The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1905-07-07
TRIO IS AFTERITHE COIN
SHARPERS ARE WORKING AMONG
MINNESOTA FARMERS.
How They Attempted to Win Their
Would-bs Victims Money BY
An Old Game.

st. James, Mimi, June pa trio OF
sharpers have been working among the
farmers of southern Minnesota for a
month, trying to fleece them out of THEN
dollars with an old game under new
name.
The trio enter town and pass them
selves off as gentlemen who desire to
invest in farm lands In this manner
they become acquainted with the stand
ing of the various farmers, and, choos-
ing one, they start their game. Two OF
the three hire a rig and drive to the
farm of their victim elect, to buy his
property. If the farmer will sell they
talk land, and after time make an APP
pointment with him. Here is where the
third man ''gets in his work"
The two usually give the name OF
Judge" Harris and DR.. Morgan of Cedar
Rapids, Iowa. Their confederate acts
the part of a demented man with a
pocketful of money-the bait with
which they catch their victims.
Their game is to get farmer inter
ested in the sale of his property and
to take him to point where they will
meet the conferedate. The confederate
stops them with wave of his hand
and asks the place of residence of man
with some impossible name. Judge
Harris, who is spokesman, replies that
he is a stranger and appeals to the
farmer beside him for information. OF
course the farmer never heard of a per-
son with the name, given and says so.
Thercupon the conferedate launches up
on disconnected story of just having
come from Kentucky looking for a man
by the name of Hornblower who had
married his sister and moved to south
ern Minnesota. He further states that
his father has just died and left him
$500, and that he has the money with
him.
In proof his pockets appear to be fair
ly filled with greenbacks. Harris and the
farmer usually question the stranger,
and from the answers received the farm
er is usually convinced that the man is
crazy The confederate asks the farmer
if he has ever been to Chicago, and tells
how he visited the city and lost $45 on
a card game. 1t is worth the money,
he says, for he, learned trick or two
that was worth $40 of anybody's money.
Harris asks if he remembers the trick
well enough to show it to them. He
does remember, and pulling a buster
from the buggy he spreads it out up
on the ground and from somewhere in
his money laden pockets he finds a
deck of cards.
''Here you," he says, 'give me So, and
if you draw queen you get $780,
Harris gives him the five, draws a
queen and gets the money. Harris
draws again, but the queen is elusive.
The farmer is then asked to draw. Gen
orally he is timid but the sight of the
money about makes him careless and he
deposits and draws. If the farmer is
sharp he will notice that the the queen
is bent and doubled and easily picked
out of the pack. Usually the farmer
draws the queen and is handed Il roll,
supposed to contain the 81 500.
''Now," says the confederate, 'you
have got to show same amount. The
Judge" speaks for the man beside him,
explaining that he is IL farmer, and not
likely to have the amount with him, but
that he owns a large farm near by and
does not need to show that he can raise
the amount. chat will not do" says
the conferedate. ''He must show the
money" 1t is explained pro and con
and Harris then proposes to go to town
and get the money, and the confederate
promises to wait on the spot for their
return.
If the farmer is wise he will then
part company with the sharpers, and
most of them do Those who return with
money in their pockets 60 home more
wise, if less rich, for the days expert
ence.
The trio have been working in Blue
Earth Brown, Cottonwood, Watonwan
and Mobiles counties, but have only
made small hauls. They are sharp and
look for greener fields before the author
tiles can lay: hands upon them.
C,,icido