The morning call., 1892-01-17
THE GOLD BRICK TRICK.
The Manner in Which Il Is Played on tn

The Manner IN Which Il Is Played on the
Unsuspr cJtng.
OF the vast army Of human beings who
prey upon their fellow-men there are none
more dangerous or desperate aud none who
cope as successfully with the police as the
thTee-caTd- monte men and gold brick swim
dleTs. These two branches Of the crooked
profession are distinctly American, aud
they are. as a rule, followed by men Of more
than ordinary shire WdneSS and nerve. Their
operations unlike other classes of crooks,
are necessarily confined almost exclusively
to the rural districts and small towns Of the
country Their earnings, if the term may
be used, are simply enormous, and II they
were inclined to be proyident many of them
could pose as retired millionaires while still
mddle-aged. But their ill-gotten gains
eyaporats like water, and they only retire
when the prison doors close upon them, or
when a policeman's bullet winds up a
crooked career
The gold-brick men are the top sawyers
of the crooked fraternity" said a local de-
tectiSe who has had much dealing with these
men to a reporter. Yes" he continued,
impressiyely, they have given the plain
clothes men more trouble than any other
class OF crooked people in the country and
will continue to do so, l suppose, for all
time to come. Monte and the gOid-brick
graft go hand in hand. Snow me q man
who is selling bricks and I'll show you a
man who fingers the three cards whenever
the opportunity offers. OF course every
body who has read the papers knows that
the gOld-5Fick swindie is as old as the hills
1t has been exposed hundreds of times, and
yet, while you may not believe 1t, more
suckers have been landed on it during the
past year than ever before.
'As a rule threa of these people work to-
gether, and they never work in the dark.
either When they decide to descend upon
community one of the gang goes ahead
and picks out the mark who is to be worked
After he locates his victim he proceeds to
gain all the information he can concerning
him. and especially as to the state of his
finances. Ii does not take the 'ixer' long 10
make the acquaintance of the 'pappy guY,'
and by the time his confederates make their
appearance On tho scene. generally week
after his arrival. he and the old man are
warm friends. 1t is usually tbs 'fxer's'
play TO be in search Of farm and the price
that be intimateS that he will pay the old
man for his place make the latter'S ewes
bulge out with astOnishment. He of course
does not want the farm for himself. but is
simply acting as agent for q couple of East
ern men, who viii BIZ along in a few DAYS.
Sure enough the alleged spectators present
themselves at the end II the week and the
trio drive out to look at the farm The
strangers are we'll pleased with il and will
soon as they receive certain sum Of money
for which they have that morning tele-
graphed.
In the conversation that follows the gold
brick is produced with that old, old story,
and few minutes later three clever bunco
men are shaking the dust of that cummu-
nifty from their pedal extremit!es with sew
eral thousand dollars of that old farmers
good money in their inside popke,s Occa-
sionaly, when the swndierS have induced
the victim to draw money FROM the bank to
go against sure thing. they 9ill not even
give him chance TO lose Il on the brace
game. They are in hurry, and adopt the
quickest method of getting the roll, whIchis
TO shove gun in his face, grab the boOdla
and drive rapidly away. This, of course, Is
nothing more nor less than highway rob
berry. and it is fraught with more danger
than the straight-Out buncO; it is never re-
sorted TO unless operators fear that some
outsider has got next to their play, and they
have no time to LOSE" -IndianapoliS Sem
tinel.