The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1889-03-07


fensively and with as scrupulous correctness
as E. Berry Wall OF Robert billiard, carried
his cane and gloves in the most approved
horizontal fashion, took q Broadway consti-
tutional at . every afternoon, criticised the
pictures and drank the IS cent drinks Of the
Hoffman house bar, talked of the leading act
resses by their first names and, in short, YVES
so much like the legitimate New York imam
about town" as to be scarcely distinguish
able from him.
But, flushed by their continued success, the
bunco men grew too bold. They lost for tho
time the first attribute OF successful conf
dence MANIFESTATION. They began to at
tract the attention Of the newspapers and
were frequently exposed The great excite
ment that was caused when Oscar Wilde was
cleyerly buncoed by Hungry Joe within
, week after his arrival in America will be
easily remembered. Hungry Joe, who is
now serving long term, and who is man
of fine presence and extremely fluent tongue,
introduced himself to Wilde as the son of
IA celebrated banker, and so won
y upon the aesthetic by his gentle
manly manners that after the two had
chummed all over New York for more
than week, Wilde was buncoed to the tune
of 1880. The money was recovered, how
ever. This and several other big bunco cases,
notably the one in which Charles Francis
Adams was done out of ST., 800, caused such
row that the great and rapid decadence of
buncoing began, and the profession has been
sliding down hill ever since, until now few of
the celebrated steerers are to be seen in their
accustomed hauntS.
AS TO KID MILLER.
''Kid" H'''er may now be considered the
leading blnso man of New York. You can
see him almost any day on Broadway, and
he is as persistent poser as Kyrle Bellew.
His face is utterly devoid of color and is
swollen by t-e disfgurements Of heavy dissi-
pations, the effect of the opium pipe being
especially apparent. He is smooth shaven,
and his features, except for a sodden look
that tells its story to the experienced OBJ
server, have a not unintelligent cast. His
eyes are deadly dull, but shifting and scruti-
nizing. His nose is straight, his mouth thin
and shut with intense frmnesS His high
silk hat is covered from brim to crown with
a black cloth band, which gives an impression
that he has just lost his wOrshiped wife, but
which really means that the hat is four years
old and can't be ironed into decent shape.
His overcoat is too thin for the weather,
and is of an uncertain mouse color. In the
lapel is stuck bunch of imitation violets
which have done service for several months
His legs are indefinite and dusty. In his
hand is his gold headed cane, which he never
pawns, and as rule he carries single glove
as though it were pair.
And Mr.. Miller is watching the crowd. He
sees every one, and when gentleman whom
he would term sucker goes by he knows
it. He gets the whole town in his memory
If you are wide awake he detects the fact
and lets you alone. lit when a stupid fell
low gets into his orbit, one Of these men that
imagine low round of pleasures means ''see-
ing" metropolitan life, he is apt to find in a
convenient dive some night a slim young
man in a mourning band hat, mouse
colored oyercoat, and with glove and gold
headed cane.
But the Kid is lying low Just now-very
low, indeed. 1t is rare that he makes a haul
nowadays But he seems to have mastered
Thackeray's problem of "How to live on
nothing year"
The most celebrated bunco man Of his time
was the notorious Henry Miller, who was
killed by barkeeper some years ago. Mil
Ter was man Of education, and was gifted
with great personal beauty. He did not
confne his operations to any one locality, but
his specially was at the summer and winter
resorts. In the summer he would pose as a
terrific swell at Newport, Long Branch or
Cape May. He would have the best apart
ments in the hotels, and always had spank
ing team of horses One big haul every sum-
mer was all he worked for. In the winter
he would usually turn up in jacksonville,
Fla, or so other southern resort and play
the part of the mysterious and distinguished
stranger with no end Of money. One Of his
most celebrated Jacksonville swindles was
when he victimized William Waldorf Aston,
the noted millionaire, out Of $4,000.
TERRIBLE WALL
y One of the leading bunco men still left in
New York, stimulated by something wet and
good cigar, grew communicative to re-
>porter not long since, and, after giving vent
to touching wall over the decline of his
profession, mentioned a few of the little
schemes which he successfully works.