Iron County news. [volume] (Hurley, Wis.) 1913-1950, 1913-10-11
TAKING FROM RICH
How a Newly Wealthy Pittsburgh
Man Was FIeeced.
Mr. MurdOck Met Afable Stranger
Who Published Autobioeraphles,
and In Due Course of Time ls
Separated from Much Money.

I
self plutocratic. Iron had flowed into
town from the ore fields, changed into
steel in the blast furnaces, and, by
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; 1t 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. ! 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. a 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
dol" cried the pedestrian, holding out
his hand.
The benevolent fnancier paused, adj
justed his spectacles and tried to place
the young mans face He failed, but
being a firm believer in sociabil-
ity, as we'll 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
Upstairs I've got the finest history
of Pittsburgh and its 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
a 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 a 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 like--a fascinating sub
ject of which Mr.. Murdoch prided him
self tina he know no mean amount.
The two men produced new apparat-
US. q contraption of the chuck-a-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
tious career.
In ten minutes Mr., Murdoch had
won $4,000 The winnings, in large
yellow bills. were taken from
safe and spread before him on the
table
But of course we cant pay that
over 10 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 check, you
/ know. but the kind OF bills that lie
there IN the table-you'd do as a
/ guaranty of good faith
/ One of Pittsburghs safest business
/ men considered a moment. then pa.
| tiently started out to assure the gen
| temen OF his sincerity. At his bank
he succeeded in obtaining four $500
/ gold certificates. one package OF
/ $l,500 in bills Of $50 and 300 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
a neighboripg institution. Mr. Muir
dock found his new friend waiting for
him at the banks entrance. and to-
gother they made their way back to
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 rightiul ownership
Of not only his $4,000 winning but OF
his $4,000 guaranty OF good faith.