Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1889-06-21


seat, and there is no reason, except as
matter Of honesty, why he should. He
is always quick to take a trick and can
size up a mark as readily as any mem
Der of the profession. He is usually q
good-loOk5ng man, and, of course, he
has winning ways. That is necessary
in his business. He is never at a loss
for subject that VIII interest any one,
and he seldom makes a mistake when he
picks out his man. The fcOn man, as a
rule, does not attempt to become a mil
hOnaire at one haul, nor does he usually
risk more than two or three tricks in a
city during one visit. The depot is his
favOrite place for picking up his prey.
He cOnverses with his victim, learns his
name and address, and, strange to say,
he IS either from or is going to the
vicinity of the home Of his victim. His
pleasant conversation never fails to give
an impression of his sincerity, and he
can make the stranger believe almost
any thing he viii tell him.
''Ihe check racket, y he continued, sis
one Of the bOIdest games Of the conf
dence men, but it Is still prachced sue
eessfullY. In working it there are al
ways two crooks. The first one will go
into depot and look about to pick out
his mark. He does not always select
the greenest looking man. He first
Bizes up the thickness of his pOcketbOOk.
IF satisfied that he has enough money to
play for, he engages in cOnvers alton
with the stranger, and first learns where
he is from.
why, I am going there myself on
the next train, he viii say.
"Of course, the stranger is glad to
have company. He never did like to
al 4
man is such a pleasant talker that the
stranger becomes interested in him, and
they are friends in a little while. The
one who takes that part of the game is
usually an elderly man, because, in
some cases, the occasion demands that
he should have a grown daughter.
t"Ihen the old gentleman interrupts
his newly-made friend and tells him
that he is going around to the hotel for
his wife and daughter.
90 My daughter, he viii say, will be
good company for you and make the
"Trip pleasant
''Ihe stranger readily accepts the pO-
sitiOn and anticipates a pleasant jour
ney. He leaves the depot and starts
with the gentleman to the hotel. The
latter incidentally refers to a bill of
goods he has purchased and which has
not arrived at the depot.
Presently a young man, Ostensibly a
clerk in a store, meets the two, and, ad-
dressing the elderly man, he presents a
bill for the goods, and requests its pay
ment.
'' Certainly he viii answer, taking a
check from his pocket, there's your
money.
& But I can't change the check, the
supposed clerk will reply.
Then he hesitates. What to do he
does not know. He turns to his friend
and shows him the check. He would
like the loan of $50 or 800 until he can
get the check cashed, and Of course, he
has no objection to handing over the
check as security. The check is for
$500 or 800, and, satisfied that he can
not possibly lose anything, the victim
takes the money from his pocket and
hands it over.
GIN this connection" the detective
continued, ''the confidence man usually
comes within $40 or $40 of the amount
the victim has in his pocket. They
usually transact that part of the business
near q saloon OF pubic place Of some
kind. The receipt for the money must
be signed, and the victim waits on the
sidewalk while the merchant and his
customer step inside and then step out
the back door, leaving the victim on the
sidewalk waiting for them. He gets
tired of waiting, but still he does not
think that his acquaintance is dishOn
est. He goes to the bank and inquiries
about the check. Then the bank clerk
has a laugh, and the unfortunate indi-
viduaI is referred to the police depart
ment, and the whole world becomes
acquainted with his misfortune.
Sometimes the game is arranged diff
ferently. Instead of giving the victim
the slip In the manner indicated he is
sent back to the depot to wait for the
wife and children of the confidence man.
Among the children there is q ten-year-
old boy, who walks with clutches, so
that it viii be impossible to miss them.
This poor boy has been ten years old for
a long time and has been the means of
fOOing many victim. He returns to
the depot and waits for the persons as
described. They do not appear. He
becomes uneasy, for 1t is nearly time for
the departure OF the train. He waits
until the last minute. They do not ap-
pear, and he begins to think something
has happened to them. They viii sure
" be here for the next train, he says to
himself. He still waits and does not sus-
pect anything wrong until some one in
the depot who has noticed him approaches
and questions him concerning the
train he wants to take. He then tells
his story, and realizes for the first time
that he has been sWindIed.
''The green goods game is another
scheme Of the confidence man, % contin-
ued the detective, that has been working
very successfully for many years, and It
is Just the same now as it was years ago.
Like all other games, 1t has been exposed
hundreds of times and yet persons viii
get caught mapping. The directories of
various cities, chiefly Western cities,
are obtained and from them the names
Of persons are taken who the swindIers
think viii bite at their bait Circulars
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