The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-12-24
THE BUNCO MANS POWER.
EASE WITH WHICH ABLE CITIZENS
GIVE UP THEIR MONEY.


krday morning" said one Of former Supt Byrncss
detectives, heard two men talking about the
easy way in which Honest John French OF Brook
lyn was recently buncocd out Of SooOO. These
two men were very much disguised because tho
old man had been gullcd so easily and fpally
agreed that man who could be induced TO give
up his money on such raw game must be
perfect chump or else of his head i l'senoi
TO the comments OF these men with great deal
, Of interest because in the old days when Tom
Byrncs tho detective bureau in this town.
II was my particular function TO keep my eyes
on the confidence mon and always to know where
they were and what they wctc doing. l have
arrested the bcstknown bunco men who ever
| operated in this country, each one dozen times
over, and want to say that never had a case
where the game, when chroniclod In the newspa.
pers didn't seem just as bad as this one by which
Mr.. French was ropod in. It's easy enough
| TO stand on the outside and marvel at the ease
, with which fcllow-citzen has been duped, but
let INC tell you that man who has stepped into
the net 10 be plainr yielded to the preliminary
| persuasions OF the bunco stccrcr. II about an
securely caught as the ny that has ventured
into tho SPIDERS web. People still marvel at
tho skill OF tho agician but tho ntcros ted know
that there Is nothing marvellous In what he docs,
/ that IL is all very simple and easy. II l didn't
know something Of the deStcTity OF the bunco
| stecrcr too m ght marvel at the way Mr.. French
| gave up his money. but my experience has taught
| mo tina, tho m )ro q tue and worldly wise the
| man til oasier it is to make a victim OF him.
Tshoud put all Of this in tho past tense, because
| bunco, or banco, as II should be called. although
don't know why, played but little now days.
and cases like that OF Mr. French are rare. The
| old game. where mans stock In trade was his
! gift Of CAB. has given way TO gold brick sales,
fake horse deals and green goods operations.
| \ great many more Of these transactions than
| ever get into the newspapers are carried through
nowadays, but bunco in its old form il little
| played. The only reason can give for the change
! IL that the game became too well known, through
the medium Of the newspapers, although II IL
| a fact tina, there are no such clever men engaged
! In swindling to-day there USED 10 BE-.
/ The two qucercst bunco. stcercrs that ever
lived were Hungry Joe and Grand Central Pete
/ Tom Byrncs always maintained that Joe was the
| c!cvcrcst OF them all but hold that there never
was the equal OF Peter LsLc, in the swndlng lire.
Tho two men worked precisely the same & enc
and in their careers about cqusiiy successful
| but there Was this difference. Joe Lewis or
| Hungry Joe, was a horn thug. II he hadn't
been amaa Of brains he d have been n sandbargcr,
aud even az u was II VAS difficult matter for hlm
10 DC even GeCcnuy polite 10 his victim otter kc
had striped him lie was iiu!ctEous, and al
though he'd start in on ,icum with gentlcncts
chain before he Mas half through. I've known
hlin TO grab man money and then punch tho
as EASILY have talked him out Of it.
Il remember well how thu. phase Of Joo's char
acteI landed him IN Jail for good term "nce.
An English tours, named LHnIsdcn Can.c here
and nttcd up swell hotel Joe spotted him aad
Introduced himself On broadway one day na
Henry J., POST nephew Of Cert Murphy oi the
GGl!ta the steamer in which Iiamsdcn had come
| over. How Joe knew that Murphy md She Eng.
!shman had became great ircrtis on he voyage
| 1 fH,sAH had nd
joe was on with RamSdcn at urcc. Well. lerc
area who'll To-; Of details about this case thu, IN
skip, out by the usual methods the tourist was
Induced 70 diOp into place ON Grand street
man had ten 6vc round notes in ha hand. ready
!" them; when The sight Of the money made j. 9
uppcr. cu, Mr Ramalen. and skipncd out
picked hum up few days later md Ramsdcu
pushed tho casr so We seat joe Lp the river. GnS
aicw years before that 10" shot man IN detroit
where there was no need for violence and although
he got out OF the scrapc all right twas luck and
Joe could do ncn, job, though lie made q
chum out OF Oscar Wilde when the bitter visited
! Hotel Brunswick almost every day. lie worked
h HIN !" neriGrnon. ard finally got a ,hccs H.,
about his friend, however, and thc author beat
abou! two minutes Bu, on DC whole ,ioss''
the result 81 strain II brutality ~ HIM made him
n my mind second ratc' although h" wa
|
IN ~ in his line IN the old days
EMt !his man lnhc vas the wonder. H.
was tho Finished sUlndIrr II there ever was ore
lie was man Il polish and my Ne coat! rorc IL
p rHn who Sncw his game. They used 10 ~;
,a IL 10 SI Sis talk ,s eTrE n@iG iTM mar
lie was tho Srnnrteat rascal ever I.ne'v, and ono,
when he'd arrested him hc almost talked pc int
Grand Central Pete talked inccssantIy. wb,r
he didn have any ono 10 talk to he talked to him
sell! Wh'n b" sought victim he would rici
/ cat hlS man, then make rt.SN AT him, grab hir
by the hand and lalk taiE ,eIG The man wrul,
never get chance to say . word. Sooner o'
ln:cr Pete would say sonl'll ms th-t would IN
iIrrcs, IN" man end whom he G@nr that l." knew
tic contsqcc Of hSniTcds '" a ad iii WY M,
whom hc had never seen or heard q before Moth
Ing SyGT tii ia I hin and h nyo,abiy got som.
|, aud long after he had man. and the roncy wa,
in ms RFaap he would toy with ms victim .iusi T
about rct,r Lake that would amaze you. bu
iiyou happen TO he one q tho. whowerr SURPRISED
, anrcdIte will relate viii interest you. Thi,
, story is strictly true, and ! could mention thu
: are inyolyed, but won / for various reGsurS,
,h Fc' i had spotted man WIZ sat At q hcSk IN
him. il go, h.Id u Iy "h@ vast was HaSsR ni"''
vii VIII me and cali me papa II ali goSs well yo'
"rhc boy was 10 years old and bright boy. II,
nc had seen from he street. He gave him Ia,
old game Of talk and from the great mass Of words
! hurled al him the man managed to cStTac
the information that his visitors son Willie va.
about TO start hack for Yaic, after "A week y yiN
home. and that his father had fuTg often his pocket
book and wanted 10 brrow $50. Pete gave 1
name which he had taken at random from thu
building directory in the hail. and in ten mlnutr
he had 500 out OF his victim aad he WAS eo!nl
west On Forty second street, white Wine wa,
going cost.
When the victim recovered from the assault
Of words he !umbled to the fact that he had beer
swindlcd aud started after Pete, He saw hin
8 get on broadway car and. calling detective
, put him on the trail, Pete Jumped of the cal
al Leonard street, rushed into wholesale dry
goods store he knew he was being followed
and Iollied his way without being announced
/ into the Office Of the head Of the firm, A hal
hour later the detective, who had lost the trail
and found II again, burst into the office and founC
, Pete smoking the cigars Of the head Of the firm
and talking business with that individual III,
y detective wanted 10 arrest Pete AZ once. He dc
nounccd him as a notorious bunco scerer, bu
was requested 10 leave the Office by the merchant
7 The detectives explanations and cNpostuat dion.
, were in vain and he finally had 10 get out, IL,