The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1901-03-18
CITY SHARKS
KNOW TRICKS.
Traps Set BY Confidence Men
for UnwaTy Farmers.
SCHEMES THAT MAKE MONEY.
Buncs Stasrsrs and Their Kindred Arc
AIways Very ictlW Ia The Spring
In Large Cities.
SCHEMES THAT MAKE MONEY.


Jf a body meet body coming down
state street these days. a Is well 20 pass
without scraping an Acquaintance IL is
the busy season of the confidence man,
the tin-horn gambler. and the thug, for
an have to make money, says the chica-
go Inter-Ocean.
1t is well 10 avoid the farmer who looks
green enough for the carette horses TO
nibble at. He is wandering up and down
the pavements. and is likely 10 say:
"How dyou do. friend2 Kin yer tell me
whar this here Masons' temple is? jess
come into town and amt acquainted
with folks here yet."
The speaker may be one OF 200 conf
dence men plying his vocation I'm Chiea-
go. lie may be a steerer for broad"
Joint a ''shake-dowu' mob, Z. b. gang,
or a museum swindIe.
The man addressed as friend must
have an unbounded- d-faith-ln-human-na-
ture expression on his face, or he must
have tho appearance OF countryman;
otherwise tho ''con" man would pass him
by. The steerer himself may be made up
like cattleman.
IL his victim Calls into conversation
readily he quickly guesses whether the
stranger has money or not. The con
also quickly decides what sort OF
swindle can be worked with the greatest
neatness and dispatch. and against this
game ne steers his mark" as the vic
Tins are called in "condon.
The chances are that the stranger ad-
dressed will reply Ia the inquiry for the
'Masons' temple" that he himself is a
stranger i'm the city and Is not acquainted
with the streets and buildings.
why, I'm a stranger in this town my
self l come Iva with eur load Of mules
from Texas yesterday. Where be You
FROM the steercr will say.
FREE-suIT- uIT-oF-CLoTHING BAIT.
The stranger replies, and after few
minutes talk The mark" Is allowed 10
go !. $ way and the steerer quickly COM
municates with his pal, telling him the
strangers name and native town. The
swindlers carry a bankers directory. ana
this Is hastily scanned.
The pal then hastens to the side of the
mark" he grasps the stranger by the
hand and calls him by name, telling him
that he Is a nephew OF the banker in
the victims home town. The steerer asks
about the folks" and the stranger. in
nine cases out OF ten, readily falls into
the trap set for him.
If II has been decided between the pals
10 steer the victim against broad
Joint the first steerer hastens TO the
Joint and makes ready. There are three
broad" gangs working on the South
Side north of Twenty-Second street and
the steerers get % per cent. OF the
money taAen from the victim.
I'm i'm the woolen business here" the
steerer now handling the mark" says.
"Pd like To have the folks know how I'm
getting along. work for the Great West
ern Wooles mills. and the company ,is
making suits of clothes free for people
who will go home and tell their friends
where they got the clothes.
IT'S a good advertisement, and when
any OF the boys from down your way
run up 10 Chicago they'll come In and
order clothes. Come with me 10 the Of
flee and I'll introduce you TO Colonel
Sayers. the manager of the company,
and get you suit made free
40 marx is then s:eered into
broad joint. unusually located in the
vicinity OF State and Twentieth streets
or around Fourteenth street and Wabash
avenne. This joint Is a front room In
some disreputable house, and is furnish
ed with desk, a table and few chairs.
The walls of the rooms are covered
with samples OF cloth. The pal has
things fixed and the confidence man and
his victim snd Mr.. Black sitting at the
desk.
The mark" is introduced
''Is Col Savers in?" the "con" asks
NO the colonel went over TO the fac
tory to see about putting in some new
machinery Hen be back In ten min
utes," Mr.. Black SAYS
"Well, this gentleman here Is from my
old town. and [ want him 10 meet the
colonel. / wish that YOU would 20 and
get him." the stecrer says
To this MIR, Black readily agrees.
"Im expecting friend from the stock
yards every minute. and II he comes In
while I'm gone tell him To- wait" Black
says as ne leaves the place
BOGUS CATTLEMAN APPEARS.
A minute later the mar from the stock
yards-another con" dressed as a cattle
man~-comes I'm. lie rushes up 20 the
mark" and addresses him as Colonel
Ssyers. The steercr corTccts the mistake
and storts 60 talk about the price OF
hogs ana cattle with tks Con" After
some talk on this ia. the bogus cattle
man says:
Il lost 500 this morning playing cards
AT the stock Yards. ana III get even
when I go back hume by playing with
the boys there lie produces four cards.
I'pon three OF them Is printed large stars,
while ON the fourth T. The picture OF
woman kicking q hat.
The fourth card Is turned up on the
corner so that tho mark" readily notices
that
'1'n show you how tho game A. play
ed +" the "Con' says. shunling tho cards
He laNs them face downward on the ta-
bic, offering 90 bet that neither tho vic-
tim nor the stecrcr can pick out the card
with the woman kicking the hat upon it.
The stcercr talks against betting and
asks the mark" TO pick out the card
He readily picks the right one.
We'll I'm gol darned." Abe con" says
"1'll give YOU $40 IL you can pick Il
again" The mark again picks the
right card. and the con offers him $40
Don't take his money" the steerer sd-
Vifes
Then follow hot words between the
staarer and "con." The former scores the
later for being too free with his money.
and The ttnnnt hAclnrna Ihai The nfnnrar