The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1906-11-11
Baltimore SUM

nice. delicate methods. The crook in
this international business doesn't use
any thug proceedings. It's no hold-up
game at the end of a bludgeon. man
has to be mighty clever to work it
properly, and the fact of the matter is,
he must have some education. It's a
sort of high finance 1 guess. They
call IL that in the upper circles at any
rate The plan 1 have in mind is only
worked on the best families.
DO you mean the moneyed, best or
the blue blooded?" the sleuth was
asked. land are the rich easier to break
loose from their coin than the average
good citizen?'
We'll. no, as to that, no." he replied,
answering the last question first. "One
class of people is about as easy to do
as another If you have got their greed
aroused. Anybody is easy to work if
you convince him that he is getting
something for nothing. With the trick
/ mean the gold mine and letter COM
bination,' we call It, only wealthy peO-
pie are swindled, but in a simpler form
the same stunt Is played by the low
est sort of crooks on American hay
rubes. The gold-brick game of the
funny journals is the same thing Here
is the way it appears when dressed up
for the consumption Of the wealthy.
foreigner.
1.-The operators working the deal look
in the continental papers for the name
Of some wealthy legatee whose rich
uncle or other long-suffered relative
has just passed away and left his heir
lot of money. Then they address
letter to the dead man, in which they
artfully set forth in intimate terms the
fact that such and such an unheard-of
person has struck something or other
benefactions of the wealthy dead one
who helped MIN to his good fortune,
and that now. being wealthy, he wishes
to divide with his benefactor and has
accordingly written to acquaint him
with the matter and asks him, since
he himself is sick if he cannot come to
America to straighten out affairs.
The letters are very artfully word
ed, and, of course, go just where they
are intended-to the legatee of the pre-
sumably benevolent dead man. The
person or persons who get the letter
are naturally much wrought up. Here
Uncle Blank has struck it rich just
after his dea:h,' he or she says, and
then follows the reflection. Tn his
heir; / wonder if this don't come into
my hands" Pondering over this con-
vfnces the person that it does and thus
the bait is taken. He sails to the Unit
ed States. is met by the sharpers ana
is passed off a very neatly done-up
gold brick for an absurdly large
amount
The trick very seldom fails to work
if once the victim takes the bait and
comes over TO the United states and
it is marvellous what pains the GRIM
inals take to give an air of reality to
what they do. No one but one already
Informed of the trick would ever sus-
pect anything from outside appear
ances. I'll warrant you that
I'm case recall. the victims would
never have got on to the game if some
one had not warned them. They would
have rushed headlong to their destruc-
ton. and. in fact. they seemed half an
cry to be walked UP. 1t was such a
beautiful dream, you know
That sounds pretty good" said the
reporter, "but what is the story?"
You want the details of this case?''
said the secret service agent slowly
well, It's against the rules, you know.
and you are not to give me away: but
guess. with one condition, I'll tell you
about it,
.'And what is your condition." ne
was asked.
THAT you suppress the rames It
happened about six months ago"
$50 here is the story as given by the
sleuth. with the names suppressed:
About a year ago a wealthy English
man died and left his widow very
comfortable fortune. Affairs had been
settled up and the lady was Just be-
ginning 10 settle down to enjoy a wear
or two in quiet mourning when one
day she was handed a letter addressed
TO her dead husband. She had no COM
junction about opening 1t, and was
indeed, quite inquistive as to its con-
tents because of the United States
stamp and postmark that it bore. She
bod he l.
relatives or acquaintance in this coun-
try He had once made a visit here.
but that was very long ago.
She broke the seal of the con1uuni-
cation, read it. and was so clustered by
its contents that she forgot to finish
breakfast, left her coffee untasted on
the table and summoned her solicitor.
That worthy came Immediately at the
summons, and, not being able TO make
much out of the incoherent explana-
tons of the lady, asked to see the let
ter, which was produced.
II have it here" said the secret SER
vice man, and, reaching into an inside
pocket, he produced solid envelope of
ordinary legal size, i'm which. under q
pretentious heading, was a letter which,
ran as follows:
Dear Sir, l arrived here today from
the mines Of Arizona. where I left
Thomas in poor health but highly
elated with his rich find. He would
have come out himself had not the doc
tor advised him to stay in the high alti-
tude for the present. Poor fellow. I do
not think he will live long. He had a
severe hemorrhage of lungs. which left
him very weak. He requested me to
write you fully at my earliest oppor-
tunity, as you would be very anxious
to hear from him. He has discovered
some of the richest gold mines that
have ever been found He feels thank
full to you for your kindness to his
mother while in need, and says he new
er could have continued prospecting
but for your assistance to him, so he
has declared you in as an equal part
ner with him in everything, share and
share alike. He owes his success to
you and to the pecuniary assistance
you gave him, and he feels you are
justly entitled to share equally with
him in any profits that have or may re-
suit from his explorations or discover
les.