The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1894-06-18
THE GREEN GOODS BUSINESS.
A ''Steerer'' Tells the New York Senate
Committee How 1t is RIM.

Technical Terms of the Trade-"steerer,"
"Come-On," WRITER s.OId Gentle
man" Ringer" and 'Guy-How the
Police Throws Scares" Into the Vie
tim-Alleged Confederates in the Post
Offices.
The most important and interesting
witness SO far examined by the New
York Senate committee, which is inves-
tigating the conduct of the New York
police,w one George Apo. Apo is a
notorious criminal. He began life as a
Gus times in prison for this business.
For some years. his occupation has been
that of "steerern for the green goods
men. Apo was asked by the committee
to explain the green goods business. He
told in detail how circulars were sent
counterfeit money made from plates stol-
en- from the government could be had
cheap by coming on to New York for it;
and how the dupes were sent home with
bag of green paper or were openly
robbed. He was then asked to give a
list of the operators engaged in the
green goods business. and describe their
various offices. First, he said, came the
"backer." who is known to the crooks as
the bank roll man. He supplies the
good money used in the business; Sec
ond, is the writer" who sends out the
MALL third IC the rho
after the victims who have been located
in the neighboring cities; fourth is the
ringer, nwho is behind partition in the
turning joint, nand substitutes worth
less paper for the good money the victim
thinks he is getting; fifth, is the turn
err" who does the trick with the victim;
sixth is man known as "the old gentle
man," who is always introduced to the
victim as the" turner sfather," and last is
the taller" who takes the victim away
after he has been fieeced and puts him
ON his -homeward train. The turning
joint" is the place where the victim is
taken to buy his goods, and is generally
an empty store with a desk, which is
req uired in doing the turn"
GLOW are the profits of the business
divided? A.-The hacker takes fifty per
cent, and the writer takes fifty per cent.
These two divide the expense OF paying
the others. The steerer, ringer and taller
get five per cent. of the gross. and the
turner ten per cent.
Q.-What are the duties of the writer?
Ale gets from Bradstreet's and
Dunn's agencies and from directo cries
lists of names, and he mails to the per-
sons whose addresses are thus obtained
circular explaining the business, en-
closes bogus newspaper cutting which
contains pretended account of govern
ment detectives having discovered that
whatswas supposed to be an overissue of
genuine bills was really an issue of bills
from stolen government plates, and of
the ARE st Of the man who had stolen the
plate and official printing paper from the
government. He also encloses to the
victim who responds sample of the
goods, which is, in fact, a genuine one
or two dollar bill, and telegraph blank
with instructions how to reply by uele-
graph.
WHAT HAPPENS TO "A GUY.
Y A list, it further appeared, is made of
the circulars sent out, and when re-
Spouse is received the man who responds
appears on the books of the swindlers
by number, but he is known to the
gang at first as come-on.n The come
on is instructed by mail what town and
hotel to go to, and is supplied with a
password by which he is to know the
agent of the company" A familiar
password is, How are you, speedy for
tuner" Then a steerer is assigned to bring
the "come-on" into town. When he
reaches this city he is taken to a saloon,
where he is told to wait while the steer
err goes and notifies the turner that his
come-on is a guy A man is a guy
when he has proceeded as far in his
search for speedy fortune as to be
brought to the city by steerer. The
guy is then taken by the turner to the
turning joint, where he is introduced to
the turner's father" known in the bust
ness as the old gentleman" and whose
function seems to be to inspire confidence
in the mind of the guy. 10 the guy is
then shown a package containing some
$1,000 to $4,000. He is asked how
much business he wants to do, and
deal is made at the rate of ten dollars
for one. That is, if the guy says he has
$500 he is allowed to count out So, 900 of
the good money, and $3.50 more is added
for his travelling expenses. The guys
money is put away, and the pretended
green goods, that is, good money, is
packed in his presence in box. He is