Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-10-14
THE PULLMAN CAR RACKET,
How Johnnie Graham Worked It on I'm
suspecting Coiored Women.

suspecting Colored Women.
johnnie Graham is now in Jail awaiting the
action Of the grand jury. He has been there
more than two weeks, and unless bail is given
for him he is likely to remain there until late
in the winter season and perhaps take trip to
New York at government expense. The charge
upon which he was sent to Jail was forgery,
but since his incarceration Detective Mahon
has succeeded in duplicating him in some
other cases, and they will now be called to the
attention OF the grand jury. Graham is a col
o-ed man, not yet thirty years old. and he
wears clothes that would look well on a per-
son OF plenty Of means. John had no hesita-
ton in telling the officer about the truth Of the
forgery case, and reminded the officer of the
hard road he had travelled He has been
arrested q number of times and served several
terms in jail in addition to a term OF one year
In Albany. In consideration of these facts
John asked the officer to do him a favor
Il have done you favors in the past, said
the officer, land it's now pretty near time you
were doing something for me-.
what is it?'' asked the prisoner. who said he
vas anxious to get out in time for the races
"Do you know the man who has been doing
the Pullman car racket!' the officer asked him.
HE KNEW THE MAN.
Eyes indeed" was the reply Of the negro
81 saw him last night. i was out with him and
VIC had drink together"
'what sort Of looking man is he2'
Graham described a man whom he could see
only BY looking in q glass HE dresses In u
tailor made suit of clothes, wears light over
coat, q brown derby hat and square-toed patent
leather shoes.
"He's . dandy, remarked the negro.
Just then he tore envelope in two and
was about to throw it away. when the officer re-
hevej him of the Il ouble by taking it from him
and putting IL in his own pocket be thought
no more about 1t until two or three days ago,
when he took the pieces of paper from his
pocket and read on the envelope:
'.R- r. Supply Co" Upon the paper which
was inside the envelope was written:
please let me have this as soon as you can.
'CHIEF STEWARD, Car Is, Penna- X. r"
Following this was what purported TO be the
measurements of woman who wanted q po-
sition in the Pullman service. 1t was: Bust.
IS; waist %; front. l519; back, 16; length, AZ:
neck, lS1S: arms, 2671- When done send to
car Is, P. R. T."
This satisfied the officer that Graham was the
man wanted for the Pullman car jobs, and, in
the language of detective officers, he decided
to pinch" him once more.
HOW THE TRICK WAS WORKED.
Tie Pullman car trick was one of the many
ingenious stories such no one other than a
confidence man would ever dream Of. The
negro Who took the tricks, the crooks would
call it, called at the house of a number of col
ored women and relieved each Of them of a
few dollars. He would tell them that
he would get them positions cham
bermaids on the cars at $50 n month If
their measurements were all right, and of
course they were, as that was a part of the
game These women were induced to believe
that they had really been appointed and not
one OF them hesitated to give the confidence
man IS or S10 toward paying for the uniform
which they were to get. At one house he got
s5 from a woman and would have got consid
pocket book been little better filed at that
time But after he had gone the young woman's
mother told her that ''dat Niger Is too smart
70 you and he done got your money and gone"
GRAHAM IDENTIFIED.
Having satisfied himself that Graham was
the confidence man the detective had him
brought up from jail yesterday for identifica-
ton. The prisoner never suspected that that
was why he was being brought up, and SO he
dressed in his best clothes to make good
showing in court. He had on the square-toed
shoes that be had spoken of as well as the light
coat over the good suit of clothes and the
brown derby hat on his head. 1t did not take
. second glance for the women to identify him.
and had he been outside of the prison bars
they would no doubt have tried their hands at
giving him tnrashng.
After being completely identified he ad-
mitted that he worked the racket in this city,
but he denied that he had operated in Balti-
more, although a man answering his descrip-
ton did operate there pretty extensively at the
same game. One of his pictures las been sent
to Baltimore and the officer is fully satisfied
that 1t VIII be identified there.