Show Police Draw Fangs of Bunko Men Who Fleeced Tourists By Frank A. A Hunt HERE HEnE was a time Ume in Salt Lake Lale THERE T and not so very long ago wh when r I tho the prosperous tourist upon emerging from the time railway station station station sta sta- sta- sta tion was often otten met by y an affable stranger who seemed a perfect gentleman gentleman gentleman gentle gentle- man and possessed of ot the most charming charming charming charm charm- ing manners Often the tourist would be delighted at the accidental meeting meeting meet meet- ing and pleased to find a willing guide ulde to the city I r 1 am something of or a R stronger myself myself myself my my- self the stranger would remark but butI I have been hero here long enough to know I something about the sights Later the stranger would have won the entire confidence of the tourist I and would soon be letting him in on a good thing Whether the good thing was an inside tip Up on a mythical mythi mythi- I cal horse race or a chance to buy land Im which would soon soon be in big demand I by the government or a still more visionary proposition the end was al always always always al- al ways the same The tourist came to the realization that he had been bun bun- coed but he usually woke up in some other town to which he had been lured I I NEW LAW STOPS STOPS' GRAFT Apparently all aU this is changed hanged A Jaw law passed by the last state stat legislature legisla legisla- ture makes prosecution of these bunko artists very easy No reports of gigantic swindles such at ay ar were once once perpetrated here have haye leached reached the police this year and oven even the cheap I dollar matching bunko bunIo artist Is seems ems I to have given Salt Lake a u wide berth A few original con men with highly ingenious schemes were captured captured cap cap- before they had a chance to operate but these men were not members members mem mem- bers hers of the old old gangs which used to operate so freely freeh- ih Salt Lake The police and auth court records reveal some interesting stories of the operations operations operations opera opera- of the old guard The Thc well wen known bunko deals such t as as the Spanish prisoner the counterfeit roll roil the come on and sick engineer engineer engi engi- neer fleer were scorned by Salt Lakes Lake's criminal talent The They Thel- exhibited a business business business busi busi- ness ability worthy of a better cause until and never dropped a prospect they had robbed him of every available dollar r. r In Ma May 1916 a certain druggist met an affable stranger who represented himself as a retired druggist from De De- De- De troit Finding that the tourist was stopping at a a. certain hotel the bunko obtained rooms at the same place in in order to continue the friend friend- I ship While viewing the county building the pair pall picked licked up a purse planted by bythe bythe bythe the confidence man that contained letters letters letters let let- addressed to a man who may be called Smith It also contained a copy of an indemnity bond to the amount of and a check of large de de- de nomination They decided dE to return the purse to Smith who was stopping at a local hotel He appeared very grateful and told them in return he would let iet th them m mInto into a great secret He explained that he was sent to Salt Lake with a list of stockholders in a certain big mining comp company ny whose property was located in Oregon Ho ITo stated that there had recently been a aery ery very rich strike made in this mining property and md that as yet stockholders were unaware of the fact tact PLAUSIBLE STORY He said the company pany was desirous of obtaining control of the stock and that they were willing to pay a ashare ashare ashare share for it It had been n selling f fo fC around l l. a share at which price the stockholders would be glad to sell their holdings He stated that the bond which they saw in iu his purse was a g guarantee that he would not get in and buy any of the stock I The tourist and his new friend were induced to act as agents for Smith The They discovered a stockholder at another local hotel who possessed shares of stock The tourist fell felt hard and returning to his home in the East he sold his farm for 10 and returned to Salt Lake with the money He purchased the stock but some technicality was found In the deal by Smith which delayed the principal from paying the tourist for forthe or orthe the tho stock he had purchased He was lured to Los Angeles by py y a telegram and it was there he ha discovered h he had been The fake poolroom game was wag operated oper oper- I d In Ia Salt Lake with great success Rooms were rented in prominent office and blackboards blackboards blackboards black black- buildings and a a. ticker boards installed A would make the acquaintance of ot the tourist ascertain exactly how much money he could raise to a doll dollar r and then he would induce hith to play the races The sucker would be allowed to tomake toI tomake make a winning on a race that never took place and full of enthusiasm he I wo would ld plunge again usually losing all he had So skillfully was the g game me worked that the police records show showmen showmen showmen men often returned a second and third time to plunge with money they had raided by disposing of ot property in the East J An elaboration of f the game con- con slated 1 ted in the h Introducing the tourist to th the poolroom proprietor who would offer to hold up the results of a certain race in order to give th the tourist and his friend a chance to tomake tomake make malce a cleaning They would plunge heavily in a side bet and then the tourist would find himself betrayed and robbed In one case ease the dupe was Induced to believe that a slip up had been made when the confidence m men mn n discovered he had more money and he plunged again only to fall tall once more BUYS LAND NEAR FORT Then there is the record of the man who was Induced to believe that the United States was about to buy great tracts of land to extent Ft Douglas He purchased lavishly of land that the confidence men pretended to own but when he attempted to prove his title he was horror stricken to find that he had been in a local hotel three or organized organized organized or- or gangs of bunko artists worked in Salt Lake for a period of six years apparently without material interference Always careful not to work a local man and always taking taking tak- tak tak tak- ing lag the precaution of sizing up their victim these men escaped prosecution and made fortunes Exposures of the operations of these men inca and the publishing of their photographs photographs photo photo- graphs resulted in a great exodus of the fraternity a little more than a year ago From time to time some lone member of the pack has appeared in Salt Lake but he has been quickly recognized and told to move on The sto story stor of their operations here rea reads s like fiction but according to the I police the three gangs boasted of a aI profit of in ineas easy coin in one I year |