negligence in the Matter-The Sill
colt Steal and AmOunt-JOhn TheO-
dOre Wild Hanged.

Especial TO THE HERALD-Examiner Dispatch.
NEW YORK, Dec. 6.-According to the Sun
Californians cannot always be sure of JUS
tee in New York. A story was pub
lished in that paper on November 20, which
told how a gang of bunco men played their
business right in the rear of Mulberry
Street police station known to everyone but
the police, and how countryman who was
robbed of $500, hung about the place until
he saw the man who had robbed him and
caused his arrest. 1t may be remembered
that Police Captain Meakins said that the
blotter in the station house contained no
record of any such arrest and denied all
knowledge of any such gang as that which
worked in Marion street.
The following letter, which came to this
office on Wednesday, cast some doubts
upon the accuracy of their statements:
"SAN Francisco, Nov. IS, 1889.
ITO the editor of the Sun:
''Sir:-I received a copy of your paper
dated November 20, from friend of mine,
p. +. Ferrigan, of so Duane street, and l
was glad to see that your paper was begin
ming to expose the bunco steerers and your
police department, as l happened to be one
of the victims. On a short visit to your
great city last October, was first stopping
at the AStor house when l first arrived
there and then l took rooms at the Hotel
Everett for few weeks. | got buncoed in
the same place, II Marion street out of $500.
''When l reported to the police they
wanted me to put up 81, 900 bond to stay
there and prosecute the parties, so l came at
once to the conclusion that the police and
bunco men stood in together and so left
for San Francisco with my family, after
borrowing what money l needed to take
me home The detective that had my case
is named Hotaling.
remain yours truly,
Arthur McGurren,
434 Pine street."
Mr.. McGurren says he was robbed in De-
tober, about amonth before the robbery of
the cOuntryman. The circumstances at
tending the robbery of Mr.. McGurren
were related yesterday by his friend, p F.
Eerrigan. Mr.. McGurren was orn in
this country, but he has lived in San Fran
cisco for twenty-nine years and has adopted
a mode of dress sufficiently at variance
with that of the typical New Yorker to
make it apparent that he was a stranger
here. He left Mr.. Ferrigan's place in
Duane street and started up Broadway to
walk to Waverly place, near Canal street.
a well dressed man seized his hand and
shaking it warmly, asked how Mr.. John
son was. Mr.. McGurren explained that
his name was not Johnson. He told the
stranger who he was and where he came
from. The stranger apOlogized and disap-
peared Two blocks further up Broadway
another man grasped his hand, and address
sing him by his proper name, asked him
when he arrived from San Francisco.
what. Don't you recOg uize me-" asked
the fellow. "Why, l used to be the cashier
in the First National bank of San Fran
cisco"
Mr.. McGurren invited the fellow into
saloon, and while they were drinking, he
asked his companion what his name was.
Pm just going up to my printers to get
some cards." was the reply, "apd if you'll
come along I'll give you one. I am anxious
to have a little chat about California any
way"
Mr.. McGurren agreed and he was led to
II Marion street Mr.. McGurren fol
lowed his conductor into a back room
and sat there for several minutes
listening to his acquaintance as he
told of the vast sums of money he was
making in the wooden business in Connec
ticut. The buncO man was fluent talker
and he held Mr. McGurren spell-bound.
The conversation was suddenly interrupted
by the violent entry of a man who threw
three pool tickets on the table and in a
disguised tone stated that he had Just lost
s., 800 on a baseball game. This man pulled
out about two hundred dollars in bills and
SdlUuIudb was dil bllG llOuCN ne Ildu lelI
Mr.. McGurren laughed at the bills, and dis
playing two gold eagles, said, That's the
kind of money we have in California"
The sight of this gold was too much fer
the buncO men. One of them sprang at
McGurren and seized him by the throat and
held him while the other rifed his pockets
of all the money he had. Then the men
dashed out with MIR. McGurren in hot pur-
suit. He got as far as the door when
man who had been standing behind the |
counter when Mr.. McGurren entered |
closed the door and detained him until the |
two thieves had an opportunity to escape. |
Mr.. McGurren related this stirring ad- |
venture to a sergeant in the Mulberry |
Street police station who put Detective |
Houaling on the case. Inspector Williams
said yesterday that the handwriting was in
the handwriting of Sergeant Golding. The
sergeant in charge of the police station
yesterday refused to consult the book con-
tanning the record of complaints made in
October.