Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1895-02-08

fOlft Will uiEniAls III w N'' ~ F'''N
as frequently and as loudly as the ex-
icet c,es OF the business demanded-Mr.
belmont Mr.. Hazard Mr.. Aston or
whatever rich mans son 1 elected TO be
at the time.
1--WE always consulted Bradstreet's I'm
order TO discover the financial standing
OF n man. IL n man was worth 10000 We
considered we ought TO get from him
So 600: II 100000. about 1900. or 1900.
II would depend on his rating. 1T n
foreigner was not away up In society
we would not touch him.. He would
have to be a man like Ashburn. We
could only get his standing by con-
yerylng with him: though. OF course. we
had the English peerage. and that gave
VA scme information. III i met an Eng
Ilshnan from Manchester, we would say.
4 knew the United states Consul over
there" or else some proment English
man. like DR.. Bruce, who had CONS ana
I would at once represent myself az one
OF his Sons. | knew. OF course, that
every one in the city knew MS mans
sons, and so I would get In his conf
dence. Among Frenchmen we only touch
ed princes.
M. CAPEL WAS a VICTIM.
81 suppose the most remarkable case
with which I was ever connected ana
certainly one which gave me considerable
reputation In my particular line. was the
experience | had with Mgr. Capel. or.
possibly. I ought TO say. the experience
that Mgr. Capel had with me. / APP
proached him I'm the usual way, telling
him that my name was Hazard. re-
minded him that / was the son or the
famous Broadway druggist OF ma name.
| knew that he was acquainted with Mr..
Hazard, and l told him that was stop
ping at the Fifth-Avenue Hotel.
said the monseignor:
"'YOu are connected with one or the
prominent familles?' ] replied. Yes
81 told him I had met him in Rome.
and was an intimate friend OF Mr.. Aston.
who was then the minister at that capt.
tai. Then. having made his acquaintance,
continued the conversation until | In
duced the distinguished ecclesiastic TO
visit the Office where we delivered the
prize. | knew that he was fond Of
gaming.
HE MADE $21 900 IN CHICAGO.
another interesting case occurred du-
ring the time that General Grant was
stopping at the Palmer House, in Chicago,
being then on his journey around
the world. The victim Of this case was
an Engllshman, Of whom we had got
track. and who came over to this coun-
tfN lOf lnt pun DoS' ~ iuNtSNlIS q idih'
amount Of money I'm a mine for n syndi-
cate. He had a great chest fun Of
money-an iron chest. strongly bound
not containing checks or negotiable bonds.
etc, but real gold. solid money. which
could be passed I'm any country in the
world. on account Of General Grant
stopping at the hotel special officers
were stationed around the building, and II
II had not been for this fact II is more
thar likely the amount of money this
gentleman lost would rave been much
greater. As il was, he had paid in $2l,00o
TO the prize III exhibition. and he was
gent back to the hotel 10 get $1,000 more,
the amount necessary TO give him a
chance TO draw the capital prize. |
could not go into the hotel because there
was an officer there that | knew. and
when the Englishman came down stairs
he was 90 clustered and excited that h.
did not know which entrance TO take In
leaving the building. lie went to Jesse
H.ppil. who was then the clerk OF the
hotel. and said: HI beg your pardon.
sir, but Gavin you tell me where his the
prize fund exhibition
we walked down Broadway, and 7
finally invited him TO the prize-fund *,
hibition. once there he gambled Ike an
old-time gambler in a faro bank; but
when he lost his money. unlike most
gamblers. he made a eTeat kick. lie SAID
that he had a strong suspicion that he
had been beaten out of his money, and
threatened 10 go and see Archbishop Cor
rigan and tell him all about the matter.
/ knew tina II he pursued this course
the Archbishop. who was on very init
mate terms with John Kelly. who WAS
then the leader OF Tammany Hall. would
promptly make very serious trouble for
me and my companions. and the cOns"-
quence was that I returned him his
money. which was not n very large sum.
however-not more than 500 or 500.
MI Hippil said, 4 VIII tell YOU arl
he called one OF the detectives over 70 the
desk. They went to headquarters. and
while they Were up there We Went 10 our
office. secured all the psraphernalia. and
lett town promptly FOR a few days. The
Engllshman was soon very glad TO get
out OF the way OF newspaper-men, and
the detectives. who were annoying him
TO death and making his life a burden.
1t was not long. however. before ! re-
turned TO Chicago. because the English
man left the city. and IL was perfectly
safe for me to return. / soon got tired
OF the Windy city. how,'er. and. as |
have said. came 70 New York. where I
made Il great deal Of money during the
years l was engaged there.
WHY HE Is DISGCSTED WITH BCNCO
Il became Disguised with buncO about
the latter part Of 1890, because at that
time a set OF men ike McNally, Joe Lit
tie. sig. Heal. George Apo, and the
rest Of the Haymarket freQuenters sprang
up. calling themselves bunco men, but
they were really engaged in the green
goods business. That was one reason
why became Disguised with the business
and why / left New York.
The green-goods business is practi-
cally highway robbery. The men who
| practice that kind OF work induce. by
the aid OF circulars. some poor old farm
or TO come to New York to exchange
his good money for a lot Of waste paper.
He has been all his life saving up 5000
or 5000. working from the rise Of the
sun until the going down thereof. These
green-gOOds thieves will simply rob him
of all he has. If they can't get II in the
ordinary course Of their fraudulent bust
ness they will often take II from him by
main force.
"Bunco is a very different thing. I do
not suppose ! would be able 10 make
a very strong ethical defence in its
favor. but the first-class bunco-men
never sought the poor or the ignorant.
j certainly can say that / never stole
money. or picked a pocket. or got money
from a man by force. 1t was always a
game Of wit against wit, Of intelligence
against intelligence. | always tried TO
secure big men who were as smart "a
] was. Some OF them. Of course, prided
themselves on their shrewdness and in
telligence. Besides. the men / came In
contact with could afford 10 lose their
money. The fact is. there never were
more than four or five genuine bunco>
men in the United States. Tom Brown.
ubn g. loaH uaG ono There have hean
many %pretenders who never saw bunco
in their lives.
Il do not class Hungry joe among
the prominent bunco-men. OF course,
he was in that line OF business. but
when II came TO doing the finest kim
OF work he could not keep up with thu
people that came from the West. rs,
p~ecially Davis. the man who was ar
rested in Virginia not long ago for prac-
ticlng the gold-brick swindle."