Evening star., 1901-12-20
DO NOT READ PAPERS
Probable Reason Why 50 Many
People Are Buneoed,
new YQRK'S LATEST EXPOSURE
Thrifty Crooks Made Million
Out of Their Game.
G. A IT G Fl II Up 1T +, ST
G AUG HT UP AT LAST
Special Correspondence of The Evening Star

upOH any oilt WilO itdoS VI lile iSIdilouS
money-making deadfalls that are being
successfully operated in New York year in
and year out, the victims of which are in
variably credulous out-of-town folks who
could never afford such almost imbecile
evidences of credulity if they were even ac-
casional readers of even the country news
papers. The other day the New York po-
lice smashed an outfit that has been gath
ering wealth in New York for many
months. The scheme was not unlike that
of Millers 52D per cent job, except that this
crowd had the wisdom not to offer quite
such enormous returns for money invested.
The criminals who worked this epistolary
confidence game with such success that
they were often in receipt of as high as
5000 a day, through the mails, simply sent
out tens of thousands of enticing circulars
from their suite of Offices in a Wall
street or Broad street office building ad-
dressing the circulars to individuals
throughout the country, residing chiefly in
towns and in the smaller cities, marked in
the lists of mailing companies as the pos
SCISSORS of money. These circulars dwelt
upon the rosy opportunities for money
making in speculation, eXpatiating particu-
larly upon the fake company's INSIDE" IA
c1lities for getting hold of advance infor-
nation and inviting the recipients of the
circulars to send their money along in any
amount from $40 to 5000, and have the
same doubled within month or so. Now,
1t aSsuredly seems that any man or woman
possessed of sufficient gumptiOn to get holi
of a SO note ought TO be able to see at
one glance through such a gauzy swindle.
The newspapers throughout the whole
United States-even the little isolated pat
ent insides neWspapers-have recounted
time and again, the details of exposed
schemes of this sort. Every year from
half a dozen to dozen of these gangs are
broken up in New York and the press
prints the details of their breaking up
with the most minute elaboration, the
press association sending out telegraphic
resumes of such affairs to the farthest
points of the country. And yet the men,
beTs of this last gang of money y-doublers
mad all they could do to open their days
mail and keep track of the money and
money orders and checks fired along to
them by dupes scattered all over the coun-
try between the two Portlands and be-
tween Detroit and the gulf.
Had More Than They Could Do.
They were at length SO hard pressed
that they even ceased acknowledging the
receipt of money, and when the police
got them they had accumulated an
amount of easy money conservatively COM
puted at million of dollars. Their victims
may have the satisfaction of seeing the
that Will in no wise relieve them from their
foolish attitude of holding the bag The
fact simply must be that these victims do
not read the newspapers.
The former king of the green goods
men, who was put out Of business during
the regime of the late Mayor Strong, IS
known to have been successfully operating
again In New York during the past two
years. Now, this green goods scheme is
as frayed and fraZzled as the money that
reaches the redemption bureau Of the
United States treasury. One fancies that
1t should be as well known a. tag or bean
bag or the mother-in-law Joke. The space
that the newspapers of the United States
nave devoted to the green goods game
since 1t was first sprung would easily fill
all the volumes of a modern encyclopaedia
And yet the cheerful idiots come sailing
along to New York, from one years end to
the other, with their hard cash ready to be
amount thereof In new crisp notes printed
from plates obtained from the bureau of
engraving and printing" Is it believable
that such utter pin-heads ever pick up any
sort OF a newspaper and read 1t? Gold
bricks are still sold In New York to visit
ors from communities where newspapers
are commoner than eggs or potatoes, and
a good deal cheaper.
And it is matter of police record that
the gold brick game has been in operation
in the United States since the year ..1.
The newspapers have humorousy exploit
ed 1t for at least a quarter Of century
Has the man why buys a gold brick ever
invested a cent or two in daily news
pa. er or has he spent his entire life in
looking at his thumbs?
Croker and the Camera Girl.
The other afternoon Richard Croker
whose Swan song,'' by the way, is re-
garded as a. sure sign that he is soon to
abandon the Tammany leadership, and not
vcluntarily-was seated In an easy chair
before one of the windows of his famous
ornate room-it is really sumptuously
beautiful room-on the second floor Of the
Democratic Club. He was alone and smok-
Ing a cigar. There was a slight scuff1e out
side his door. and then sudden knock on
N
Come in,' there entered a pretty young
woman in a tidy rainy-day skirt. a neat
tan jacket, well-fitting, high-topped shoes
and an Alpine hat with feather rakishly
stuck in the band. She had a camera
slung across her shoulder by a strap A
uniformed club servant entered right be-
hind her: The club servant looked scared.
Il tried to keep her out Mr. Croker" he
started to explain, but She
But she didn't intend to be kept out
that's all right now-run away-you''ve
looking young woman, .gayly. waving the
club servant out Of the room and beginning
to unstrap her camera. I'm going to
photograph you in your nice room. you
fled Tammany boss.
Now, the Tammany boss has always
made 1t a strict point that his Democratic
and some of the New York yellows have
failed dismally in their attempts to get a
picture Of the apartment.
Inc Iammany leader stared at the young
woman, too amazed to say anything. He
took his cigar from his teeth and his jaws
came together with click whne she
smiled at him and proceeded to get her
camera into working order.
Yes" she went on, I've been wanting
a picture of this apartment of yours for
some time to add to my collection, having
heard of Its magnifcence. N.Y. but it is
pretty, isn't It! OF course, the picture'n
be all the better with you sitting there by
the window. Er-just put that shade up q
little higher. will you, please?''
The "BOss" Was Paralyxed.
The boss Tammanyite was still so par
alyzed with establishment over the sheer
nerve OF the young woman that he contin-
ued to stare at her as she walked over to
him and lifted the window shade bit
higher as to admit more light.
"Wait minute, madam-mi
sus," he contrived to calculate, hoarsely,
when the young woman was in the very
act of getting the focus on him. what
paper
''Oh, how funnyv' she laughed, Joyously
breaking in on him. why, no. paper, OF
course! It's for my own collection. Um-
| I think I lika that side v{axU of yarr fapa