The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1893-03-09
An Editor Tempted by the Green
Goods Swindle.
From Ronceverte Messeneer and News

! felt money! for $780, The offer was &C
companied by instructions how to gel
to New York, where to meet the parties
who had the green goods for sale, what
signs to make in order to be identified
&c., all of which would lead most people
to really believe that the parties were
anxious to trade counterfeit money fo1
good honest greenbacks. AS we have
reason to believe that quite a number Of
such letters have come into this and ad>
joining counties during the past year,
1T will be well to give an explanation of
this scheme to defraud 'green people,
out of their money.
In the first place, these New York
sharpers do not deal in counterfeit mon
ey. They are far too sharp for that.
1t is dangerous to have them in posses
sion, and the Treasury department of
the United States has too many secret
detectives on the watch to make it safe
to handle them. So, if any man is dis
honest enough to undertake the job of
negotiating for such goods, he may take
notice that counterfeit money is the last
thing he may expect to get.
However the whole object and aim of
the green goods men is to make their
dupes bezie0e that they furnish counter
felt money, and they send list of in
structions how and where to go to meet
the dealer, what signs to make, ETC., all
of which impresses any one who reads
it with the idea that that there is surely
no doubt about the green goods being
Forthcoming when he gets to New York
When the man whose honesty sits light
ly on him gets one of these circulars, he
studies on the matter for some time.
perhaps six months or longer, until his
cupidity gets the upper hand of his
sense of danger, and he starts for New
York. He follows the exact instructions
of the New York dealer, and is met by
man who takes him in hack and drives
him around the city until he is com
plete,y bewildered, and then stops at
some obscure place, where he is taken
into room and the green goods shown
to him. They look so natural that he
agrees to take them. The (fact is, the
money is genuine, and would be taken
at any bank. The dealer then produces
valise, and proceeds to pack in the
rolls of money. He shuts up the valise
and locks it. The greeny pays over his
good money, and while he is doing so,
the valise is quietly and quickly ex-
changed for another just like it, by
partner of the dealer who is concealed
beneath the counter. The new valise is
then given to the purchaser, and they
leave the house. On entering the hack
they are driven around the city again,
and finally stop at the depot, where the
greenhorn is advised to take the first
train for home and not open his valise
until he gets there. When he does open
it he finds a few green colored pieces of
paper wrapped around brick. This is
the general method of operating the
green goods swindle, as related to us in
confidence by man who has been there
and chad his eye teeth cut" Another
way is for the dealer to lay cut large flat
packages of bills, tied up with cord,
with genuine one dollar bill ON the top
and bottom. He allows the victim to
pack the valise himself, and he goes
away satisfied. When he examines the
packages he finds the upper and lower
bills all right but the rest is blank green
paper. One thing is certain, no green
L. 4 - - ~ l..
self liable to ten years imprisonment in
the penitentiary by selling counterfeit
He knows the man who is
swindled dare not inform the authorities
as he would lay himself liable as part
ner in the crime, and he pockets the
victims money with the assurance that
he is perfectly safe from arrest.
Sometimes people get it into their
heads that they can beat the ''green
goods dealers at their own game. Two
Of them tried it on Thursday, February
18th. Their names were Joseph L.
Greer, storekeeper, and James M. Hill
man, farmer, both of Roanoke, Va. How
they succeeded they told the judge in
the Tombs police court, after being ar
rested for carrying concealed weapons.
"We have received green goods circu-
lars for some time past, and finally de-
cided to come to New York and get the
best of the sharpers,' explained Mr..
Greer to Judge White. "Of course, we
did not suppose they were going to sell
us counterfeits; they were going to show
us good money, and that is what we
were going to get. The sawdust game
wasn't gong to work with u.s."
Greer and Hillman left Roanoke on
February 18th, and following
travelled on a through train
to Trenton, New Jersey From Trenton
they went to Lambertville, and put up
at the Union Hotel. They met there
man calling himself Robert Lesion. This
was one of the names on the circulars
they had received. He said the old man
was sick' and they would have to come
on to New York. They did so, and put
up at the International Hotel, Park
Row, on Thursday morning. Then they
went across the river to Jersey City.
Each man carried Smith 81 Wesson
revolver of 44-calibre. Greer then waited
in the ferry house while Hillman went
to 512 First street, a saloon. There he
met the man calling himself Lesion and
was taken in a cab to a street, the name
of which he does not know. They en-
tered an office where several men were
engaged in counting piles of greenbacks.
Lesion explained who Hillman was
and his business. Hillman Kept his
hand on his revolver while S., 900 in good
money was counted out before his eyes
and put into valise which stood on
desk with back to it.
Nov give us your $500, as agreed
upon, said Lesion.
This took Hillman's attention away
from the satchel moment, and he sus-
picioned that the satchel with the good
money had been replaced by another
one