The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1919-05-10
CON- MAN PROFITS
Reaped Harvest of 10 Millions
Last Year, Authorities Say.
Swindlers of Today Have Fine
Homes, Ride in LimOusines.
NEW METHODS REPLACE OLD
Shell Game and Gold Brick
Yield to Sake" Stock Deals.
Florida Winter Resorts Prove
FavOrite TERRITORY"
NEW METHODS REPLACE OLD

Chicago, May 1O.-The American
confidence man reaped a harvest of
more than $4,000. 900 last year, ac-
cordins to figures compiled by Chi
cago authorities. This is the approx
mate amount actually collected from
the creduIous public by professional
confidence operators and does not in
clude the millions gathered in annu-
ally by the various stock jobbing
schemes.
The crude devices Of the old time
confidence nan-s with his shell game,
three card monte, gold brick, green
goods. money changing and lemon
games. have give way to modern
methods. more complex and more
profitable.
Puts on Good Front
The really successful confidence
men of today usually have summer
and winter homes. ride in Hmousines
and are Sided by richly gowned WOm-
en- They are educated and far more
clever than their brothers Of old days.
whose favorite trick in Chicago was to
sell the Masonic Temple to a ''rube"
for small sum. or agree TO make the
building turn around"
Land selling schemes, peddling
worthless mine and oil well stock,
wire tapping and fake sporting
the modern confidence man, who
ma tches wits with the banker. capt.
talist and lawyer, instead of dealing
with the isnOrant ruralite. Nearly all
of the victims Of a Chicago gang re-
Gently sent to the peuitentiary were
bankers and business men. The gangs
loot aggregated more chan half a mill
lion dollars a year.
Victims Fear Publicity.
Fear of publicity keeps most victims
quiet, thus giving the high class con-
fidence man a certain degree of inn
munity, authorities say. They add
that federal prosecution for using the
mails to defraud has been d big fac
tor in breaking up gangs and recently
brought about conviction of half a
dozen leading confidence workers.
Tom Brown, who came from De-
troit and made his headquarters in
New York. was father of the present
type of confidence man" said William
A. Pinkerton. veteran detective, in
striking a comparison between the old
and new swindlers- He operated
forty years ago and formerly was a
three card monte man He was known
as a bunco steerer and won by fake
lottery schemes and other crooked
gambling devices. Then he invented
the gold brick with which he toured
the country. The green goods game
came later and Brown had many inf
tators who picked up thousands an
nually- Wire tapping and other
schemes now used developed from
those old games. The modern opera
tors don't bother with small money
and often clean up 100000 in a single
deal The old timers thought $1,000
a big job
Crook Cheats Crook.
Victims are not really honest at
heart, for they often enter into a
scheme to cheat another fellow The
small town banker and business man
has proved a shining mark for swim
dlers. They cannot risk their reputa-
tons by complaining. It is surprising
how many shrewd business men fall
into the net"
1t is estimated 100000 of the
S1OsOO0-OO0 total was obtained in Flor
ida. where hundreds of confidence
workers are said to operate, particu-
larry among winter tourists