The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1897-10-14
THEY WERE EASY.
Two Tennesseans Buncoed in
Syracuse, N. Y.
They Bought Screen Goods" and Parted With
Four Hundred Dollars.
Syracuse, IN. " Herald, Oct. 4th.

viCtimized yesterday by green goods
men in this city and today are worth
$40O less than they were upon their ar
rival in this city. The men arrived in
Syracuse on Saturday afternoon and
under instructions from the buncoers
went to Congress Hall, where they reg
istered. The names that they give, the
authorities believe, are fictitious, as it is
believed that they do not want their
friends and relatives in the south to
know that they contemplated flooding
the district in the neighborhood of their
homes with counterfeit money. What
their real names are the police are un-
able to learn. The two victims are
young and sturdy-looking men, whom
one would think would know better
than to step into the time-worn trap of
the bunco steerers. When they arriV-
ed in the city each had in his pocket
considerable money, besides pair ofre-
volvers with which they proposed to
do up the buncoers in case they sus-
pected that they we're running against
crooked game.
The correspondence which brought
the two men to this city was begun sew
eral months ago, when they received
typewritten circular signed "Engrav-
er." In this way they were offered the,
right to handle in exclusive territory
an immense amount of counterfeit
money, for which they must pay in
good money from $4OO to $1,000 for
amounts varying from 81 900 to $13,-
900. The two victims answered the let
ter and in return received letter in
which many of the words were mis-
spelled and various errors made in cap
tilization. The letter follows:
WANTS TO MEET FACE TO FACE.
Dear sir:
Yours received. Sorry you can not
come to see me and do business. Now,
Mr., I don't see the reason you don't
want to come here and do business,
What seems to be the matter with you
and your brothers? You say you want
to make money, now if I was young
man and wanted to make money the
trip would not be too far for me to
come and see the goods. l don't ask
you to pay me one cent till you are
satisfied on every pint You can see
the goods, pick ont what you want and
take them right along with you home.
Even if I could meet you half way, l
could not take my goods and bring
them into q strange place as we could
not tell what would happen. 1t might
get us all in trouble. You know as
we'll as / do that business of this kind
must be done as quiet as possible, l
have been doing business for long
time and never had any trouble in my
life in selling my goods to all of my
customers, as I will not allow any one
but myself to sell my goods to them.
Even if / could leave here and meet
you half way, | could not, or would
not cart $100,0O0 of my goods around
the country to show you are any one
else, as that is the amount you can pick
from the amount you want. Ii we do
business [ could not allow you to use
any of the goods in the state of Tennes-
see, as that state is sold and as [ only
want one man in state to handle my
goods. So if you want the state OF
North Carolina, / will sell it to you. So
if you want to come here and do busi-
ness and see me face to face as there il
lots of things I would want to tell you
in regard to the business. So if you
want to do business answer at once, as
would like to know before trying tt
get some one else in the state of Nortl
Carolina. So if you can not come here
please let me know at once by return
mail and we will part as good friends.
Yours truly,
Long Island City, August 10, 1893.
The signature and address we're tori
from this letter.
Mr.. Pippin answered this letter an
received in reply the following:
HE WIRED "wILL SHIP HORSE.
, Dear Sir:
, have some business up in the west
ern part of this state at place calle
1 Syracuse which is about 500 miles froi
New York City. / will be there on th
29d and cath of August, this month, 8
if you will meet me then you can sto
at the Congress Hotel and will ca
4 there and see you. So il you come bu
n your ticket from Cincinnati to Syr'
\ cuse, right straight through. Come b
the New York Central railroad, as th
= is the quickest and shortest route fC
YOU to come. So if you make yol
mind to come telegraph to me at on,
and simply say in your telegraph "wi
shin horse" 1 will understand
When you leave home telegraph aga
!. to me. Say meet you --- | will u
derstand all of these kilograms, so dol
write any more letters. Telegram