Pike County press. (Milford, Pa.) 1895-1925, 1899-02-17
BUNCO AT SKAGWAY.
SEDUCTIVE GAMES TO TRAP THE
UNWARY KLoNDlKER.

ators Galre-steerers Disguised as Pack
ers HeIpto swell the Revenue.
Since tie grass has begun to grow
too short for them Skagway, some
of the confidence workers who still re
main in Alaska have taken to the
trails. Were they continue to set
snares 10 the dollars of unwary Klon-
-IVgfS AaP- ia ,SkagWay trail, the
sure-tlipg gambler N44bm goes higher
than the foot Of White Pass summit.
Hall 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 as active operator. His neces-
sary qualifications are a capacity to
Judge human character and tongue
that is gifted with glibness.
The successful confidence operator is
best described by the term spell-bin-
der. His confederates-the steerers-
carefully disassociate themselves from
him whenever a possible victim is in
sight. The better to disguise his wolf
ish character, the steerer frequently
dons the sleeps clothing of a packer.
1t is no uncommon incident on the
trail to see two or more notorious bun
co steerers faring along, one after the
other, apparently heavily burdened
with packs which, if analysed, would
prove to be nothing more than straw
or chips in canvas sacks. A little
| ahead of them always is the operator,
equipped with a small portable table,
| three shells, and the elusive pea.
When the first one reaches the ma
nipulator of the ancient, but to the vic
| tim ever new game, he stops, watches
and listens ,Ard finally lays down his
pacifnnbhe(9 .o~test and be amused.
| Ste6fefa NJ, 2 follows his example. as
| do the others in turn. BY the time
| the prospective victim arrives he finds
spurious Klondiker just winning a
bet from the shell game player amid
the half envious congratulations of his
! confederates
"Well, WE'LL this is my unlucky day,
says the man with the table, but I'll
give some other gentleman a chance
to win with the little pea"
Back and forth and round about go
the little shells again, glimpse of the
pea being given the watchers at seduct-
lively frequent intervals. Another
steerer guesses its location and wins a
! greenback or two.
IF you fellows are hitting me too
hard" obviously comments the oper-
ator, 81 must size up my roll before
taking any more bets"
He opens a well-lined pocketbook
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 invulnerable against
the temptations of bunco.
Laying his finger on the shell indi-
Gated to him, he offers to bet $40, 500
$50, or a higher sum that it covers the
rea.-l-gk bet is taken, the shell is
lifted, AMI the pea proves to be some.
where else. Usually the victim makes
a second and perhaps third bet, in the
hope of retrieving his loss, always with
the same result. A witness to one Of
| lutS6 CBAoOhN0 lNiAb VI udNlu6 6tGu Z
prospector who had lost $50 sit upor
his pack and burst into tears. HI
said that his last dollar had gone OF
the game
Still higher up the trail that same
day a man who runs a tent restaurant
bet and lost 500, but the shell-gamC
player was glad to disgorge it wher
the victims wife, a 2OO-pound lady o
German nativity, seized him by thu
coat collar and screamed Justify fol
help.
A woman who said she was going t
the Klondike in the interests of TIL
Smithsonian Institution, complained t
/, Capt. l.. A. Matile that confidence
workers we're so annoying her that sht
feared 10 continue the journey. Sh'
: is travelling alone, and had called a
the regular army encampment on he
way out Of town. Capt. Matile, whC
commands the troops here, sent al
escort of two soldiers with her as fal
as the Northwest Mounted Police pos
2 at Summit, Lake. After working ont
I boirhA@~H4na-t -t=al thoroughly, the con
e fidence men scatter, to reappear at an
= other point under like circumstance:
some time later in the day.
on the Skagway trail the shell gamt
is not in operation regularly. Tn,
a men engaged at it are supposed to be 4
detachment of "Sospy" Smiths gamb
r lers. Those who operate in Dyea
e Sheep Camp, and along to the base o
o Chilkoot are under the leadership o
S Tom Cady, a notorious Colorado CAM
a confidence man.
/ other devices for catching victims
= besides the pea and shells are heard o
e occasionally. The salted mine man il
n one of the most recent additions Il
those who seek to get something TO
e nothing.
e J. T. Jones, President Of the Guar
2 antee Title and Abstract Company o
r juneau, saved a Dyea merchant from
q falling into the clutches of a sWindle
: OF this variety. The merchant toll
o Jones that he had a chance to buy
n placer nine for the very low sum 0
, $500. Il was a new strike, only fv
n miles outside of Dyea, and the locator
\ being out Of funds, was willing to sac
m riice his claim. He exhibited speci
II mems Of gold from the placer, they be
P i1g shot and smaller particles. In tn
,e afternoon the miner accompanied Jone
Il and the merchant to his claim. Their
AN1ed Ramples-of the dirt.
n = eeim, ,sss obtained looked gen
1f uine, 81, Deing dubious, the Juneau
v man today had them tested. The,
n proved o be a composition OF copper
M zinc, bimuth and tin. This evening
" Jones oppressed the opinion that NOR