The herald., 1897-01-18
He Had an Experience With a
BuncO Steerer
PHONOGRAPH FIR
Discussing Race Horses Led to a Gam
Of Poker
Bet on Dead Sure Thing and Lost Ills
Wad-His Search for
Sympathy.

The latest story about the too conhc-
ing rustic and the bunco steerer was
told to Assistant District Attorney w.
T. Williams Friday afternoon py the
victim, who sought counsel as 10 the
proper way to recover his lost money
and get even with the sharpers VINO
had taken advantage of his innocence.
The district attorneys listen patiently
to all these tales, but seldom can they
give the desired consolation. so eluslve
are the tricksters and so meaEer IS the
definite information their victim is able
to convey. The great variety OF
schemes employed for trapping the un-
wary show a wealth of ingenuity pos
sessed by the fellows whose only work is
working other people.
The man who last told his troubles
to the sympathetic district attorney is
a well known rarcher at Norwalk who
would, in other localities. be described
as q ''hayseed." He gained some valu-
able experience at some, cost to himself,
and this is the way he did it:
The other day the Norwalk man was
standing In the door of a Spring street
establishment listening to the music
given out by phonograph. Beside
him stood respectable looking stranger
who spoke amiably to the Norwaik
man and invited him inside to listen
to other selections by the machine.
While the two were thus engaged the
subject of race horses came UP and a
discussion ensued as to the name and
speed of the fastest horses in the coun-
try. The two men could not agree on
the subject, and ip this dilemma the
stranger said his partner had book
containing the names aud records OF
every horse in the country. If the Nor
walk man would accompany him the
disputed question could quickly be set
tied by the official authority. " ould the
Norwalk gentleman so along?
Would the fly step into the spiders
parlor?
The two repaired to certain Spring
street saloon and entered Club room, :"
where two men were discovered playing
stud-horse poker. The Seerer. for of
course the reader has already OWNED
the true character of the Norwalk mans S
companion, though the granger was
unsuSpecting, asked the players If they
had seen his partner. Yes. they had
seen him only a moment before, but he
had gone out. saying he would return
in g little while.
They would wait until the partner
came back The steerer said he thought
he would take hand in the game to
while away the time. Wouldn't the
Norwaik man also come in and make II
four-handed The Norwalk man said
he didn't gamble. and at first declined
TO join the game. but he was finally per-
suaded to go in and he soon had 50 in
the pot 1t went around until it became
necessary to put up $25 TO protect his
share He would have dropped out,
but the steerer whispered to him to stay
in-he had seen the hand of the buffer
and it contained, nothing better than two
skies. The Norwalk mans hand would
beat that. 1t was dead sure thing.
Again was he persuaded. The Nor
walk man said he had no more money
but he had a certificate of deposit for
1925 in a certain Iowa bank. IF his
compa Mons would give him the change
he would put up s95 They wouldn t
give him change, but they would give
him chips, ana Of course they would
cash them when the play was over dis
playing a large cash reserve to prove
their ability to refund at any time. The
Norwaik man endorsed the paper so II
was negotiable. he received his chips,
put in s25 to protect the pot. Then the
next fellow raised it to s12e.
This was little too rich for the Nor
walk man. His friend. the steerer want
ed, him to stay in. He now had only
500. but the steerer volunteered to put
in the s29 AS the haySeed had already
s27 at stake and was assured by his
friend" that the buffer had only two
skies. he planked down his 500 in chips
and the steerer put in 500.
Then came the show down.
Instead of two skies the buffer ha
three of them
Tears came into the eyes of the Nor
walk man as he told this part of the
story to the district attorney.
After ne had lost HE all, the Norwalk
man and his FRIEND went out. the lat
ter saying they We're both In the same
boat. as he. too, had been robbed, but
as he still had a couple of dollars left he
proposed a, dinner. These bosom friends
dfned together.
The next day the NorwaIk man had a
bright idea lie telegraphed to the Iowa
bank to stop payment on the check, as il
had been stolen, and he triGSein vain tc
find, the men who had fle.aced him, an6
then poured his troubles into the ears Of
the district attorney.
The sharpers had already received
TrSiFs