Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-07-26
FALSE PRETENSE AND
OTHER SWINDLE GAMES


name on the blotter, docs love to be re-
lieved of it's cash.
"A1d there is no better way than the
multitudinous schemes which the false
pretense man. puts into operation.
These men have the tabled wolf in
sleeps clothing faded a city block he
continued, "for Mr.. Wolf had only one
disguise, while these underworld parasites
get by in every garb from preacher to
undertaken. There's not a calling in the
book that has not some time or other fig
ured in a scheme to get something for
nothing.
And, strange to say. there IS a great
deal OF thought and ingenuity expended in
the formulation Of a successful false pre-
tense scheme And the mentality Of the
crook himself to no small extent shows up
in his methods Of relieving the public OF
its change.
"No. Washington has no professional
crooks. that Is. it hasn't now. All OF that
class have been cleaned out. But still the
city Is pretty well infested with the petty
offenders. false pretense men. shoplifters
and the like. During the year 1907 ninety
nine arrests were made on this charge
twenty three Of the cases were noile
pressed. eleven dismissed and sixty-hve
held. But even with this police record
the extent Of the false pretense practices
cannot be estimated. for the best protec-
ton the petty crook has lies In his VIC.
TINS egotism. If a man Is done out Oh
two or three dollars he hesitates 10 de-
clare himself for such a small amount IN
thu army of E. Z. marks.
The Fake Undertaken.
Two Of the neatest examples of this
method Of obtaining money have recently
come up. They illustrate the class OF
fraud which is the work Of an offender
with a degree Of mentality a little above
the average. These are the cases OF the
fake undertaken and the electric light
globe man.
The fakir dresses himself in funereal
black and stations himself near house
where he sees the wagon of an under
taker, or loiters around a funeral direct
or's place Of business. When the real I'M
dertaker appears on the scene the bogus
one approaches him and declares that
while on his way to funeral his hearse
has been run into and damaged. he Will
then tell the real undertaken that he has
had to take it to a blacksmith shop and
that he canot get 1t out without So, or
similar amount, which he lacks. Ten
chances to one the Real Thing In crepe
will dig down in his somber jeans and
separate himself from the desired ma
yuma and the Cotton Crepe will wipe
smile off his face and beat it. Pretty
shrewd?
And how's this one? About five
months ago the only and original Electric
Globe man, as far as l can find. was
pinched in this burg He had an original
mind, too. This guy picked out nice
friend Of his who had a kind face and
electric service in his house.
Now. the electric light company Issues
cards to all of it's patrons, which. II pre-
scented together with burned-out globes.
Is useful in redeeming the old ones for
new lights The fakir had collected
thousands Of these old globes and going
to his friend, obtained the loan OF his
card. 1t was then an easy matter FOR MIN
which he proceeded to sell at job-lot
rates, cleaning up about $500 out Of his
little deal.
The Fleeing Labor Bureau.
Another case which has its humorous
side 1 might mention right here. There
Is boarding at the District hosiery now
a sporty dusky who always seemed to
have his share of sheckels. One morning
he went among his friends and told them
that for a small consideration he would
obtain places for them in an Atlantic
City Hotel for which he was the labor
agent. They all came across. and he
made an appointment with them to meet
them at o'clock in the afternoon. Four
O'Clock came and with 1t woman who
gained admittance to the sports boarding
house. A few minutes later saw several
other applicants struggle In.
Law sake" the boarding house keeper
cried. VIVA all yo' people dom roun
heah? Dis amt my r re-: day. .,
chorused. We gin i'm foah dollahs
apiece t git us places in a 'Lantic City
hotel"
The old aunty threw back her head
and let out laugh that would have put
a steam siren to shame. But she shut it
Off suddenly. Good Lawd!" she gasped
An done gin dat man thu'teen dollahs
uh nah good money t pay dis months
rent" Ebenezer. the shifty. had shifted
Now these are representative cases.
because. among the lower classes. it is
frequently practiced. A man will go to
the home of another whom he knows to
be away at the time. and will tell the
wife or mother that the husband or son
has been arrested, and only having say
IS In his clothes, needs a like amount to
make up his collateral. This seldom fails
to bring the long green across. and the
fakir Is that much better of.
"Or. again. one Of these false-pretense
persons will go to store. order a bill
of goods amounting to So or 50. and order
them sent C. o. D. to an address which
he knows to be either a vacant house or a
house where nobody Is at home When
the delivery man comes he will find the
apparent purchaser waiting for him. The
fakir will take the goods. and under the
pretense Of going into the house for
money, will sneak out the back way and
make good his beat
Getting a Job for Him.
Another favorite, which Is practiced
largely by negroes upon the seed variety
Of their race who have just struck town.
is to pick out a likely looking brother who
looks too green to burn and approach him
with an offer OF position. The seed
usually falls for 1t, and when he Is suff-
GENTLY bafted he Is told that he must
have a uniform, and all OF his worldly
possessions he transfers to his enticer for
the purchase OF the blue and brass. He
is then steered to some public or office
building which has two entrances and
told to wait until HIS guide can see the
scheme which is really At only to put
in mothballs. on account Of its age. yet
which never falls to work beautifully. 10
the one In which the swindler calls up
prominent merchant over the telephone
and represents himself to be a man OF
standing In the community. He will say
that his son or nephew will call to OBJ
tain some goods and will present check
which he would like to be honored. The
merchant usually takes the bait. and
when the young man. who is almost al
ways the one who has telephoned. calls
and buys bill of goods amounting to
1898 and tenders q check for $40 he comes
mighty near getting 1902 change.
Where the negroes shine. however, Is
through appealing to the charity of their
fellows. 1t is an easy matter to get the