Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-01-26

Wy =: :: :; !; :
RN<S<~ II SAID tnat IOOl is
NV born every min
2EWIAN ute and certainly
FL =. this must be true.
0kr1 = Despite all the
publicity that is
given to the thousand and one ''cOnfi-
dence games by which crooks have been
fleeing honest men for years. suckers,
as the thieves call their victims, seem
TO be just as numerous as ever, and bunko
men have no more difficulty in locating
them.
For the past fifty years perhaps the
gullible farmer. the ''come-on.'' has been
ridiculed on and off the stage and in the
funny papers. but he is still playing his
part in real life and taking train for the
big cities to give up his life's savings for
bunch of worthless green paper.
~
Fifty times a year the clever New York
business man reads of the moth-eaten
wire tapping scheme. by which men
who desire to get rich quick by simple
plan to beat the poolrooms are swindled
out of large sums by clever sharpers. but
the overlapping game is worked to-
day just as much as it ever was. and 1t
is as often as not the clever New York
business man who is the victim.
In short the more frequently honest
men are imposed upon the more credu-
IOuS they seem to become. and the path
of the bunko stereer and .'con man.
grows steadily easier. The tricks and
traps which deceived our grandfathers
used with equal success to insnare us
today.
1t is true these old schemes may be
dressed little differently. just as the
garb of the crook himself has changed
to meet the demands of modern fashion.
but in all essentials the scheme remains
the same.
Take. for instance. the green goods
game. perhaps the most ancient of them
all. AS it was worked twenty-five years
ago the crook represented that he had
succeeded in producing counterfeit money
which was so perfectly executed that
even an expert could not distinguish it
from the genuine.
In proof of his assertion he inclosed
Sample" which he assured the sucker
he would have no trouble in passing. AS
the sample was a genuine bill. this, of
course. was actually the case. and the
sucker readily fell for the scheme. CIV
ing up his savings of years for a bunch
of green paper.
Today the scheme is worked in some
what different manner. After a possible
customer has been located by advertising
judiciously in the country newspapers the
crooks send him what is apparently a
clipping from a newspaper.
This clipping tells of the theft of certain
plates from the United States bureau of
engraving and printing, giving a full de-
scription of the plates, including the de-
nomination, numbers, design and cOlOring.
With this clipping Is sent a letter stating
that the writer Is in possession OF these
identical stolen plates and lncloslnS, Dy
been engraved from them
The sucker compares the bill with the
description of the stolen plates. as given
in the newspaper clipping, and sees no
discrepancy. Evidently. he concludes. the
crook must indeed be in possession of the
genuine plates.
The rest is easy. The sucker passes
the bill without any trouble. draws his
savings out of the bank and hot-foots it
to the city to buy up at cut rates as
many of the illegal bills as his money
he gets in return for his cash are worth
Just as much as the green goods his
grandfather got fifty years ago.
OF course the way the trick is worked
is obvious. The newspaper clipping was
specially printed for the crooks, and de-
scribes genuine bill which they send
along as the sample.
III Is almost Impossible 10 pass
certain streets of New York after dark
without being approached by a seedy
looking individual who will try TO work
off on YOU some ancien, ICON game" He
may produce from his pocket diamond
ring which he has Just found but
which. of course doesn't give him the
car fare he needs TO get to Newark. n.
j. He will tell You that he is really
strapped" and while he dislikes very
much to approach you, perfect stranger.
in this unconventional way. there is
really nothing else for him to do. He
will ask you to advance him dollar.
perhaps, on the ring. or he will sell it to
you outright for five-spot.
You see. / found it," he goes on so
even though ii may be worth $50 or $40,
1 don't mind letting you have it for a FIVE
spot. in view of the circumstances
And the StranSest part about il is that
this threadbare swindle works / know a
good many of these sharpers. and 1 have
seen them night after night in gambling
houses seeking to double through the
quired through their wits.
I knew a fellow who made as much as
500 to $50 week in the 9th avenue
elevated trains by another very old bunko
game. He would take one of the cross
seats in an uptown train about o'clock
in the morning. A few minutes after he
had seated himself his attention would be
attracted toward something under the
feet of the man opposite him.
~
The passenger would follow the direc-
ton Of the crooks gaze. but observe
nothing but a piece of crumpled tissue
paper. Then, with a few mumbled words
OF excuse. the crook would stoop down
and pick up the piece of paper. slowly
unwrapping ii on his knee in a more or
less unexpectant manner. All Of sud-
den he gives jerk of surprise as the
rays OF brilliant diamond shine out
from the folds of the tissue paper.
The crook hastily wraps up his find
gaZes nervously around him to see
whether his good fortune has been OBJ
served by his fellow passengers, and
Grams the tissue paper. with its valua BILE
contents. into his waistcoat pocket, as
Stunning look of absolute innocence
Soon he allows smile of qualification
to spread over his face, and he can no
longer resist the temptation to take an
other look at his find. This time he is
less secretive about 1t: in fact he gives
every one an opportunity to feast his
eyes on the gem.
How big is it, asks a man seated at
the crooks side. who is possibly a pal
Worth about seventy-five beans," re-
joins the crook. but il isn't worth that
much To me-
''How's that?
WELL If 7 hooked IN mich, -. -.