Los Angeles herald., 1907-09-02
CONFIDENCE
GANG BROKEN
HAVE OPERATED BEACHES FOR
MONTHS
WELL KNOWN CROOKS WARNED
AWAY
Captain Hroadhead Aids Marshal Car
penter Of Avalon and Other
Authorities In Detect
Ing Band

IAN organized gang Of confidence
men, swindlers. bunco steers and short
card men who for more than a year
past have been operating in and
around Venice, Ocean Park, Long
Beach and San Pedro with tourists as
their chief prey, is in fair way to pc
broken UP by the active work of the
new police OFFICIALS of Venice and Mar
shall Carpenter of Avalon. with the as
sistance of Captain Thomas II. Broad
head of this city.
The running of gambling dens at
Venice and Ocean Park, Santa Monica
and Long Beach has been only one OF
the side issues of this delectable crowu.
Their chief graft has been found at
San Pedro and Avalon in separating
gui1eless visitors to the Catalina islano
resort from their coin and valuable
baggage.
Under the leadership of Poker
Johnston, a police character known
from coast to coast, a gang of dozen
or more we'll dressed grafters nave
been making San Pedro their heao-
quarters for weeks past and the mar
vest they have reaped has been no
mean one-
In the crowd is 'Timpy Burgess,
man with dozen aliases, who Is one
of the best second dealers" and short
card men in the country; AL Walker,
the greatest capper who has ever
worked on this coast, and Little Eo
Wilson, a brace faro dealer recently
run out of Denver, Aspen. Leadville ano
Salt Lake There are other mempeas sas
Of the gang, but these are the cnler
artists and the brains of the combina-
tion. ...f.3.,. ss..s-. .f..4
Apparatus Complete
This crowd have had their headquar-
ters in a small shack on; Terminal
island with a cigar store front as
blind. In the rear are two plainly fur-
nished rooms with q number OF closets
and cupboards from which at tne
occult and psychological moment can
be produced cards, dice. faro layouts.
wheel and tub games, or anything else
that a tourist may favor as the means
of separating him from his cash. oniy
the tourist is always of the opinion
until the end that he Is engaged In a
game. with his new found friend 10
clean up a jol few hundred OF easy
money from the owner OF the place.
Standing around the San Pedro DOCKS
~ t,.ain time and Just before the Ava
lon Be~r pfp out these human para
..1.5es. well Messed and of respectable
.Ssinns!s%Sa Nee 4crape acquaintance with
tourists on rms plea that they them
selves are strangers and bound Tor the
island :.
conversation are brought up and In
short time the CRATER invites his new
found friend to, take trip across the
ferry to kill time while the big boat
was retting ready. Once over there
the cigar store was gone to and the
usual old game played to get the
sucker inside. :.
cards would be brought up and the
stranger would invariably win, but be-
fore he could bet his money he had TO
show an equal amount as an evidence
of rood faith. Then followed the usuai
switch of packages and the final DIX
ing of the stranger
Half Hundred Victims
within the past four months no less
+hor fiftv tourists have been robbed IN
this or some other fashion by these men,
srd while a majority of them have been
content to pocket their losses and say
nothing few have reported their losses
~ the police. From these track was got
Of the gang and ctose "atcii mas s-''Se
been kept on them t.,a
az force of special officers to protect us
natrons from this class OF thieves put
nntil lately when they resorted 70 pag-
eaae stealing the company has nao no
tangible ground to go on TO prosecute
these men. 49, ~
on every boat going to Avalon two OF
more of these grafters would take pass
ace and In the confusion attending tne
landing at the Avalon dock would pick
IN s,,it case or valise or other properly
and make away with 1t. A gasonne
launch and row boat always provided
ready means for an escape from tne
island and it was not until Marshai Car
nenter was recently appointed at tns
head of the Avalon force and ne selectsu
q number of young and active oHlcers
from the Los Angeles force to help MIN
that any headway was made against
Sat- satnrdav afternoon Captaln Thomas H.
proadhead made the trip to Avalon on
the steamer Hermosa, having under MS
eve all the way two of the Poker Jonn-
son gang. AT the dock one OF the men
made way with a heavy dress suit case
hsIonq,ng to a Miss e. c. Meyer of st.
cuIprlt Caught
The fellow was of course spotted at
once and as he stepped from the dock
Marshal Carpenter and OFFICER King
stopped him and led him quietly away.
He was asked to take his choice OF
leaving at once and never showing MS
face On the island or the San Pedro
dock or of being prosecuted and sent
10 prison for grand larceny.
He chose the former and was escorted
back to San Pedro on the Cabrillo and
there released
Captain Broadhead pointed out to the
Avalon and San Pedro officers a dozen
members Of this gang and all of them
viii be warned away. The Banning COM
pany and Marshal Carpenter have de-
terrnincd that every undesirable person
Of this class must keep away from Ava
Ion and the San Pedro wharf of the
Avalon steamers and yesterday three
more of the gang were told to leave,
and they obeyed the order. The work
will be kept up until the entire crowd
-. 49,, cleaned ont or nlaCed In tafl.