Evening star., 1897-01-14
A Famous Ban4d Confidence Men
and Their Work.
TEE ARLINGTON STATUE GAME
How the Sharpers Were Finally
Run Down.
70 A woMAN

corps which operated in this vicinity sew
eral years after 1876 on SO extensive q
scale that, according to reports, the five
principal members were in receipt of
princely sum of winnings-in the neighbor
hood Of 100000 annually. The article con-
cludes with the question as to how the
business was broken up unanswered. AS
the following will show, the main credit is
due to a woman, if a reporters conjectures
are correct.
The First Clue.
If a reporter will call at No. - o street
northwest, and call for Skip, he may learn
something which ought be in the papers,
and If it should do no other good, the piece
will at least put some people on their guard
and save them money"
So read the unsigned note received by one
OF The Star reporters some fifteen years
and evidently written by female unused
to corresponding. He was, therefore, some
what suspicious, especially so as he had
frequently seen about the place one he had
long known by sight as suspicious char
acter. reputed to be one of the 'three-card
ncnte' men, who We're frequently heard
of as making extensive hauls from green
ies," whom they had induced to go to
Arlington to see the unveiling of monu-
ment to some distinguished general After
keeping the note to himself for several
days and debating in his mind If he should
not observe the usual custom in cases OF
anonymous communications, and pass 1t
by. .unnoticed, he finally concluded to go to
the house, but to De prepared for any
emergency. About 5 O'Clock one afternoon
the call was made, and the reporter was
shown upstairs-two families being the oc-
cupants Of the house OF four rooms.
Skip" with his wife and two children, oc
cupying the upper rooms.
These were very scantily furnished and
the surroundings indicated that their then
rode of living was from hand to mouth" ,"
and. in fact except that the man appeared
to be fairly well clothed, the only pleasant
feature as to the others was that their
cheap and scant clothing was scrupulously
neat and clean. The reporter showed the
note, ard both Skip and his wife at first
denied any knowledge Of 1t Or that they
had any information to impart, although
the wife limited that Skip could tell a great
deal if he would. This he declined to do,
and in the conversation that followed the
reporter finally learned that Skip was
somewhat indignant because certain peo-
pie had deserted him in his late troubles.
Some few months before he had been ar
rested on the charge of housebreaking-
taking bottle Of wine from a restaurant
window, after breaking the glass-and he
was suspicious that, as he had had some
disagreement with nib old chums and they
were fearful that he would blow on them.
they had declined 80 assist him in getting
out Of jail. In fact, he believed they had
put up the job to get him drunk and get
him to commit the act for which he had
been Jailed, and his wife had, by selling off
her furniture, purchased some straw ball.
and secured his release
This information was mainly obtained
frem the wife. the husband being as close
mouthed as a clam, Finally the wife re-
marked, ''WeH yods won,tzEo with them
any more, will you, Skip?f and IF what
you know is published, Ii may do others a
service, If it does no good 10 you. and 1
toll ri ftn
porter thought of the similarity of her
language to that of the note, and being
quite certain that Skip was one uf the
gang. he piled him with questions but, as
before, with no success.
Full Confession.
Skip, however, said that he would con-
slider whether he should talk, and let his
visitor know. A day or two passed, and
the reporter paid a second visit to the
house, and requested an answer, one way
or the other, and Skip. after a few mo-
ments delay, said: IF I make a clean
breast Of the business, will You promise to
show what you write to my counsel and
be guided by what ne says as to what
should be published?' The promise was
Then followed series Of interviews from
which resulted the filling of several COL
umns Of The Star, in few weeks with
matter, in which the modIs operandi of
the gang was set forth. and to many it
seemed Incredible that the business had
been SO extensive.
The Members of the Gang.
1t was learned that the informant was a
protege of distinguished senator and
governor Of New York, VINO had procured
him a situation in the pension office, and
that he gave it up to enter the more lu-
crative business of escorting sightseers to
Av1f,
some employe of the government printing
Office for time, but found the new busl-
ness better paying and more exciting than
the monotony of day labor. third was
quite wealthy, man of family, and was
regarded as quite a leading citizen of his
section. The fourth had a trade in which
he was an expert, and was also a married
man. with a house full of children. The
fifth of the gang, looked on as the best
informed. and the principal, had the repu-
tation, in his neighborhood, of being a
f1rst-class citizen. In easy circumstances,
and his family was quite prominent in
few others, who occupied minor positions,
such as keeping the boat, conveying mes
sages. &c.
The MOdus Operandi.
The Usual pickup" place was about the
Capitol but in their work improvements
were from time to time added till at last
it seemed as ii the business were pro-
fessicnal cne. They would hang about the
hotels. and the strangers registering would
be studied. A victim being selected and
his name and residence taken, 1t would be
given with minute personal description
to the others, and then one would look up
his address in a directory of his town,
note the names of some Of the residents
study Up something Of the town, from a
gazetteer and be ready to make the stran-
gers acquaintance. and talk entertainingly
of Ills town. Then the victim would be
watched for and connected with, and soon
ne would be seeing the sights" under
the guidance of the pilot" Generally af-
ter the Capitol was shown, the story of
unveiling monument led the stranger to
believe that the .cother public buildings
were closed, and the President and other
officers were attending the ceremony, and
he v. .ould readily accept the invitation to
Arlington by the boat route.
At Arlington.
All arrangements had been made, the
boat was convenient. at the landing on this
side, and on the other the operators Of the
gang were prepared to play the game-one
to act as the officer. Sometimes 1t would
happen that the game was actually in
progress, with the doodle rolf of the
sharpers against the good money of the
victim; but generally the officer or sherin
would appear and pretend to arrest them
for gambling on the property, and then
compromise on the payment Of a good