The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1897-12-23
But the BunCO Steerer
Saw Collins First.
GOT GREEN ONES WALLET
Contained Twenty-Five Dollars, All
That Collins Had.
LITTLE COMEDY IN THE TUNNEL.

Frank Collins, who says he is 81 years
of age, arrived In town today about
O'Clock and shortly after was the easy
victim Of confidence man. He was old
enouilgh To know better, but he evidently
was unacquainted with the wiles of fell
lows who live 10y their wits.
4 Collins was an easy mark and it was
illustrated how gullable be- was by lis
conversation with Detective Parker, to
whom he made complaint of his exper.
ilnoe.
Collins told the detective that he ar
rived in the city from Milford, Mass.
where he had been employed for consii-
cradle time and was on his vay TO New
Haven To see his MA. lie ad to stop
over To wait for the New Haven train and
to kill time no thought he would take in
some of the sights of the town.
= In mis- unsophisticated way he told the
following story
II came out of the apot and saw the
big whito budding with woman's head
In front and | thought it would bs good
place TO see. | went through the tunnel
couple of times and SAW a lot of people
going in both directions 1t seemed to q
a great place and there were lots oil pretty
girls in there.
"By-and- by a man came up to me an
said Hello, and appeared dreadful glad
10 zee me- He wanted to know where /
had been an / told him down to Massa-
chusetts TO work an that / was going
to New Haven TO soc my Ma. 1 told
him she'd be powerful glad to SEQ me as
| had been awsy SO long an she would,
too, lust at Christmas time.
lie seemed to be "a real nice fellow an
shook hands with me an said he was 20.
in my waN an was waitin for train,
too He wasn't goin' as far as New
Haven, but we could be company for
each other uu 20 New London, where he
was going TO get off.
says he. Would you mind taking
care Of my baggage after | get it as l
have some chores 10 do afore the train
startsY Cert, 'snys !. ANYTHING to oblige,
an then he went up lrs In tho big
buiidin' an hoard him talking an
lauin' with another fellow up there.
Gle saii 1t was u cinch or something
like that lie came down latin an said:
Tnem fellows up there cant oDaDee any.
thing. an' he asked mo II L bad any
elnnV.. | rullad out % cents. but he
lafred ngain an said. 'rwan't tnat Kind
of change that they wanted it was bills to
break Sonethin'. No see hs couldn git
his baggage an he wanted me to 90 with
him u place where be could have some
fun before train time. ] was IN as much
OF "A nnFTN ihI ~ kOth iiAht 90 M Il
pulled out INV wallet
"There were so i'm it an he took the
pills an run up stairs. / waited for him
quite "A while an then ] thought I'D 20
~ TO see what was keepin' him. There
was n hull LOT of empty rooms In tho
buiidin' an / looked into n good many OF
them. tut | could not lind the chap who
was going as far 80 New London with mo.
waited about an hour an' then came
over hero.
~ ggess I've been buncoed. I've heard
Df the gold brick business. but j never
struck bunco fellow afore. j don't
know what Ma will say when 1 show
up without cent after helm away 50
long. Gosh, don't know how I'm goin
To cit TO New Haven, oven "
Collins accompanied Drt'rtive Parker
to the Butler Exchange, where he said
that the confidence man captured hts
wallet, hut OF course that willy chap had
iepFr ed and left no footprints IN tho
tunnel II Is not known whether the New
Haven man got funds enough II buy
railroad tici e. or not.
Detective l-arkor asked the reporters 60
call tha attention of tho public 90 the
many schemes for raising the wind dur
inc tho holiday sonsor and tO beware OF
1oaling with strangers In anything.