THE "CON" GAME.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIV, Issue 237, 7 October 1933, Page 8 (Supplement)

THE "CON" GAME.

A LUCRATIVE RACKET.

TOO MUCH FOR SCOTLAND YARD ! WORLD TOLICE FORCE URGED. The presence of thousands of visitors and delegates to the World Conference made London, for a few weeks this summer, the most festive of all the world's capitals. Hotels full, theatres crowded, restaurants jammed. Foreign visitors everywhere. A pleasure quarter as cosmopolitan as a Riviera playground in the season.

The Scotland Yard men, who feel responsible for their city's fair name, become worried oil such occasions. "We're watching the well knowns among the 'con' men," one of them told me gloomily one day while the conference was in full swing, "but if they don't walk out with a barrel of money this time, I'll eat two of the Commissioner's old lints.

And the "con" men, in fact, were busy, very busy. The state of London in conference time was highly favourable for their racket, the most lucrative of all in the Held of British crime. A queer, highly skilled, romantic brotherhood, the "con" men, with outstanding gifts as contact men, kin to Hatry and Kreugcr, most grandiose of all "con" men. They are international in their organisation, and in their operations —the most notorious of these confidence men. They flit from capital to capital, from nation to nation; A victim who is contacted in America may be followed to England and through much of Continental Europe before the stage is set for the "killing." Often the same "con" man stays with his victim until the final mulcting; again the victim will be turned over to confederates in other countries and they will play out the

game. How can national police forces cope with such international confidence gangs? That problem came up recently when police officials of European and American countries met in Chicago. And one of the best solutions offered was the proposal of a world police force, with international headquarters in America, that would serve as a clearing house for nil crime. But even such an organisation would be powerless if victims keep silent about their losses—as they often do. _ The

former Scotland Yard man mentioned above had been hired by a foreign industrial magnate to go after an international fang, who had done the magnate out of a° cool £30,000 by a very neat piece of confidence work. The magnate could not very well call in the official police immediately for good reasons. One was that publicity would damage Ilia reputation for business acumen 'to the extent of far more than £30,000. They range, the "con" men, from opertors of billiards and betting rackets and stock exchange rackets to the lone-hand operator who hangs around the London parks and hotels and pleasure quarter streets looking for* a man whose name is Brown in order to hand over to him £100,000 left by a mythological millionaire (but meantime the man he has accosted must hand over a few bills in order to establish confidence). Bat the artist of the profession is the crook of substance and brains who makes a killing only once or twice a year —but, when lie"does make one, lands a treasure like the shipowner who parted with £21,000 in his own suite in a London hotel, or the Dutch merchant shaken down for £IS,OOO, or the New Zealand wheat man who lost £15,000 over a "gamble in guilders" which in fact never occurred.

The Adesska Classic. Among the larger coups, the one in which Adesska was concerned may lie noted, if only because of its classic technique and the unusual fact that the chief operative, after a hunt lasting two years, finally was caught and brought 5000 miles to trial in London. Adesska met Bchrle, a wealthy business man, on the trans-Atlantic ferry crossing to Europe, and made friends. They went to stay at the same hotel in London—so many confidence coup tales start that way. Wasting no time, Adesska next day found a wallet in the hotel lounge and displayed it to his new friend. They looked inside. It bore the

name and address of one Thompson, staying at another hotel. They went round. Thompson, an opulent-looking, bluff fellow, was naturally "tjiormously relievcd and delighted to recover his wallet. "Come and have a drink," he invited. Over the drinks Thompson told his benefactors that lie had £50,000 from his Wall Street firm to invest in radio stock, and if he made a profit he would let them., ill. They all went to Paris together, made whoopee, returned to London, and Thompson bought his stock (or appeared to do so). Almost immediately it rocketed (at least, lie said so), and lie made a quarter of a million. But a hitch arose over collecting. Thompson I came back to say that the broker dcI marided proof that he was worth I £150,000, so that if he had by chance lost he would have been able to pay up. Adesska arid Thompson said they could make up all this sum except £15,000 in cash. They rushed up to their rooms and returned with fat cnvelo|>es. Then Bchrle, excited, sent to the bank and handed over £15,000 in bank notes. Off went Adesska with the envelopes full of money. But when he returned lie said that instead of collecting the £50,000 profit lie had invested the money in sonic other shares which everybody was buying.

"But they're going down right now!" exclaimed Thompson. "We have lost our money." "T have a brother in Glasgow who will help me," said Adesska. "I'll go to Koine and get one of our partners to see us through," exclaimed Thompson.

The unfortunate Bchrle found himself alone and minus £15,000. lie went to the police.

