The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-07-19

| they had sought the experience or OPIUM
smoking, they let it pass in silence,
Ordinarily, however, his plan was 10
confess that he was in Paris to be cured OF
opium smoking. As mine Spectator
in the West he had made a great fortune;
he was an expert in mines and mine finances;
but this vice had Slapped his energy. and
lie would not go back to business until ne
| had conquered H..
Meanwhile he kept his eye on the gold
mine stock quotations and talked gold mine
to prospective victims. Where he got his
printing done remains mystery: but it
was good printing.
Week after week no could show weekly
pamphlets giving New York and Western
stock quotations and he would discourse
on their ups and downs. He saw splendid
opportunities, but he would keep them to
himself till he got well,
Meanwhile he so threw money about
| that people said he must be the real thing
He confessed himself to be poker gambler
also, but as in each sitting he devoted his
| skill at second dealing to giving good hands
to one player beside himself, ono victim
always came out winner with him, so,
| giving turn and turn about he won ana
was not suspected.
One day he confided in sap-head OF
good English family.
Here is chance to do quick turn.
J he said. Il know an American boy here
| in Paris whose father put some money in
the Gloriola gold mine few years before
| he died
"The boy. who has been abroad three
years, does not know that the Gloriola
| struck ii rich some time ago and that his
| block Of stock is worth $4,000. II" has
the shares with him In Paris along with
| his other papers.
He thinks that maybe they are worth
s5OO.-a sum which some New York broker
offered for them three years ago. We can
| get them for $4,000"
"Oh, but say. why Offer him $4,000 if
he thinks they are worth only $500?" inter-
rupted the sap-head. He was of good
English family and prudent.
| I'VE must control his cupidity. II we
offer to buy for $500. he will cable to New
| York to find out how much Gloriola stock
is worth, and learn that his block will bring
$4,000. No; let me work il
| How"
II will tell him 1 know an English sap
| head
THAT is?"
yourself An English sap-head on whom
he and | can unload his worthless Glorola
stock for, say, $4,000. He must prom
Use me half Say, ne will fall beautifully"
The sap-head raised $500, to which the
man from Butte pretended TO add SO 500.
This was not until after searching inquiries
| by cable had been made by the sap-head,
and here showed the fine work of the man
from Butte.
Taking what purported to be a stock
| brokers' handy cable code book from his
| pocket, he submitted to the sap-head a
list of high-class brokers in New York,
with their registered cable addresses. l
have said that his printing was we'll done.
The cable-code addresses must have been
arranged beforehand in New York. be-
cause although the an5wers came all
| right, the prominent firms purporting to
tell in them that the block of G lorola stock
was worth $4,000 denied all knowledge
of them later.
So the sap-head fell 10 the amount OF
1880. As for the pale-faced man from
Butte, he took his opium layout to new
| pastures.
With respect to poker, his mantle fell.
! regret to say, on a newcomer in the Ameri
! can colony with certain pretensons to
social position. This is his work to hull
! suspicion and bring in new victims. The
! artist Of the combination is young Pari-
! sian OF brilliant talents and address, of
: family and education, fallen from his
| proper level TO that OF Greek
! He is no longer permitted TO deal bac-
carat or ecarte in any Paris club, not even
| tripots. Foreigners do not know this, and
as his family, including two charming
| sisters, does his best to maintain the black
| sheep in the colony pasture. he has every
| opportunity to operate his second dealing
method as applied to poker.
! Often the games include women of posi-
ton. wealth and high morality. So much
| the easier says the combination.
! Not every one who wills may eat this
easy bread, and a peculiarly atrocious
variety of the confidence game recently
| operated in and outside of particularly
| famous American bar exempifies the dan
! gers that beset the path OF the would-be
| Greek
A swinding poker combination had cor
r,lpted Young Englishman with promise
of large profits if he would bring victims
| to the game His will was greater than
his power. He brought few victims.
| Therefore, as he was a youth with good
| connections, the dishonest combination
arranged to transform him into victim
! A pretended terderfoot was brought
| into tve-handed game. The young
| would-be crook, having been taught to
execute a fraudulent manTuvre with the
| cards, was allowed to win considerable
! sums fro m the pretended ten derfoot--sums
| which his partners took good care to make
! him divide at the end Of each sitting.
! Then came a bad moment. The pre-
| tended tepderfoot-a hard nan ard n six
footer--caught him in the act of doing the
card trick. His wrath seemed TO be great.
"Iou little British crook" he cried
you've won 5000 francs from me in three
DAYS with your crooked work! I'll just
stick TO you till you pay it back"
The partners of the woud-be crook
! showed themselves cold and silent. One
| by ore they left him with the wrathful
tenderfoot until the latter called out to
the last Of them:
| Il will ask you, sir, TO come with US till
| this young man or his relatives make good
the sums of which he has been robbing
mel"
The poor young Englishman had reIa-
tives with money here in Paris. He was
forced to go to them within the hour. He
was allowed TO make his explanation ~
he pleased. but get the money" he W. :
told So he got it. What confession he
made to his family while the conspirators
| waited in the next room ready to denounce
him, even they do not know. =
This tale Of recent effort in the con
| fitience line would certainly be incom
| pIete If | omitted the Americans for whom
the French police are looking in all parts
of Europe In Prussia, close TO the frontier,
they call cockroaches Russians" In Rus
sia, close 10 the frontier they call cock
reaches "Prussians.7 These inter- atioral
| courtesies are not uncommon. There is,
| however, one notable exception.
All over Europe they call the confidence
or bunco game ~roL d PAnfricrinF. robbery
on the American plan! And n ally, the nj at
| wor, of these particular j. kers almost fills
the American abroad with a kind Of uuholy
patriotic pride.
Their victims, chosen among the we'll
to-,I0 middle classes Of the large provincial
| cities, regularly suffer in silence. Agents
| in these cit must supply them very
promptly with particulars of the deaths Of
buSint - men Of this class.
One or two days, as early as possible after
the decease, the family receives in the mail