Evening star., 1900-08-11

| ing doctor of his Last 1.0O9- franc note in the
| first afternoon of his membership. And he
considers himself lpcky IN having lost the
rest OF hds little fortune,playing his own
Idea at least. beforehand; because he ad-
mits he would have gone in 1t deeper
had he been in funds, such was his conf
dence." ', t
Said to Pc a Yankee Game.
The Paris police are looking for a new
king of bunco, whose popularity is that he
| always operates by, mail That this party
| is said to be American almost fills me
with kind Of unholy patriotic pride, such
is the ingenuity of his scheme. His victims,
regularly chosen in Paris or London, regu-
larly suffer in silence. Hence he threa' ems
to have long run Some one in these
cities must supply him promptly with the
particulars of the death, Of lower middle
class business men with families; and it is
to their cupfdity that he addresses himself.
One or two days-as early as possible-after
the death the family receives. in the dead
business mans mail. a filled-up notice from
The German-American Provident Invest
ment Insurance Company" the name being
hcutlous), stating that your quarterly pay
ment on your policy for 10000 francs life
insurance Is now due. and will be overdue
on the 18th of the next month"; The family
is aStonished and delighted.
Why, We didn't know papa was insured
for 2OO0O In any such company" 1t is 90
GOO francs found in the street. But rude
SHoSh WIFI tne next tnOuSnt. Tdpd
had not paid his premium" Some one of
the family proposes to send on the premium
money and say nothing Immediately about
the death This Is what the new American
operator counts on: and such is the weak
ness of poor humanity that the money
comes with deplorable regularity. When
the death claim comes in week or so later
1t is to be presumed he smiles before throw
ing 1t into the waste-paper basket.
Are the European peoples gulled more
easily than the Americans? Sometimes one
is tempted to believe it. as when one hears
of such a remarkable police adventure as
that in which the notorious confidence oper-
ator. Blanche Duplex, escaped from the
detective who had caught her in the act
one Gay last week.
"Enfn. je vous tiens,' he exclaimed. as
he took her by the arm. 1t was in the pub
lie street, in the Rue des Saints-Peres.
Mais comment donc?" she answered.
smiling graciously. Il am at your orders
and you may conduct me where you
please"
The detective had scarcely taken twenty
steps with her before she brusquely threw
herself or him, grabbed him by his two
arms and began crying at the top OF her
voice: ArreteZ-e!' tArreSt HIND "C'est un
voeur. cts thief. He tried to snatch
my pocketbookD Immediately they were
surrounded by a threatening crowd. women
who struck the supposed thief with their
parasols, men who shook their fists under
his nose, boys who pulled at his coat. all
crying out shame on the thief, Seeing HIM
seil oi lHe point OF DelnS dangerously nus
tied by the silly mob. the detective wres-
tied himself loose from his prisoner and,
pulling his revolver. fired three shots in the
air to bring the police. The police came
bat not to his aid. They grabbed him
three of them-and knocked him about
cruelty. Before he had a chance to show
his papers he was wreck, and his prisoner
had escaped. Blanche Duplex has not been
caught yet. She must surely trust the ak
ION of Hungry Joe that "A new sucker is
born every day STERLING HEILIG.