Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1892-06-29
HOW 1T WAS WORKED
THE WAY o'eRIEN GOT $4,000 OUT
OF Mr.. PECK OF ALBANY.

A Slick Game That Fooled a Respected
and Respectable Resident of New York
| state-How the King of Bunko steer
ers Handled His Lottery Scheme.
Bunkoer O'Brien stands at the head of
| the bunko men of the United States, and
his story of how he got $40, 900 from John
| III. Peck, of Albany, gives an insight into
the working details of his profession. 1t
so happened that the jury did not entirely
believe his story, and he was convicted
and sentenced to Dannemora for ten years
for robbery, while he asserted that he was
| guilty of nothing worse than grand lar
| ceny.
His theory of defense was that he had
got his $4,000 from Peck by playing a
simple bunko game, and not by force or
robbery at all. To prove this he went on
the stand, and producing all the nipple
| ments of the game he bunkoed the Judge
as well as the district attorney and the
| jury.
O'Brien's story was that he and Post
were the operators. They had marked
| Peck as man who was anxious to make
money and had fair amount to invest.
Post called on Peck and Introduced him
| self as nephew Of Erastus Corning, one
OF the most prominent citizens Of Albany
and the owner of a good deal Of 6ro6erfT
Young Corning said that he wanted To bnv
a house on the highest point of Clinton
avenue in order to get his wife away from
the malaria near the river Peek had a
house which he was willing to sell for
$4,000. He and Corning walked ND to r..
house, and on the way back CORNING, snC-
gested that they ssSo In and see the agent
Tor nsW l9stefy Company, who was irving
to establish an agency in Albany for the
sale OF tickets. Corning explained to Peck
that the nsTv Company would deal much
more literally by its customers than the
Louisiana company, and that he thought
SONG money could be made by investing
In the lottery, as he had already made
| some himself.
| Peck went In with Corning and called on
| OBrien, who explained to them that he
was the agent foc n new lottery which was
dealing very literally with its customers.
As one of the state agents with a power to
conduct small drawings himself he con-
Quoted a few for the benefit of Corning,
who bought a one dollar ticket and won a
few hundred dollars, which was promptly
paid with the exceptiorof a small balance,
which went over to the next day.
The lottery was conducted with a pack
from one spot to six spots on card. The
investor bought a drawing for one dollar.
He could draw eight cards and the spots
would amount to something between six
and forty-eight. II the spots amounted to
six he got prize of s., 900. The same prize
was given for the maximum draw of forty
eight. The prizes diminished to the inter
mediate numbers, which only entitled the
drawer to another chance. O'Brien told
Peck that as he was friend of Mr.. Cor
ning's nephew he did not mind explaining
that it was not the object of the new lot
terry company to make any money at first,
but to encourage people to buy tickets and
make their money afterward. That was
the reason that they had only one blank in
their drawings and that every other draw
entitled the investor to prize or another
| draw.
O'Brien had the bunko chart on the
table in front of him. 1t was about as
large as the side of a newspaper folded
once. There were numbers on il from one
to forty-eight printed in red ink with the
amount of the prize which each number
entitled the investor to printed in black
below the number. In one corner of the
chart was the number twenty-eight, with
the inscription under it, not as prominently
printed as the amount of the prizes under
the other numbers, but still quite plain
and legible
You lose ALL"
In the center of the chart was the num-
Der %. This number was called the Grand
Conditional Advertising prize. O'Brien
explained that this prize was offered ONLY
once in city, and then to some man of
high personal and business standing who
would ret the fact that he had won it he
known in order 30 draw other investors.
NO qualifications were required from other
investors, but any man who was a candi-
date for the Grand Conditional Advertising
$4,000 prize must prove that he was worth
at least that much money.
, Peck thought that this was better bus
mess than selling houses, and he made an
appointment with Corning to call thenext
day and qualify himself for the Grand
Conditional Advertising prize In the
meantime he experimental as an ordinary
paid.
The next day Corning and Peck called
on O'Brien, and Peck produced $40 900
worth of bonds and other securities.
, OBrien said he had no doubt Peck was
good for $4,000 as the word of Erastus
Corning's nephew was sufficient for him.
but the rules of his company were strict
and he could not make that an execution.
| IL
one SO highly indorsed
You see, Mr.. Peck" said O'Brien, I'VE
are sitting here as gentlemen and know
that it is all right, but must comply with
the rules of the company and see the
money"
Peck then went down town and had a
bank give him $4,000 on his note. He
took this back to the house and drew his
CARDS, which amounted to twenty-seven in
the number of spots, so that he was en-
titled to the Grand Conditional Advertis-
ing prize, but he produced his money and
Mr.. O'Brien started to count it, but End
ing that took some time said he would take
Peck's word for it.
"Of course, you understand, Mr.. Peck !"
he said, that this prize has to be drawn
twice to become the property of the owner. A"
Peck had not exactly understood that.
but he understood that O'Brien would fix
the cards SO that they would come out "a