News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1900-01-24

| blamed by a Reformed Jailbird who Il
Well Qualified to Expose the Methods
of CrOoIsdom.
How the other half lives in this
| great city, and by what means, Is Of
ten a mystery. to the other half" said
a reformed green goods man who,
| having been born and reared in Dun
aVan's lane, the very heart OF tue
criminal district of the metropolis, is
well qualified to expose the methods
of crookdom. And yet, the rewards
of e life of thievery and wrong pay so
we'll while they do pay that crooks do
not think Of the penalty which is SO
! bitter after detection and capture.
| The games practised upon the unwary
are manifold, and none is exempt
| from being victimized. Even clever
crooks fall victims to games that they
themselves have never heard Of. and
thus by experience learn the very latest
method of swindle.
Another way of making living
| IS by leading an innocent man into
| questionable transaction under the inn
| preston that he is to receive large
| reward for little. as with the green
goods game. Take the 'fooney' jewell
ry game as an example. A crook
walks ahead of a likely looking man
on the street. and suddenly makes
pretence of picking up something from
the side walk. The stranger looks over
the crooks shoulder and sees him in
the act Of opening a beautiful velvet
case containing a diamond ring fresh
from the showcase. The stranger
/! gasps with surprise, the crook feigns
| great agitation and asks the victim if
he was the man who lost the ring, at
the same time making a show of con-
cealing the treasure. The stranger
answers in the negative but the crook
says:-'I am no hog. You were the
only one who saw me pick this up, and
you will not sGueal on me I'll give
you half the proceeds He then leads
mis- victim into dark corner.
Once there the pair examine the
diamond ring in the case, apparently
an engagement ring just purchased by
some luckless swain. The crook says
that he IS very hard up, and as to go
10 a pawnshOp might lead to detection,
he tells the man to take it to the near
est jeweler to find out if it is genuine.
If so, the crook will sell his share to
the stranger for S25. The stranger
takes the ring to a jeweller while the
crook watches outside. The ring is ap-
! praised at $3.50. The stranger is de-
lighted, but as soon as they are alone
again, and wishing to drive a shrewd
bargain, he offers the crook $40 for his
| inf To hO ~; 6o
places it in the case again, and an al
tercation ensues. The difference is
split, and the stranger goes away
with the ring in the case, with the
| counsel not to take it out of his pock-
ct till well out of the district. When
he examines the case and ring he finds
that the latter has been cleverly eX-
| changed during the alteration for a
! piece of 'fooney' jewelry worth fifteen
cents and yet, so as not to appear in
the light of compromising question
able transaction, he holds his peace.
This game has been worked with great
success, with many notifications in
every quarter of town..
81 happened upon man the other
day whom l had not seen for many
months. He was known for years as
the greatest walking fence in the
| world. He had escaped trouble by
miracle. He pretends now to have
retired on his income, but | have my
doubts about that Men of his STAMP
| rarely leave the business for any
length of time The game is too fas-
cinating while it is successful This
man Travelled from New York to San
| Francisco. He knew every crook that
did business in every important city
between them. He was like a COM
mercial traveller, having stated dates
and places of meeting in every city.
He dressed like a castaway, yet not so
badly that he would attract attention.
He looked like a poor, honest fellow
out of job, that is all. He could
pass from the Battery to Harlem with
out ever being picked out as a sus-
picious man, and yet he was literally
plastered with banknotes. He did all
business in cash, and carried, togeth-
err with his arsenal for self-protection,
from five to fifty thousand dollars on
his person. AS well as diamonds and
| other precious stones galore.
"a favorite local renzevous was the
corner of Fourteenth street and Third
avenue A crook would pass him,
and although they would appear to be
unknown to each other, the secret
number of the meeting place would be
given and later the pair would meet
There the walking fence would buy
the harvest of the crooks month of
second story business or pocket pick
ing, and he always paid quarter
more than any of the pawnehops. He
bought nothing but unset gems, and
never sold them in the same city
where he bought. His purchases in
Cleveland and St. Louis were disposed
of in New York and San Francisco,
and vice versa.
Zone of the famous rendezvouses
for crooks was in Duane street near
Broadway. 1t is a queer joint still,
and frequented by the most motley
crew of any place in the metropolis,
from the lowest 'panhandler' to the
SWEETEST merchant prince of the dry
goods quarter. 1t was started about
three score of years ago by a great
wag politician.
1t was the political Mecca of the
district and the favorite resort of the
Eanians during the Oranpeman