The Portland daily press., 1899-12-29
And It Turned Out To
Be a 81 Bill.
Another Story of How Two Men
Came To Be Suspected.

Two strangers In Portland succeeded In
working an old game on conductor of
this Portland Street railroad Wednesday
success The conductor whom they fooled
with their very shrewd game Is loser
by just four dollars.
On "Wednesday afternoon between 5 aud
Q o'clock when the Congress street cora
are always loaded with passengers, these
two men boarded car bound for the
West End. When the conductor came
along to collect the fares one OF the men.
who was well dressed, pulled out of
his vest pocket S. bill. folded four
times. When the confederate of the bunco
man saw this bill he said:
"here, don't break that S. bill, have
some change herr" and he begAn to fish
In his pockets The result of his search
was solitary nickle.
"I auees you will have to break that
bill after all" said tho confederate to ths
bunoo man. The latter now pullsd out
. bill folded as ths q bill had been, but
3 was only a 81 bill.
The unsuspectiDg conductor, who was
In q hurry and had been delayed some
time. took the bill. thinking of oourse IL
was s5 bill, and gave tbs man back
$50 In change. The men left the Car
shortly after they got this monsy. 1t Was
not until some time afterwards that the
conductor found that he had lost s.,
This same game was tried on several 9TH
er conductors without SUCCESS. all OF
them unfolding She bill before they
changed 1t and thus saving themselves
81 each.
The matter was r!Iorted to the police
who ct once set on foot search for the
men who had played this trick. At last
they thought they had found item, but
the chances are that they have not ss-
cured the right men after all. Ths way
the two men came to he suspected is ar
other story.
Wednesday night these two men, who
have since been suspected of being the
bunoo men, went to pass the night at
a house at 2o3 1-2 Middle street, Kept by
two women. In the morning ono of them
claimed that he had been robbed of $t5.
They ascnsed the women of taking this
money and quarrel resulted, tine wom-
sn denying that they were guilty OF rob
berry. There was another man at this
the part OF the women. a fight followed
between Brown and one Of the strangers
and Brown got black eye and the 9TH
er man was somewhat battered up also.
L Is man who claimed to have lest si5,
reported the matter TO the police and
Oflcsr Jones was sent TO the place TO
straighton out the case. The women de-
MED that they hal taken any money
from the men, whom they accused of be-
log drank and abusive to them. In the
end. however, the women gave the man
who claimed to have lost the money S25
and by orders of the city marshal the
women were allowed to leave town st
once.
These two men had been watched o.
the West End all day Wednesday by OIL
GERS keating and Wakefield, who suspect
cd them of being crooks. The men said
that they were the agents of Washburn's
circus and wers bound to Montreal, but
this has since been proved TO be untrue.
On Thuriday evening q conductor on the
Portland railroad thought he recognized
them as the men who had tried to work
him with the game which fooled the
other conductor. Officer Keatlng found
the men near the West End hotel and
after questioning them placed them un-
der arrest. At the police station the con-
ductor who had been bunoosd, failed to
identify the prisoners. They Will probably
be released this morning.