Evening capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1888-1893, 1891-03-06
KING OF BuNKo.mEN.


some Of the Successful Ventures Of th'
Notorious Henry westbrook.
Engaging one Of the most successful o.
lattor-day bunko men IN conversation, Z
Saratoga correspondent Of the st. LOUIS
! Giobe Democrat asked him what were the re
/ quisites for a successful bunko operation
! He replied
"Thrce things are absolutely needful:
~. The bunko nan must be dressed in
| the height Of fashion.
- He must have unbounded faith in the
credulty and gullibility Of mankind.
"3 He must be Of genteel address and be
must have sublime audacity.
"The rest is cas- / remember that Hun
cry Joe, who was finally sent up by In
spectOr Williams, Of New York, used TO
boast that he sold a gold brick 10 ex-Sen-
atOr Gordon, Of Georgia, and 1t is really
astonishing the number Of victims well
dressed sharper can corral onto IN year
A Philadelphia gentleman, who sat on the
piazza Of the hotel, spoke up and said
can believe, sir, all you say, for McCOlgan,
who so long kept a pool room in Philadel-
phia, was bounced out Of 5000 by young
man who met him in Cincinnati, and played
no newer racket than the old one OF being
Mr. Drexels nephew"
My handsome acquaintance, who varied
the monotony Of his story by visit 20 the
long bar room, remarked that he "didn't
think there was professional who would
stoop TO so small an act as to beat McCOlgan
out Of 5000, for a professional bunkOer al
ways struck for higher game" He de-
scribed with minutcness the success which
attended a celebrated crook who called him
self Cyrus Maitland, or Henry Westbrook.
Putting his feet on the piazza, and with
lfty-cent Flora d Cuba between his lips, he
told the story in these words:
Cyrus Maitland was the discarded son
Of great English manufacturer, who has
twice been a member Of Parliament and
who supplied his sons luxurious tastes as
long as that was possible. Cyrus was born
with elt CANT desires, which nothing less
than Rothschild's wealth would crafty.
Crookedness Of the crookedest kind caused
Cyrus TO seek American shores.
" His first field of operations was Cape
May, where he got away with a five thou
sand dollar check from a rich Baltimorean,
who was so ashamed at being duped by one
Of his own, pretended, tOwnsmen that he
took care never 10 tell the tale himself But
the Jersey authorities did not take kindly
10 Maitland or 10 his heathen Chinee
games. The police force could not be IN
uuttu 10 bldlu III WIN HlIlt as iilt hdyluR
goes, and he was glad TO get away from the
Cape.
" Maitaand's favorte alias was Henry
WestbroOk. One cool morning IN early July
the register Of the Choptank House bore on
it's pages in bold, clear. commercial hand
the name Of Henry Westbrook lie brought
lctters-they were in "A good business hand,
for he had written them hlmself-from some
Of the leading people in Baltimore He had
the finest drag, pulled at a2:4O gate on At
lantic avenue by the finest chestnut colt in
all Atlantic County. For month West
brook devoted himself TO the social graccs
only, and happy the 'Choptank maiden that
had the afternoon cali for IA drive behind
the high-steppinR chestnut
"ln August wealth and fashion had
poured into the big city by the sea. This
was Westbrook's time He rode less in the
afternoon. saying he was engaged in hang
ing some valuable pictures his uncle had
sent him from Paris His first victim was
n Baptist deacon, who was aCcosted by name
the hotel register Of the Mansion disclosing
his identity. He examined Westbroois
pictures 10 his sorrow. and Deacon Rogers
iirst hour with MS swell friend cost him
1900 in cash and $4,000 In checks, all of
which he paid rather than be brought out as
'Squealef III inc puDnc prints.
"Stiil Westbrook continued the idol of the
'Choptank maids and dowagors, and rich
ironmongcr fell into his net and left behind
1000 In cash and check for 5000. The
iron man first took a hand at the game. at
which the grecnhorn is first allowed to
win, with dead sure thing that the next
time he puts up cash or check he is sure to
lose. A not infrequent trick of Wcstbrooh's
was 10 profess to tear up n large check ana
accept IA small one, which always ended IN
Mr. Bunko Mans keeping both checks,
which sooner or later turned up against
the victims bank account, unless the loser
stopped the checks.
"l'hc iron man did not worry over his
81 900 loss, but the $1,000 check struck him
hard and he telegraphed his bank IN Phiu-
delphia, one Of the strongest financial in
sttutions in the city TO stop payment.
This brought the iron monarch $ name into
the papers, aud Wcstbrools, on the arrival
of the ten a. m. train at Atlantic city, was
named as the somewhat celebrated buulsl
sharp Of Baltimore and New York Tat
'Choptank mmdens strnlghtwuy cut him
dead, and the brightest of the inir bcvy of
beauty took an immediate train To Bait
more.
"But bold ns Numidinn lion aud, strnngo
10 say tBnllitlN ltuiltNN Ol tue CITY uQlll.lr
tiles, Westhrook determined 10 make boiC
dash for big game before the city by the sea
got too hot 10 h9ld him. At the bathing
hour the quiet but wclldressed gentleman
from Baltimore addressed Treasurer
Horner, of the T., H. a W railroad, saving
he was an old friend of his sons The trras-
uror, u grand old man Of seventy summers,
was dolghted with the franbuess of his
new made friend, and willingly accom-
panied him 10 his picture gallery ON Allan
Tie avenue,
'By some subtle alchemy which the
Young often exercise over the old, the
treasurer tried his luck, aud went out of
the picture gallery leaving ,20 cash In
Westbrool's pocket and u Chocll for $1,000
"rhe troasurors son got wind of H. stopped
the check, aud after lively lawsuit, m
which Lawyer Page and Thomas II pichl
defended against the check, the buuko mou
gave up the fight and gave up the check
"Maitaland dritted, like 50 many OF his
clnss, 90 New York, aud falling into bad
strcak Of luck, was found one morning at
the Grand Central Hotel with the gas
turned ou-and life's htful fever was
oV0r.n
Tho American fiag
Il may not be known to every one that