Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-02-24

were willing 10 make a small dig a. ma
graiie's expressed II. 10 be rid NJ annoy
arce
The head manipulation or the dodge ailag
ed his corps OF collecting grafters 80 u.r
cent of all. the money they took in TIA.
fellows who went out and got the dust
were weli-dressed. plausible. somewhat
sporty-loolSing lot. with sort Of vulgar pitt
of CAB. From their general appearance auu
quickly revealed character 80 was open 20
question IL one OF them had ever mel "a
reputable newspaper artist IN his life
One OF the first victims OF the game iu
Washington was Senior Don Philippe blu
nau-Varilla, the suave representative o.
French interests IN the Panama canal
when that gentleman had been IN Wash
ington only a few days. The league"
CRATER who got Buuau- Narilia followed
a couple OF newspaper men up In an cic-
vatOr OF the hotel here at which Bunau-
Varilla registered. The newspaper men
were keeping an appointment to Interview
BunauVarila about Panama affairs. and
the worker OF the league OF press artists
game tagged along after them into Ruuau-
Nartlia's private reception room. -four shuE
around and expanding his chest good deal
to amplify his importance for he was a big
rather sood-loolSiug fellow Of the nashy
KIND. Inc TWO newspaper mon took him fni
another newspaper man unknown TO them.
anu so dld Bunau-Narilla when the CRATER
traipsed into the private reception room in
the wake of the two iuteryiewers.
The interviewers got their talk" ana
took t1eir departure. but tho CRATER par
p'SetS iasSeu Dehltut ana. when the lN-
tervtewers were gone, he flashed his
scheme upon the mystined Freuchu,au
from Panama. Bunau-NariilJ. iu his queer
English. protested that he knew nothing
of the plan, argued that he wasn't familiar
with the ways of the country, and im.
plored the CRATER. whom be supposed 10
be legitimate newspaper man. 10 Pui lis
proposition in writing and submit u 90 his
(Bnau-Narilla's secretary Tor t-Jn~.H.
ton and judgment
The Frenchman Dug up
"Oh. nonsense nix. ola man. replied laa
CRATER. cheerfuny. 70 the confused
Freuchman. Come OF. now. tear off e
hundred and help the boys along. NoH1I
be In good company all right-hcre's list
of the eminent Americans Who'vc contrib.
uted to give the press artists lirt ana
the worker flashed lisi of SrrawIed
names upon the man from Panama wIH
had been in the United states scarcely "a
week
senior Don Philippe Buau-V ariIa rubbed
his bald head for miUGtr-his secretary
afterward told the Story-and then he col
lapscd and surrendered. He handed t#e
CRATER 500 in currency. and the man de-
parted from the private reception room VIA
a broad grip, as one who ~ euld say, Il
shame to take anything SO dead easy.
one morning, at the uuse"miy hour or "
o'clock. one Of the counterfeit league
grafters visited the legation binding of an
Ambassador from country In northern
Europe for the purpose OF mailing tEe
hirsute diplomat
The ambassador was az breakfast Tn"
CRATER told the butler. iwpE,ssivrly. that Bee
must see the ambassador iu person-thaI hi-
rand was one Of extreme importuurr . aH
butler. impressed by the Eraftgrs 'irou..'
hunted up the ambassador S secretary VINO
was also at breakfast. and the secretary
made his bowling appearance and inquired
politely If he wouldn't serve IN place OF 90"
ambassador who hated 10 bee disturbed nt
anything short OF life and death afal"
hon iG ais Nfa faf a
CRATER brushed the secretary aside with
fine impatienCe. He demanded Co see inc
ambassador I'm person. and that was all
there was to It. The ambassador was
dragged away from his breakfast table and
appeared in the reception room, still sirok-
ing his beard with his napkin. Then IL"
CRATER sprung his scheme and airiiy re
marked 10 the ambassador that he Thought
the ambassador ought to be good enough
for cutoff say. OF two hundred at east.
TO help the boys along.
That ambassador stood I'm red and apo
plectic rage for about half a minute after
the chap had finished FOR he was literally
stunned by the pure. uuadulterated gall u'
the fellow. Then he broke into a fury Of
broken but explosive English that could
be heard all over the place. and the grdtt'r
sauntered out with a chagrined smile t"-
marking TO the Buttons on duty al tH
door, His whiskers don't like to be bo'b-
cred when he's at the eats. does he Tie"
story is given as It happened to illustrar
the utter nerve OF the workers OF the f4t'
scheme It should be added. however, thF-
they mailed" the man they set ont {"
nail In about nine cases out Of teps 81.
Let Him Off Easily.
A wealthy senator from New EngiSrd
who is one of the most open handed mcu
in public life. was one of the shrewd ones
who got off with a comparatively snia.
''tear-off" The CRATER visited this senator
Just minute or so before the Senate ses-
% .fF.nr
the scheme. that he thought about THREE
hundred from the senator would do.
Three hundred YOU say?' said the ser
ator nettled at the GOODNESS OF the pFou'-
sition well. ] guess it's not going so do.
The easy, airy way with which a loi or
people who drop in In here on me talk
about hundred-dollar bills Is something
from which l am at length ceaslng to eN-
tract amusement. None of you seem -
want less than a hundred, and a good
many of you hold out your hands Tor even
five hundred and e seems to be only Cd
matter Of a little time when your all -"
demanding a thousand or even million
why nOt2 / don't know anything about your
scheme, except that | never have happened
to meet up with any needy press aFlis'@.
But here : S2J-gOOd day, ana the senator
rushed out OF his committee room looking
like a man who felt measurably certain
that he had just tossed 50 into waste
pipe. .-
that he'd got the worst of II in the dis
tribution of the swag 'peached on ih'
phony outfit after the scheme had been
worked here the second time. estimated mat
from $4,000 to 10000 had been easily
cleaned up by the manipulators OF the Hoqga
on each visit OF the fake league 70 WASH
ington.
But, making all due allowance for the mo-
torious forgetfuuess of the victims OF -'te-"
frame-ups, Il is graveiy doubtful II any -il.4
scheme will be successfully worked again .u
Washington for a good many ye1is ''
come.