The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1917-01-27
WIRE TAPPERs AT
WORK IN TAMPA

ing from this mornings Tribune
showing operations have been quite
lively there:
The old, old game of playing the
races, without even the frills that
might be expected to be added in de-
ference to the enlighted intelligence
of the year 1917 made its appear
ance this week in Tampa with pair
of victims selected to be plucked, but
who escaped the plucking Magazines
and newspapers have for years been
exposing the well-dressed stranger
who shows up in town, and gives his
prospective victim a story of having
won on the races, but states that he
cannot cash his luck without show
ing the men in the game that he has
the money to back his bet. The
stranger offers the prospective vic
tim an opportunity to share in the
coin which has been won, by simply
putting up the cash to show the
men running the game that the fell
low making the bet could deliver the
lgoods. The confidence man in this
instance was no piker-he was
stringing his proposed victims for
close to S65, 600, and at least one Of
the men he apparently had selected
still believes in the honesty Of the
proposition.
One day last week a we'll dressed
man of excellent address appeared in
the office of a prominent attorney in
the American Bank Building. He in
troduced himself as J Wilson of
New York city, and while the lawyer
is retioent as to the interview, it is
to be presumed that Mr. Wilson gave
Linn the same story that he gave a
real estate dealer who has offices in
the Citizens Bank Building. From
several sources, it appears. that Mr.
Wilson gave out that he came here
To build an interurban electric line
between Tampa and st. Petersburg,
and he even had blue prints Of a
proposed road
According to his story, Wilson had
been offered a chance to do Git
tie betting" on the Juarez races. ard
he went with the men to a place
where, he claimed, the telegraph in
| struments were ticking busily. and
; men were chalking up the results of
, races on a blackboard, and money
in stacks was piled up on the table
: where the betting was taking place.
There seemed to be more money on
, the table than all the banks of Tam
pa had on deposit-just stacks and
stacks of yellowbacks; in fact, money
seemed the commonest thing in the
room. it was just lying around on
chairs and tables-everywhere Will
son. according to his story, make a
little piking bet, only five dollars,
and won $25. "He bet that and
won 500, and before he realized
what had happened he had won So
900. Wilson kept ON betting, and
soon he had bet $4,000 and then
won profit OF $4,000 But here
the rub came. The men operating
the game told him he had won the
money fairly enough. but they would
not pay him his winnings unless he
lshowed them that he had the coin
to cover his bet had he lost.
Told Story to Solicitor
The rest of the story is best told
by the real estate man. According
to the latter. the attorney called him
over the telephone and gave him the
gist of the story that Wilson had
told the realty dealer, and shortly
after Wilson appeared at the latter's
office. Wilson explained how he had
bet and won, making a profit close to
100000, and said that he had an
sother man to go in with him in max
ing up the SOS, 900 necessary to pro-
duce to obtain his winnings. and he
wanted the realty man to go in on
the proposition. Wilson said he
would wire a New York bank for a
cashiers check for $4,000, and put
this with the $4,000 which he had
won already, and he wanted the
realtcr to put Up $4,000, and the
balance of the amount would be
raised by third party. The story
had enough interest for the sand
peddler that he told Wilson to com.