The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-08-23
EASY GRAFT IN
 TIE OLDEN DAYS Con Men Work An Entirely
 New Game 1T PAID HANDSOMELY Until Some Detectives Butted In and Spoiled the Works-scld Books
 on the lnstallment
 Plan.
1T PAID HANDSOMELY
From the Chicago Tribune.

If there was anything I liked particu- larly we'll in my active days it was a piece of new and easy graft l en- joyed it ac well as coquette enjoys a new victim.
 Speaking from sad experience, how ever, would like to warn all my prother con men against breaking into new nelos. If a man must live off the gullible public, be would better stick to his own line. If he is a gold-brick man,he IS hkely to gel into trouble when he tries to sell iigb+nIne, rods. He may get the money and get away with it, but there will be a comeback somewhere that his experl- ence hasn't taught him to guard agalhst.
 It was a tactical mistake or lnlhe to unit the bunko game in Chicago. all wave got enough easy money for an easy 1,,,,n- and never had any trouble with The police. In the old days these things were always fixed, and the worst that could happen to a man was to be com- peIed to take a 10 days vacation at Lake Geneva. while the trouble was blowing over.
 yet when a friend of mine came to me -,,tb new niece of graft I fell for II, inst like any other sucker because II promised to be easy and lnterestiis.
 My new graft was the DOCK agency business. l hired out to sell encyolopes dias for a Chicago house. It was one oA the most foolish things l ever nave uoile' but my pal had worked up scneiile eo nlav both ends against the middle, ana the money came so easy en@e '' shame to take it.
 We were selling a set of books on the ,nstallment plan-S2 down and s1 month. We got s for each order, and our plah was to get both the books and the com mission and let publishers hold the pas'
 Al that time I had a good many friends in Chicago, small business men or ohe sort or another, who were not too con scientious to help an industrious con man turn an honest penny. l would go to one of these and sign him Tor an oruei' using fictitious name. Then wouiu ue liver the books. turn over the $2 to the bonsa for the first payment and collect ss for my commission. It was easy enough to sell the books to secondhand dealer or to an outsider for about third of what they are worth.
 My nal was working the same game. We figured that we had at least month +o eo on. and perhaps longer, TOT when the collector called for the second dollar If was easy enough to stall him off The man who had bought the books-signlns inc fictitious name, Of course-nau skinned out. leaving no address Nobody Iynaw what had become of him, and of course that ended the collectors pusl- ness at that place.
 If always has been a wonder to me how anxious those publishers were 10 get orders And my pal and l were WIT ling to accommodate them. We sold en- cvclopedias right and left, making nay while the weather was good The DOSE stood for it all right apparently Wlthoul a suspicion. .,o.
 There is no doubt that for two or three weeks my pal and I broke the recoros for book selling by subscription. we came in every night with a long string of orders. They were good orders, every one of them. They stood up. When the books were delivered there never was any trouble about them being received and paid for.
 The Chicago manager of the big East ern firm thought we were little wonders. He never had such a pair of winners De- fore lie fairly groveled over us, he was so afraid that we would quit and go to another house He paid us our com missions promptly and took all the or ders we O. Kd without making any in- vestigation.
 It was easy picking all right. We had money in all our pockets and kept draw ing in advance from the firm, and they never refused to honor our calls for ad- vance money
 Now. I've been a con man, with all that the name implies, but I've always been square with a pal and always ready to lend a helping hand to a friend in hard luck. There is a freemasonry of a kind in the brotherhood, and 1t is seldom that I have met with treachery on the part of professional brother I have trusted.
 While we were in the height of our prosperity on the book graft an old crook, whom I had known years before but had not seen much of lately, came to me with a hard luck story. I offered him money, but he refused it.
 q can see that you are on something easy" said he. "I wish you would tip me off I want to go to Minneapolis, and if could pick up a few dollars to get some better clothes and pay the ex- penses of my trip I am sure I can land something worth while up there"
 "Well, wait till I see my partner" said. q can't do anything without his consent, because it is really his graf that we are working on. If he Is willing l will see you after supper, and put yol next to something that is easy No big money in it. you know, but 1t just drop. into your hand without shaking ths tree"
 He seemed real anxious and gratefu about it, and I hurried away to find my pal and ask his consent to take in q third man in our combination.
 Are you sure this fellow is to b, trusted?" he asked.
 "Yes, I'll vouch for him. He's al right. but his luck is bad and I want tc do him a good turn"
 Al right said he. This business will begin to get dangerous after a cou. ple of more weeks, anyway. When the, begin to make collections all around ant learn that all their customers have skipped out therell be the mischief tc pay We want to take vacation before they begin to get wise. In the meantime let your friend in, if you think he, safe'
 I saw the man with the hard lucl story that night, explaining our method of working the book graft. He was de lighted with 1t, and eagerly inquired fol full particulars.
 "Its the finest thing I ever struck" he declared. "I know a dozen men I cal get orders from who will stand for tn, deliveries"
 You may go and see the manager ir the morning. l said. Tell him I sen you I am going under the name O. Smith, Don't forget that You ma, give him any name you please"
 The next day the manager told m, that he had hired a friend of mine, ant that he believed he would be goot man He seemed pleased about if am