The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1900-03-26
TWO BOLD RASCALS.
NEW WORKS. MOST BRAzEN PAIR or
eUNKo sTeERERS.

Inc TWO most DraZen DunkO 6teefefB
that ever lived" said an old New York
detective, "were Hungry joe and Grand
Central Pete And I hold that there
never was the equal of Pete--Peter Lake
was his name-in the swindliag line.
The two men worked precisely the same
game and in their careers were about
equally successful, but there was this
difference: Joe Lewis, or Hungry Joe,'
was born thug. If he hadn't been
man Of brains, he'd have been a sand
Dagger, and even as it was 1t was diff
cult matter for him to be even decently
polite to his victim after he had stripped
him. I've known him to grab mans
money and then punch the man, when,
with little patience, he could just as
easily have talked him out of it.
II remember well how this phase Of
Joe's character landed him in Jail for a
good term once. An English tourist NAM
cd Ramsden came here and fitted up
swell hotel. Joe spotted him and intro
duced himself on Broadway one day as
Henry II. Post, nephew of Captain Muir
ply of the Gallia, the steamer in which
Ramsden had come over. How Joe
knew that Murphy and the Englishman
had become great friends on the voyage
l don't know, but it was fact that they
had, and Joe was on with Ramsden at
once. Well, there are whole lot Of
details about this case that I'll skip, but
by the usual methods the tourist was in
duced to drop into place on Grand
street, where deck Of cards turned up
unexpectedly. Things were going beau
tifully, and the Englishman had ten IS
notes in his hand, ready to bet them,
when the sight Of the money made Joe
lose control Of himself. He grabbed the
money, upper cut Mr.. Ramsden and skip
ped out. picked him up few days
later, and Ramsden pushed the case. SO
we sent Joe up the river.
"Jee could do neat job though. He
made a chum out of Oscar Wilde when
the latter visited this country and used
to dine with him at the old Hotel Bruns-
wick almost every day. He worked him
to perfection and finally got check for
$1,000 out Of him. Somebody tipped
Wilde off about his friend, however, and
the author beat Joe to the bank with
stop payment order by about two min
utes. But, on the whole, Joe's impetu-
business. inspired by greed and partially
the result Of a strain Of brutality in him,
made him, in my mind, a second rater.
But this man Lake was the wonder.
He was the finished swindler if there
ever was one. They used to say that
he could talk bank note from a mans
pocket to his own, and verify believe he
could. He talked necessarily. When he
sought a victim, he would pick out his
man, then make a rush at him, grab him
by the hand and talk, talk, talk. The
man would never get chance to say a
word. Sooner or later Pete would say
something that would interest the man,
and when he'd done that he knew it.
Actually that man has talked his way
into the confidence of hundreds Of intelli-
gent men whom he had never seen or
heard Of before. Nothing ever feazed
him, and he invariably got something out
of his victims. He was never in hurry,
and long after he had man and the
money was in his grasp he would toy
with his victim just for amusement. I
could tell you dozens Of stories about
Peter Lake that would amaze you, but
will only relate one. This story is
strictly true, and l could mention the
names Of the two business men of this
city who are involved, but l won't for
various reasons.
"Pete had spotted man who sat at a
desk in the window of Forty-second
street building every day. One morning
be decided to pluck him. He got hold Of
boy who was passing.
"'You are my son Willie, he cried.
Come with me and call me papa, If all
goes well, you get So
"The boy was 16 years old and a bright
boy. He agreed to the terms, and, TAX
ing him by the hand, Pete rushed into
the Office occupied by the man he had
seen from the street. He gave him the
mass of words hurled at him the man
managed to extract the information that
his visitors son Willie was about to start
back for Yale after a weeks visit home
and that his father had forgotten his
pocketbook and wanted to borrow $50.
Pete gave name which he had taken at
random from the building directory in the
hall, and in ten minutes he had $50 out
of his victim and he was going west on
Forty second street while Willie was 60
ing east.
when the victim recovered from the
assault of words, he tumbed to the fact
that he had been swindled and started
after Pete. He saw him get on Broad
way car and calling a detective put him
on the trail Pete jumped off the car at
Leonard street, rushed into wholesale
dry goods store-he knew he was being
folowed--and jollied his wav without
being announced into the office of the
head of the firm. A half hour later the
detective, who had lost the trail and
found it again, burst into the office and
found Pete smoking the cigars Of the
head of the firm and talking business
with that individual. The detective want
ed to arrest Pete at once. He denounced
him as a notorious bunko steerer, but
was requested to leave the office by the
The detectives explanations
and expostulatons were in vain. and he
finally had to get out. He went outside,
however, and lay for Pete. But that
slick individual had actually induced the
merchant to let him out by q rear door,
and Pete got away.
when Superintendent Byrncs heard Of
the matter, he had the merchant come to
headquarters and explain why he allow
ed the crook to escape. Well, sir, the
merchant was .-Nignant over the thing.
1t took nearly an hour to make him see
what fool he had been, and then he saw
1t all at once. But what do you think
Of a man with such powers as those Of
York Sun.