The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-09-02
TWIST TO wIREsTAP GAME.
How to Operate SwindIe That Sepa-
rates Westerner From Roll.

| In San Francisco one winter we got
$500 from a, Reno man SO cleverly
that he thought his own mistake cost
him the money, and went back to
Nevada to borrow another roll to come
down and try it again. Yes, sir, while
we were spending the money he was
up in Nevada trying to raise the wind
so that he could come down and be
robbed again. Cansyeu beatsthat?
The thing happened this way: BUSH
ness got slow in New York and four of
US decided to go West 1t was the best
| thing we ever did in away for we
cleaned up over $4,000. but haven't a
| cent to show for itsa But to return to
the Reno man. We stopped off at Reno
to try our luck at faro. Well, it didn't
take US very long to put ourselves
$1,000 to the bad Meanwhile, how
ever. met a no tel man. there and sized
u1 as a likely customer. One night I
pretended to be drunk and let out that
we were wiretappersz bound for San
Francisco to~clean' un the poolrooms
doing business on the8 Oakland races
He was interested at sonce. but 1
feigned cautiousness and wouldn't tell
him much The next dag he wanted
to know more, and after a great
show of hesitation. 1 fet him in on the
deal. My excuse was that we had
lost the greater part of our capital
bucking the bank (Which was true)
and would consider taking him in for
this reason only. He took the bait
and decided he would go to San Fran
bank with me the day we left and
drew out $3.50. all he had. You can
bet that coin looked good to four
bunco men who had about reached
bedrock Il
When we reached town we separat-
ed from our Nevada. friend on the
plea that it would not do for us to be
seen together too much.
We hired a room on Bush street,
near Kearney, and just across the
alley from the old Bulletin Office. In
this room we installed nice. new
telephone. This was a departure from
the time-honored traditions of wire
tappers. but the pooIrooms were get
ting their results from the race track
by telephone, and so we had to sub |
stitute the telephone for a telegraph |
outfit we originally planned to use.
In all other respects, however, we !
worked according to our former plans |
The next thing of course, was to es-
tablish connections for protection |
We were too old at the game to try |
to pull off anything with out making |
Arrangements beforehand We found |
business was being done in the same |
old way. man.. whom L will call |
Scotty was running a poOlroom close |
to the Hall of Justice. and 1 knew him |
of old as an intern ediary. I ap-
preached him on the subject telling |
him we had the good thing" in town |
with us. Forty per cent of the pro-
ceeds is what it will cost you" said |
Scotty THAT will buy protection, i
unless the sucker makes such a'hol- |
Ier' that the papers open up. If they |
do you get three days notice to get |
out of townaand half the money you i
We closed on those terms and franz |
ed the deal that cleaned out the man |
from Neva da.- The game was a simple |
one. The moment the results of the |
races were, received IN the. city we got |
them by telephonei from the pool |
rooms, where we had man stationed. |
This message was received in a room |
in the same building as the room in |
which our sucker WAS waiting. of
course, he. knew nothing of the second
room Between the two rooms I've /
rugged up a private telephone line. WE /
told the man from Nevada that TINS
line ran direct to race track gates ana
was the one over which the results
came to the Doolroorns. We were sup
posed to have tapped this line, when
would enable us to take the results as
they were Dhoned from Oakland SIDE,
hold them uD for five minutes to give
our man a chance to bet and then send
hem on to the poolrooms. we ex-
planned to him that the. greatest Sc
crecy had to be maintained, and in
stead of mentioning the name of the
winner. over the phone we had an +
entry card on the table before him
and. simply sent a message like TINS;
Fourth Race-Number three"
This meant that he was to play the
bird horse in the list of entries for
he fourth race.
To quiet any doubt he might have
We told him that before making any
Dig bet we would try the game with a
small wager On the following day
we phoned him the number of horse
which had already Won He rushed
lown to Scotty's poolroom and made
!, twenty-dollar bet on the horse at l.
to 1. Scotty knew the horse had won,
but he never batted an eye. Five
minutes later he pretended to get the
.esuIt and paid our man his $12O.
You never saw a man in the state of
excitement shown by our Nevada
friend that night
Boys he said to US. we've got
'ortune that is only limited by the
mount of money these poolroom fell
ows have in the bank"
All of us agreed with him.
He had $500 ready promptly next
lay. On the second race we turned
he trick. This is the message he got
,ver the phone: