The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-08-20
LOOKED LIKE 4 GIFT
IL. JONES. NAVARRO, KAN, FOOLS
HON. WILLIAM BUNCO, OF
ST. PAUL.
FOOLED HIM TWICE IN FACT.
THE CONFIDENCE MAN REGARDS
THE FARMER AS A CHRIST
MAS PRESENT,
AND PROCEEDS TO GATHER HIM IN
But the Kansas Man Wouldn't Bite
on Either the Fake Watch or
the Bogus Checi1-His story.

If a register were kept Tor guests dl
the union depot the name of j. l..
Jones. Navarro, Kan, Parlor * would
have been conspicuously on the pooh
last night, for Mr.. Jones was spending
the night as the guest of the various
railway companies and was not taking
many chances outside the doors.
You see," he said, some of these
hotels is all right, and could hnd one
that is all right, but then again some
of them is all wrong and 1 reckon I'll
stay here. 1 couldn't sleep anyway
with all this noise"
If Mr.. Jones, of Navarro, Kan, is in
clined to be cautious there are not
many who will blame him. He has
brushed elbows with the Hon. Will
liam Bunco, st. Paul, twice in the
last two weeks, and, while he has come
off scott free both times, he remembers
the old story about the pitcher that
went to the we'll so often that 1t I'M
agined it was constructed of Harveylz-
ed armor plate until it fell on a sand
pile and was converted into broken
crockery The next time confidence
man gets a chance at ]. L. Jones, of
Navarro, Kan, it will be cold day,
and every one knows this is an I'M
usually frigid August.
On Aug Mr.. Jones arrived in st.
Paul from Navarro, Kan, with the idea
OF looking over some farming lands in
the state and possibly of locating. AS
events proved he is a very shrewd or
a very fortunate granger, but his COM
ing caused a stir among the bunco
liz no
union depot and vicinity their place of
business. 1t cannot be denied that Mr..
Jones looks like a man who might
have come from Navarro. There is an
air of new moWn hay and yellow corn
fields about him which betrays the
fact that he has not always lived in
city with over a million people. He
has shrewd eyes and a keen way Of
looking out from under shaggy brows,
but this is offset by a beard of the
most pronounced Populistic cut and al
together his makeup is one to cause
the confidence men to look upon him
as a Christmas present just ready TO
be taken from the tree.
That is the way it was. Two minutes
after Mr.. Jones struck town he was
down on the list as a Santa Claus. Ac-
companied by his young son he walked
out to get a view of the town. Mr..
Bunco was right on hand AS Mr. Jones
tells it this is the way it happened:
"A nice looking young fellow comes
W and says, Are you looking over
the country?' he says.
I am says 1. am thinking Of
locating says L.
well, he said he could show me
some maps and things and L went
with him to his office. About a block
says he. It was three blocks when
we got there, but that was all right
He started to fumbling over some maps
and talking to a man behind the coun-
ter, when in rushes another fellow.
Say, how much can l get on the
watch he says.
I amt running no pawn shop the
fellow behind the counter says, but if
you want to sell the watch, I'll buy it.
How much do you want?
She cost me eighty, and I ought
to get sixty" says the new fellow.
I'll give you a watch and thirty"
says the man behind the counter
You want my watch for nothing"
says the new fellow.
Then the man that owned the place
got out a watch from a case and
came over by me and says, This man
says he gives you his watch and
twenty-five to boot
Then they talked and I couldn't get
in a word it was so fast. My boy
comes up to me and says, Pa, we must
go or we will miss the train
Il says, I amt in the watch BUSH
ness says 1, and I don't know about
this anyway says 1. So we come away
and left them, but one of the men when
my boy spoke up, kicked him on the
shins and says, Keep still, can't you.
What's the matter with your"
And this was the first meeting of
Mr.. J. i. Jones, of Navarro, Kan, and
the Hon. William Bunco, of st. Paul.
Mr.. Jones took his train and went to
the western part Of the state and re-
turned on Aug. II, intending to go to
Barnum. The confidence game was
still running and Mr.. Jones was it
again.
While waiting in the union depot to
take the train for Duluth, the man
from Kansas was approached by an
old gentleman who started a CONVEX
sation, which developed the fact that
both were to leave on the same
train, and which resulted in a partial
agreement that they should be travel
ing companions. Mr.. Jones was piloted
into the smoker by an employee of the
road, and Immediately was Joined bv
the new acquaintance. I'VE went back
into the day COACH" said Mr.. Jones
in describing the game, land sat down
Pretty soon nice looking young fell
low come along and stopped by us.
This is my friend, Mr.. Adams of
the Adams Express company says the
old man to me.
I'm glad to know you says I.
Then Mr.. Adams said to the old