The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-08-24
TIE Convict Tells the True Story of
Briggs Death.
WAS AN EASY PIGEON
BANKER READILY CAUGHT BY
THE GREEN GOODS MAN.
The Old Story of the Paying Teller,
the Gaming Table and the Almost
Inevitable Ending-Ruin and lis
grace the Final Landing Place
(cbioaro Inter-ocean)

Chicago Inter-Ocean.)
The colonel had come down from the
hospital and was now the sole occu-
pant of G IS, his quarters as he said
ALPHABETICALLY, striving TO veil from
his own consciousness the ignominy OF
his situation. The doctor had directed
that he should have the freedom OF the
man hail during the day, with an
hours exercise in the yard, but TINS lat
ter privilege had little attraction tor inc
old man, who dreaded the frequent
passing OF visitors. realizing that from
his former position and the notoriety
of his case he was regarded as one OF
the sights OF the penltentlary.
Smithers, the con man, had also been
sent down. and was now acting as head
of the whitewash gang.
The intimacy between the two was
odd in its way; they had come from the
extremes of life to meet in the mean of
disgrace. But Srnithers was sympa-
thetic and ready of suggestion, and his
Difference was grateful to the colonel,
giving back TO him that sense of per-
sonal Importance which had once been
the breath of his nostrils.
One afternoon the colonel, lying back
on his straw pillows, and Smithers,
curled up like a gnome oil a three-leg-
ged stool, had been talking about mys-
FERROUS disappearance
we had a case in our bank ten years
ago." said the colonel. which has al
ways been an unsofved problem TO me.
The paying teller. a man by the name
of Briggs, was found dead in an OBJ
scure hotel over on the east side, with d
bullet through his heart. There was a
revolver by his side. but whether the
wound was self-inflicted or not was
never definitely determined.
"Anythin' missin'?" asked Smithers,
the con man.
Yes replied the colonel: that was
the strange part of it, His accounts
were found to be all right, but when his
box, the teller's box. you know, in
which he carries along q considerable
amount of money from day to day. was
examined, it was found TO be short
$50. 900. Three packages, each contain
ing $4,000, were gone. The receiving
teller, who sometimes worked in Briggs
desk, was positive ne had seen the
three missing packages on the day be-
fore Briggs disappeared.
There was a new satchel on the Ia
BILE. entirely empty. Now, it was proved
that Briggs bought satchel about this
time, but the merchant with whom he
dealt swore that this was not the one
he had sold to him, although it was
exactly similar to it. L always believed
that the man lied for some unknown
reason, but he showed the stamp of an
other firm on the leather lining.
We'll, what did the other dealer
say?" .
He said that while he couldn't re-
member to whom he did sell this par
ticular satchel. he was positive he never
sold it to Briggs"
suspicious found in the hotel room,
s'pose?'
colonel, after a moments reflection
Now, as 1 recollect il, three or four
packages of blank paper. cut and tied
to resemble a package of bank bills,
were found on the floor of the closet.
But the detectives said there was
nothing strange about this; the house
was freuuented by green goods men.
who used such dummies in their CHI
caneries. and these might very well
have been left by some former occupant
of the room"
Smithers Tells a Story.
"sav. kunnuI," said Smithers, after a
pause, "if the flash push really appre-
ciated what fat heads some of You
bankin' nobs were, they'd take more
des-prite chances. OF course, they
know that detectives can't see through
a milestone, unless there a big STAKE
on the other side of it, but to think tnat
your board. and you yourself, Eunnui,
should have gone squintin' around tns
barn with your hypottisses and 1ntuh-
able teories, when the hull truth was
fairly dancin' up and down before your
ewes to attract your attention, Now,
after l take a peep at he kalsominln'
brigade, I'll tell you story myself
ISunnuL which may seem TO have q
pint before 1 git through.
Smithers went out on the gallery ana
swore a little. After looking up and
down the tagging for keeper, ne
lodged in again, twisted himself into
mandarin shape. and thus continued:
Ten years ago. kunnIl, l was on my
1ppers. now THROWN shells. now brac-
NJ the game. now coppin' an odd super
and slang. but all the while keepln' IN
With old Bill Jenkins. who wasn't on
EASY street himself. Did you ever hear
If old Bill. kunnel? Well. that shows |
now little vally there is 20 reperta-
ion Old Bill was recognized as the |
;lickest thing in the hull push. He was |
he man who invented the gold,pri /
game. He was the fust to work the !
ong con in Amerik--. He had given !
ifty clever twists to the bunko idee. !
You see, he was original, he was. why, /
lfter an exposure of green goods he q /
10 better business than ever before. |
ecausa he'd make the poppy guys think
hat he alone had the real stun. Now,
or some reason, Bill wasn't very active
Il this time, although he was hard up.
Perhaps he was scared on account OF
ome old job. Perhaps he was scared
# the boys; they was sore on him,
because he kept by himself.
All the same, he would pay for infor-
nation. and whenever l struck any
hing that seemed crooked, I'd give 1t
o him straight. and he'd brace me-
We'll, one day l came to old Bill
Jenkins and said to him. says L: Bill.
here's a bloke named Briggs-don't ger
xcited. kunnel. it might bring on an
ither one of them s9aZzums-there's a
,loke named Briggs says /, that's
,layin the wheel 10 beat the band, and
IS o and double o and eagle the bird l.
With him all the time Then what
.ood could the fool be to me- asked
BILL. 'Ee must have gone broke al /
eady.' He's a fine man. / said. "a
ght in a leadin' church up town, and
ayin' teller in the Oldtime bank Are
GU sure?' asked Bill, with a queer
ght in his little eyes. 'Sartin.' said.
rye twigged him for more'n a week.
Then said he, just give me the odd
lance to him tonight, and put this in
our vest for the present
How Briggs Was Caught.
Now. kunnel. when Bill was rugged
ut for business you'd discount his
ote without a hacker. he was so re-
Why, a Wall street man
fasn't in Ii with him. You d have to