Gulf Coast breeze. [volume] (Crawfordville, Fla.) 1897-19??, 1898-06-10
TRAPS FOR KLONDIKERS.
THE TRAILS. TO THE GOLD MINES
SWARM WITH SWlNDlERS.


too short for them in town, some of
the confidence workers who still re-
main ut Skagway, Alaska, have taken
to the trails, where they continue 10
set snares for the dollars of unwary
klondikcrs. On the Skagway trail
the Sure.thing gambler seldom goes
higher than the foot of White Pass
summit Half u dozen or SO of the
tribe usually travel together, sharing
at the close of the day the profits of
the tricks they have turned. One of
the party is chosen N active operator.
His necessary qualifications are ca
pacity To judge human character and II
tongue that is gifted with glibness.
The successful confidence operator
is best described 10y the term spell
binder, His coniedcratcs- steer
ors carefully disassoclate themselves
from him whenever possible victim
is in sight. The better to disguise his
wolfish character the steerer frequent
~ dons the sleeps clothing Of II
packer. 1t IL no uncommon incident
ON the trail to see two or more notOri-
ous bunco steerers faring along, one
after the other, apparently heavily
burdened with packs which. il ana
lyzed, would prove to he nothing more
than straw or chips in canvas sacks.
A little ahead Of them always is the
operator, equipped with n small porta-
BILE table, three shells and the elusive
pea.
When the first one reaches the ma
nipulatOr ot the ancient, but to the
victim ever new, game, he stops,
watches and listens, and finally lays
down his pack as il to rest and he
amused Steorcr No. follows his
example, IA do the others in turn. by
lifetime the prospective victim arrives
he finds II spurious Klondiker Just
winning bet from the shell game
player amid the half.envious congra,u-
lations of his conlederates.
"Well, well, this is my unlucky
day." says the man with the table,
but I'll give some other gentleman
chance to win with the little pea. "
Back aud forth and round about go
the little shells again, aglimpse Of the
pea being given the watchers mt scduc-
lively frequent intervals, Another
steerer guesses its location and wins u
greenback or two.
''Ir you fellows are hitting mo too
hard" obviously comments the oper-
ator, 81 must size up my roll before
taking any more bets"
He opens a well.linod pockctbook,
and, while his attention is taken up
with its.contents, one of the steerers
slyly raises the shell under which the
pea is hidden. That catches the out
slider, unless he be inyulnerable
against the temptations of bunco.
Laying his finger ON the shell indi-
Gated to him. he offers 10 bet $40, $40,
$50, or a higher sum that it covers the
pea. His bet is taken, the shell is
lifted, and the pea proves to be some.
where else. Usually the victim makes
n second, aud perhaps third, bet in
the hope of retrieving his loss, always
with the same result witness TO
one OF these episodes tells OF having
seen prospector who had lost 800
sit upon his pack and burst into tears.
He said that his last dollar had gone
Oh the game.
Still higher up the trail that same
day n man who runs tent restaurant
bet aud lost $50, but the shell game
player was glad TO disgorge IL when
the victims wife, u 20O-pound lady Of
German nativity, seized him by the
cont collar and screamed Justify for
help.
A woman who said she was going To
the Klondike in the interests Of the
Institution complained TO
Captain l.. A. Matile that confidence
workers were SO annoying her that she
feared TO continue tue journey. She
is travelling alone, and had called at
the regular army encampment on her
way ont Of town. Captain Matile,
who commands the troops ut Skagway,
sent an escOft Il two sOldiers with her
~ far as the Northwest Mounted Po.
lice post at Summit lake After work.
ing one point on the trail thoroughly,
the confidence men scatter, 10 reap. |
pear ut another point under like cir. |
some time later in the day. |
On the Skagway trail the shell game
is not in operation regularly. The
men engaged at it are supposed 10 be
q detachment OF ''Soapy" Smiths
RVS
Dyea, Sheep Camp and nlong TO the
base of Chilkoot are'under the leader
ship of Tom Cady, notorious Colo
RADIO camp confidence man.
Other devices for catching victims
besides tho pea aud shells are heard of
The sailed mine man
Is one of the most recent additions to
those who seek to get something for