It was in Colorado that they picked up Ades.ska. more than two years later. Ho was extradited, and at his trial in Loudon this summer said that he was, in fact, employed by an international "con" gang and he got £3000 to cross to Europe and find a victim. Thompson was waiting in Europe to work with him. The judge gave him three years. A Cool £45,000. A rich Jamaican banana planter on holiday was even unluckier than Behrle. An affable stranger named Mac Donald struck up acquaintance with him, and over 'a friendly luncheon introduced a friend of his, one Miller, a big man on the stock market. Miller was planning a big operation in share.s, but did not want to appear in it himself, as the moment it was known he was buying, up would jump the price of the shares he wanted to accumulate. He suggested that the banana man and Mac Donald should trade on his behalf. They need I put up 110 money, but they could have a share of tlie proceeds. 1

During llic next few days huge transactions took place between Miller and Mat-Donald, amid a great flashing of

cheques and sensational incoming and outgoing telephone calls. Suddenly a "bank manager" arrived with a cheque for £110,000 which he wanted Miller to endorse. Miller plausibly excused himself and went into excited conference with the other two. The deal of a lifetime! But they had to raise cash at once or immense profits would be lost. How much could the planter raise? 'i lie planter fell. He got £4.>,000 over by cable, handed it to Miller in the morning—and that evening they told him it was sad, but all the money had been lost, lie never saw it —or them—again. Smaller, but none the less adroit, coups have been pulled off again this year bysuch well-known practitioners as the philanthropist with £."50,000 to give away under the terms of a will, and our old friend, the gold nugget vendor, has had a new lease of life. The Con Men "Conned." The racing man who knows all the "jobs" has made some magnificent killings. One American was taken by a new friend to .a sumptuously furnished office and introduced to a, dealer in blooded stock. They went to Epsom to work an infallible betting system. At the end of the day the American was told that he had lost £5000. He said genially that it was bad luck; lie hadn't the cash, but he would cable for it, and maybe they would do better next time. The "con" men licked their lips at the "next time," and said that of course there was no hurry; they would wait till he could get the money over. Back at the hotel the American had a word with the manager and then with a police captain. When his two new friends came in to collect he laughed at them. Another wealthy visitor made the acquaintance of a gentleman who knew two affluent "bookmakers who would generously lay him over the odds—give him 10 to 1 on a 5 to I chance —any time he liked. Cash in advance, of course. The rich man was landed for £17.000 in a little matter of a 3 to 1 bet on a horse whose price was quoted in the sporting papers at 0 to 4. But the victim took counsel and called in the private detective previously mentioned. The latter located the "con" men in Paris and called on them at their hotel. He threatened them with a criminal prosecution when they returned to London unless they disgorged. Now, if they could not return to England they lost their most lucrative market place. They paid back £11,000. But the "con" men had been "conned." It was not in the power of the private detective to carry out his threat. The crooks subsequently discovered that, but it was too late. Another Technique For Ladies. These are stag parties. The ladies require another technique, and are honoured by having a whole regiment of "con" men devoted to them.

Take the ingenious young operative, Mr. X. Mr. X. claims to be the scion of a distinguished English family. A hand-kissing lounge lizard, a beautiful dancer he makes acquaintances among young men in dance clubs, restaurants, cocktail bars and first-class carriages, and gets alongside their women folk and the latter's women friends. Having established confidence, he subsequently calls on them :n London and the country. Little left to explain. He borrows money and forgets to pay it back. Gets hold of jewellery by a trick. Compromises women and lets them have letters back at a price. One ingenious trick of his for shaking down a woman was to call around in an opulent limousine complete with liveried footman and chauffeur, .lust passing through; too late for the bank. Could she cash a cheque for £100. Usually she could and did. The police were calling on the victims' of Mr. X. for a solid year, begging for evidence for a prosecution—and failing to get it. The victims were afraid their friends would put the worst construction on the affair. | When Edgar Wallace Was "Trimmed." I These victims are the small fry who I swim into the "con" men's net. One of the biggest fish any "con" man ever caught was no less a personage than Edgar Wallace. Ife once told me the story with glee at a dinner. He was coming back from America. Three days out an old gentleman he had become friendly with suggested a game of bridge. "Too late now," said another man with them. "Let's play to-morrow," suggested the old gentleman. But a white-haired man, who made a fourth of the smoking room group, demurred. He never played cards on Sunday. Sit there was no more talk of play until Monda v.

On that morning Wallace met his friends in the smoking room, and one suggested bridtrc. "Much too early." protested one. Edgar, who was fond of cards, began to think lie was never goinpr to his game. They at last decided to play between lunch and tea.

"We will play for a shilling," said one. Edgar naturally thought it "as a shilling a hundred. But when he was studying a first hand (he made a grand slam with it) one of the others said: "Isn't a shilling a point high?"

Wallace should have said then and there that he understood they were playing for a shilling a hundred, but the sight of that blazing hand was too much for him. He let it go—and emerged the poorer by £100.

"I knew T'd been .'aught before the play finished," he told me, "but I paid and made no protest. Tt was a cheap lesson at the price—and T got it all back writing stories about the ocean-going 'con' men."—C. Patrick Thompson, in the New York "Herald Tribune."