The evening times., 1896-02-28
CONFIDENCE MEN AT WORK
Washington Presents a Large Field
for Their Operations
The Victims of the Plausible Takers
POOr-Bogus Steamer Purser.

Several shrcwd confidence men have
been making this city the field OF their
operations du ring the past few days andth
police are cxertiDg themselves to capture
the rascals.
The latest game has been worked sue
cessfuliy on three colorcd men in South
Washington, and the inIpostor came very
near being captured yesterday byPatrolman
Baur OF the Fourth precinct.
This fellow is described as being dressed
in steamboat uniform and is plausible
taIker. Aftcr selecting some colored man.
known to have more pr.less money, be ap-
proachcs him, gives t1nt ''the glad hand"
and asks If he does no twant Il nice position.
The sharper represents himself as purser of
one OF tie Norfolk and Warrington steam
ers, and says he is in ne9d of n teIlboy
on the vessel. who will rec Seive $50 salary
per month and his ard. |
Should the victim a tree ~ take the place,
the bogus purser informs him 1t will be
necessary to have unifoim, which can be
purchased for $40. II be will raise So the
CON man informs him he will be allowed
one month in wbich.to pay the balan nee.
The expectant dupe, as a general thing,
manages to scrape together the necessary
amount, If he should not Hippen to have 1t
available about his peFsen or premises, and
the crook escorts nm TO some reliable
clothiDg & house f4 - ~
While the prospectus 6eiI boy is trying
on the garment the swindler secures pos
session of the $5, under pretext of carry
rying 1t to the cashier TO secure rebate,
or something of the kind. but instead of
doing this, he puts the amount in his pocket
and quietly slips out Of the establishment,
leaving the partially -disrobed victim to
make his own explanations to the clothier.
The latest swindle perpe,rated by the
fraudulent steamboat officer was upon
Tony Smith, an Industrious colOred resident
of Willow Tree court southwest and the
mans name was added to the list of other
victims in possession of sergt. Daley and
Policeman Baur.
This confidence man is a slippery fellow
and manages TO keep out OF the way OF the
Officers OF the law. When seen by Police
man Baur he disappeared as quickly as
though the cart h had opened and swallowed
him.
Another new ''con'' trick is being worked
by a stylishly dressed colored man who
goes among poor people OF different races
and sells them printed tickets purporting
to give them one chance in a lottery for a
valuable house and lot. He states that the
owner of the house is a humanitarian who
has placed the price OF the tickets at fifty
cents each, to be sold to poor and worthy
people in order that t hey ma Y be able to Sc
cure home with an insignificant outlay
of cash.
The tickets are headed with this line, in
display type:
House and Lot for so cents.'
Still another swindle which is being
worked here is soliciting advertisements
from boarding house keepers for a national
directory. many thousands of copies OF
which are to be circulated in the States, SO
the clevcr-looking young men who are engi-
neering the scheme declare. 1t is said quite
a number of landladies have given up silver
quarters to have their names and addresses
inserted in the bogus publication, or "at-
mospheric directory" as a policeman aptly
characterized 1t.