The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1906-09-06
FAKE WRESTLERS
MAKE BIG HAUL
Work the Old Sure Thing Gag
and Many Suckers
Are Caught.
Especial to The Herald)

Ogden, Sept. 5.-A story was made pub
lie here yesterday exposing one of the
largest confidence games ever worked in
the west. This game has been carried on
at Seattle and along the coast since last
December. II is claimed that prominent
men there and elsewhere in the north
west have been victimized to the extent
or $4,000 TO $4,000. AMONG the alleged
victims are Charles Cunningham of Pen
dleton, Ore, 500, 900: w. T Owen Ana
conda, Mont, $4,000; Thomas Norton.
sacramento, $4,000; Harry Lang. San
Butte, $1,000, and many others. Among
the latter and one of the latest victims
is Louis Saville of Ogden, whose purse
was tapped for $1,000.
The game was fake wrestling and fight
ing. The victims were induced to put
their money on what they thought was
a sure thing and then would be given
the double cross. For the most part the
bouts were pulled off in an obscure arena
on the shore Of Lake Washington. John
Willie, the wrestler, was one of the chief
figures in the game, but when he figured
that he could dump the ogden sports on
the wrestling match Monday night he la
bored for his own downfall. For this
reason. when Willes name was mentioned
it was rejected and the information given
out that the police were wise to the con-
fidence game caused Willie to leave Og-
den for other parts
saviIIe Relates His Experience.
Saville's experience as related here is
to the effect that he was approached by
some OF those in the game and informed
that there was d chance to make a bunch
of money on the coast dead easy" that
there was wrestler up there whom Willie
could throw who was backed by a lot of
millionelres. Saville was invited to go
and see the match. but it was not to cost
him a cent. He was further told If he
cared to venture there would be a piece
&c Il. E. IL
as pilot and pay the expenses on the go
ing trip. When they landed in Seattle ne
was introduced to the so-called million
aires and a bout between their world
beater and Willie was arranged. Some one
in the party showed a few thousand dol
lars and asked him to lay il on Willie
This was repeated several times until
there was about $4,000 bet on the match
including the 5000 belonging TO Saville.
Held in Obscure Place.
The match was pulled off at the OBJ
scure arena. Willie secured the first fall
in short order and lost the next two In
a much shorter time. Likewise the money
placed on him went. One of the men who
had been dealing out the money to Saville
&c bet then came up with another game
and told Saville that the money he had
used was the same money used over and
over again. He said he feared exposure
and as he was a stakeholder he agreed to
meet at Portland and divide the whole
purse. SaVllle and man named Mccoy
started for Portland and during the night
MCCOY disappeared and Saville arrived
in Portland only to learn that he was
buncoed and they had adopted that means
of getting him out Of Seattle. The names
of the instigators of the fights and bouts
are Russell r. Hartman. alias Russ Bar
rett; I. w. Brown, an eastern confidence
man. and Mathew Rier. a well-known
hOrSeman.
Both the ogden and Salt Lake police
were notified of the game and had ar
ranged to arrest the entire gang had they
arrived and attempted to work their game
in either city. The cat got out of the !
bag, however. and they have kept away
from this section.
1t was learned yesterday from Chief |
Of Police Sheets that the Mccoy re-
ferred to was none other than Ed Mccoy. |
Of Gunnison, Colo. Mccoy was a fighter |
some time ago and came TO Salt Lake to |
fight Denver Ed Smith five years ago |
Chief of Police Sheets acknowledged that |
he was looking for Willie.