Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1908-10-13
High Rollers Who Are Working
Graft, Have Headquarters
at Council Bluffs
STAKES ALL $4,000 OR OVER
SwindIins of One Man, Who Goes Into
the Game to "Skin" Some Other Fell
low, is Whole Basis of Games. and Is
the Principal Method of Protection
Other Iowa News.
Special to inn s-Republican.


Council Bluffs, Oct. 1S.-The story
emanating from Denver a few days
ago, to the effect that a citizen of
Greeley, Col, had been buncoed out
of S12,0 900 in a fake horse race in
Council Bluffs, stimulated an unusual
amount of interest on the part of the
pressed ignorance of the matter. In
the absence of public information re-
lating to recent horse races, the story
created general interest and curiosity.
1t led, however, to a careful investf-
! cation, resulting, it is believed, in the
disclosure of the existence here of q
syndicate organized for the purpose of
"skinning" suckers in all sections of
the United States, a variety of schemes
being kept in stock for the purpose.
If the tips are correct, h fellows who
have been working the graft are high
rollers, anything less han $4,000 be-
ing beneath their notice, or unworthy
any effort to corral.
Headquarters, it is stated, have been
maintained for a long time. in a prom
inent business block. Under the guise
Of a real estate or law office, it is said
susceptible fellows with the coin, have
been lured to their finish. A red auto
mobile, owned and driven by a mar in
Omaha, figures in the story. Accord
ing to the Developments, this man was
the occupant of the office" No signs
appeared on the office door or win
dows, and save from the presence of
elaborate furniture, there was Moth
ing to indicate the nature Of business
transacted in the place.
AT times, it is stated, the mar from
Omaha" would be accompanied to
Council Bluffs by a number Of others,
all, like himself, strangers to people
Of this city. For a few days following
the visits of the strangers there was
great activity about the "office." to be
followed by periods of dullness and
outwardly nothing doing"
It is claimed that for months the
various games Of the operators have
been carried on with his city as the
rallying point. Besides the fake horse
race referred to in the Colorado dis
patch, several fake fights are UNDER
stood to have been pulled off. The
work is that of experts, who are clever
enough to cover up their tricks. One
of the principal methods of protection.
according to the authority for the
latest developments in the matter, has
been to make the whole basis of the
games the swindling of one man who
goes into the game to Skin" some
other fellow, acting as a stool pigeon.
Judgment in selecting the sucker is
said to have been one of the fine points
Of h game, and a man of means and
prominence is usually selected, so that.
when he begins to suspect that he has
| been duped, either pride or ear of *
posture, seals his lips.
Juggling the stake money is another
fine point of the game, and one that is
said to have succeeded in tangling up
the victim every time, causing him to
take the first train out of town. In ad-
dition to the regulation plan of getting
the victim to bet his money! against
the man who has promised to throw
the. fight or race, the stakeholder and
the sucker get on friendly terms and
a proposition is made that they go in
together and again bet the money or
lSlIdlly put up. IL Liz ouShSA puSo W
$40, 900 against an equal amount, there
is $4,000 to wager in the hands Of the
stakeholder. 1t is such a sure thing
that the juggling of the stake money
into another bet is no risk. The victim
and the stakeholder enter into collision
to bet the stake money against a like
amount, which makes $40, 900 for an.
other stake. When the wrong man
loses the fight, the stakeholder, who
has taken such long chances on win
ming, is unable to liquidate, and sug-
gests that the only way to avoid trou-
BILE is to escape in the darkness and
get out of town on the first train.
| With some difficulty the victim and
stakeholder make their getaway, tho
sucker glad to get away. When he
awakes to what has happened, he finds
that he not only was in the game to
skin somebody on a sure thing, but
had bet his own $4,000 twice and was
in collision to bet $4,000 that vas not
his. He suffers in silence until the
gang scatter to scent the country for
a new victim.
The utter weakness of the victim in
such a game was illustrated in the
case Of a victim who tried to recover