The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1913-11-29

1
self plutocratic. Iron had flowed into
town from the ore fields, changed into
steel in the blast furnaces, and, by
a happy modern miracle, finally as
gold, banked to the credit of thou
| sands of surprised, half delirious citi-
zens. Trade was stimulated beyond
belief; spending was lavish; heads
! were turned. Pittsburgh became the
capital of gold.
OF course. following prosperity like
Nemesis, in trooped the vultures of
civilization. Crooks of all the known
varieties swarmed through the town
for a decade, reaping the fat har-
vest with an ease and a daring that
were clamored half way around the
woodland in particular the under
world.
The police could do much to sup
press crimes of violence; it was not
| SO simple to thwart the vultures who
| preyed upon the gullability of the
newly rich. Confidence games were
| successfully worked in as many forms
as there were confidence men to in
vent them. l do not believe that any
| police officer in the world was ever
confronted with as many preposterous-
/ ly obvious methods of separating hon
est men from their money.
The case Of William Murdoch is in
| point. Mr.. Murdoch was a pillar Of the
| community, man whose business
sense had helped make Pittsburgh
what it was. On a certain Saturday
| afternoon he emerged from throng-
| ed barber shop and was accosted by
| a pleasant looking fellow outside.
Why, Mr. Murdoch, how do you
| do" cried the pedestrian, holding out
| his hand
| The benevolent flnancier paused, ad-
| justed his spectacles and tried to place
! the young mans face. He failed. but
| being a firm believer in sociabil-
ity. as well as the other institutions of
Pittsburgh life, he fell into the
strangers pace, ventured a remark on
the weather and pursued both that
topic and his companions foot
steps until they reached Grant street,
| a part of the town fairly unfamiliar
to him.
1
of Pittsburgh and it's prominent citi-
zens that has been written said the
tempter at that point. Your name
and your picture come first in the
book. I've been looking for you for
week. Don't want to sell you the
book you Know-it is not a CONNER
| cial venture. Only we need another
detail or two about your life. Won't
you step up and see the proofs?'
The old gentleman assembled with
alacrity. They learned from youth
in the Office that the proofs had been
! sent to the New York printer one
short hour before. The conversation
extended now to three, was genial,
however, and continuous. Mr. Muir
| dock had risen to leave twice before
the talk drifted to lotteries, specula-
ton and the Ikea Fascinating sub
/ ject of which Mr. Murdoch prided him
self that he know no mean amount
| The two men produced a new apparat-
US. contraption of the chucka-luck
order, which the business man pres
emily found himself whirling with
| something nearer the gamblers pas
sion than he had known in all his eau
i tiOuS career
In ten minutes Mr. Murdoch had
won $4,000. The winnings, in large
yellow bills, were taken from a
safe and spread before him on the
| table.
But Of course we can't pay that
over to you said one Of the men,
until you have assured US that we
! would not have lost our money if the
game had gone the other way. Ten
thousand dollars-not a check, you
know, but the kind of bills that lie
there on the table-you'd do as a
guaranty of good faith
One of Pittsburgh's safest business
| men considered a moment, then pa,
! tiently started out to assure the gen
tlemen of his sincerity. At his bank
he succeeded in obtaining four $500
gold certificates, one package OF
$500 in bills of $50 and 800 demon
! nations and another $1,000 package
of greenbacks Of the same size from
a gasping cashier causing a hurried
replenishment of the banks cash from
neighboring institution. Mr.. Muir
! dock found his new friend waiting foI
! him at the banks entrance, and TO
gether they made their way back &c
the Grant street Office and the gam
bling wheel.
The fascinated old gentleman played
again and again. Ten thousand dollars
of his money and half that amount OF
the strangers money were the stakes
on the table. In half an hour Mr.
Murdoch was informed that the ca
prices of the chuck-a-luck wheel had
!; deprived him of the rightful ownership
of not only his $1,000 winning but o.
, his $4,000 guaranty OF good faith.