The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-02-06
GRAY, JOHN, SIR JOHN, LORD,
pipER CONAN JOE HiS LONG
RJEV ROM or THE NAME

nr,drcar,S and a Nonocle Used 10 AdOrn
INN when He Felt Incommonly Noble
once introduced as Sir John Gray 90
pat shrrd, DIDN'T Sell Pat Picture.
tt-0e Mr. John Gray OF London who has
Loo, irving - ne CO New Workers with
,,b,ry masterpieces OF art is really Paper
c,,lar Joe. il is not the first time that Joe
ba.u-ei the name Of Gray. Ia fact he has
,sraIy employed any other Inspector
pyrre- refers to i'm aS Joseph Bond, but
II Won ask any well informed confidence
man who Joe Gray il, he'll tell you it's the
avery day name. in bunco social circles, Of
pape- Collar Joe
Joe did not hail from Philadelphia. a the
Ryrne4 book says but from Niagara Falls.
ue was born Joseph krakoski in a family OF
Polish or Polish jew descent that except for
him j.. honest and respected His sisters
ara the pioprielors Of the most popu-
I,rso,iypu!r store at the Falls Joe's father
started him at honest work in his youth,
bm Joe fell in with the wicked hack
mon of the town and later with the con men
,,bo n.ipd their arts at the spot then noted
Tor the number 81 easy marks that came as
tourists Not confidence game invented
since the flood but has been tried at
Niagara Falls Those days are amos; over,
and the hackmen rob no more, but in Joe's
youth ii was a great school for n young
or ok
Ambitious. he went East as soon as OPP
nor,uuty offered. and. as Byrnes says.
vas frequently arrested up to 1855, when he
vent abroad That was the Ieal beginning
NJ Joe'- big career. His companions
abbreviated lis name 10 Kray and then it
became GRAY name which Joe found 90
convenient that he kept it. He stayed long
enough in Europe to acquire all the accents
he wanted and then he oscilated between
the two continents. Coming here on
steamer he would he Sir John Gray, or
lord Gray "a the fancy took him With
toys made in Bond street, a monocle in
hi eve and vacant expression on face
decorated with lordly whisker5, he was the
hest counterfeit nobleman the confidence
camp ever produced.
PA, Sheedy was standing in the Sturte-
want House one day a dozen years ago
when a business man whom he knew IN
London came up to him and said; Mr.,
Sheedy, I'd like TO have you meet my friend
Sir John Gray who has just come over with
me. He's a most companonaplo CHAP
Sheedy turned TO greet Sir John. II was
Paper Collar Joe.
The one into which the monocle was screwed
Ue placed his smooth white hand in Sheedy's
and drawled. Charmed to know you.
beg pardon, but what il tho name again
u had to hurry away for laugh, said
Sheede alterward at was too good.
And Joe is 30 clever, YOU know, that I'm
in terror lest he sell me painting before
he dies
When Joe tired OF the English noble
man game he would become an Austrian
Count, or a Polish Baron and he knew
enough languages TO carry him through.
He had the proper clothes for every charac-
ter he assumed and they we're good ones.
lie and Bunco Tom O'Brieu frequently
owed "a much "a $4,000 apiece 70 their
tailors, for their prowess was known and
their credit had no limit Neither was q
piker after their eariy days. Joe Gray
scorned to turn small tricks. He may
DO hard up now. trying for $1,000 or so.
IN his best days he would take any risk,
so long as there was a pot Of money in
sight.
Joe loved a Joke. When business was
dull and he wanted TO sec his family he
would go 20 Niagara Falls, disguised as q
foreign tourist, with n long coat a fore and
aft cap and the whiskers and monocle.
TIE hacknen ygoiild rash FOR him and be
would take the first coach and ask TO see
the whole blooming country That hack
man would drive OF, grinning in anticipa-
ton, while his envious fellows cursed his
luck When it was all over and Joe had
been taken 70 every island and resort. the
csbby would demand $40 or $50. Then Joe
would introduce himself in good American
Usually the haclman recognized him then
and fell in IT. If he was so new "a not 10
know Paper Collar Joe and tried 10 put up
olufI Joe would give him a beating a nd
60 home
Another joke Of which Gray was fond
was 10 let himself be picked up by advent
UrpcEnG nit 2 la fnt
them all over Europe, oarousinR. In some
Swiss town or other remote place Joe would
disappear, leaving the ladies stranded
Gray ia reputed among his kind to have
made hundreds Of thousands at the con-
fdence game and to have spent every cent
Of 1t IA fast as it came in. Wise as he was.
be had the crooks Weaknesses and the
faro banks found him IN ensv prnY