Evening star., 1928-05-21

There Is q book called Confessions
Of a Confidence Man" written by a
mechanical engineer by training and a
crook by choice. So II is natural that
many Of his schemes have 70 do with
inventions. He demonstrates an auto
matte typewriter. You talk into the
machine and out comes what you die
tated on neatly typewriter sheet.
and you can see the typewriter turning
It out. But you don't see the micro
phone that carries the voice to an adj
joining room, where an expert takes
the dietation directly on q typewriter
electrically connected with the one
turning out the copy.
Bankers were decoyed to see and
wonder and invest Plans were care
fully laid. The interest OF the widow OF
the inventor had TO be bought with
cash. Once the cash was produced
the crook vanished with IL. The fair
StenOgTapher who played the part OF
the wicOw was his accomplice.
Or there is a peTipatetic Ice factory
or match factory. made up Of W0rn-0ut
parts, sold 10 local investors at 10 times
its values, which goes 70 pieces soon
after II Is paid for. Or an old and
wealthy man 1nVents g window closer
He Is offered a fair sum for the New
York rights By Crook No /. Later
comes No. 2 and offers an extravagant
sum for the invention outright. So the
inventor Is forced 10 buy back the New
York rights 1T a large advance. which
represents what the two crooks divide
between them. for the second crook nov
wiFhdraws his offer.
And 50 you can 60 on from chapter
70 chapter IN this book Of high crook
dom, lga which all the schemes depend
on getting the confidence Of your VIC
tim and then betFaying IT. But all this
represents only the elaborate con
games For one such scheme there are
hundreds of far simpler frauds that
depend or little trickery Or bold,
persuasive manner.
Here Is an example or two out Of a
thousand smali-5caie cro0kerieE. Iii the
passagegay of the New York subway
an ordinary crook displays 1Tigt watch
on hls wrist, which he explains in a
confidential voice, ordinarily sells for
sl3s but II taken a. once may be had
for IS cents He sells watches hand
oyer hand. The watch you really get
doesn't move and Is SOls at a profit
elsewhere As l0-ceflt toy
At the subway booth where change IL
Il&de an operator practiced for years a
simple tfick When he had 70 change q
S5 bill he offered 81 In silver and
handed out and counted 0iit the rest ia
81 fllls, which we're actually three III
geniousiy f0Eded ~ appeaf as four
On large scale and small one and
n endless varieties VI ways crooks VI
al sorts ard Dgfsuasl9us are playing the
game ~ deceptigu and posing the pay-
ci9ologicsl query Why eroJka'2 no
~ easy answer IS The truth. but u0(
tie Atsole truth
We are informed in reply that /
Buekff n bDfu every minute. and appar
snLy tfae Dlf1n rate Is not declining, b4i
apparently 8 cgOok is byFn egfry h0li
~ take advantage u uls ~ c0tsfup9T
aries. The guilibilNy II the public VI
must atneDi and tt4e Dsychol0Ry III ths
cupes IL . separate matter though fne
IUre lH many cabes lA the same as thai
which stimulates tie cfook easy money
And in some ~ these schemes tne in.
yest0r must really participate ln q shadl
transaction before ne Is let in On "a
Cupldily aCG0uutz for IpUIe tbAn gull
bility, though tilf blgh~gTad cT0ok is
sharper Yho bas D deeper n9ld on bn
man psyCfDlpay than IS needed Ia man.
forms ~ honest promoilDf}.
'fhe one fundamental question is
What is there in crg1kfry tuat alhaets
What makes dishonest dollar ~ ulIci
more 1epptlu2 ~ oefisiu make up o
mind than 81 hytest Due7 Ia putin
this question ~ various experts u
rounding up crooks / got various al
EWsIs. parity agreeing party disagree
ing Jhe leading replies are The tui
Of putting Il over and the high fis
gives II the thriiI VI biz game. In dup
bunting the bsFder the prey ~ W 1a
end me more elsDqFsle ihe setting an
fbe richer the ha3Il. ibe greater Ia
Fpoft GTookery IL ~ Eucn more fsk
ciBating game tban legitimate business
Whah again attracts many ei ths saIla