“BARNUM WAS RIGHT!”

Manawatu Times, Volume LIV, Issue 6807, 10 January 1929, Page 4

“BARNUM WAS RIGHT!”

Crooks and Purse Strings FOOLING THE PUBLIC There is nothing on earth like a crook with a sense of humour, writes “British Criminologist’’ in an English exchange. One of these has put in an appearance again with the age-old “Spanish Prisoner’’ trick.

You know the idea! You write from Spain to someone in this country whom you think may have a modicum of spare cash and tell him that you need his co-operation in recovering a black box containing a fortune which political events compelled you to conceal many years ago. In this business, “a black box’’ is essential. No other species of box will meet the case—why, I do not know but all the best swindlers work with a black box, so it lias become the only way. One would have thought that this “Spanish Prisoner’’ business, like its half-sister, the “Gold Brick’’ swindle, was as dead as a door-nail —but no! One of the gentry tried the former trick to (of all the people in the world) a well-known Aberdeen farmer. Talk about being hopeful! If everything was not so much above board, one might be forgiven thinking tills was another of that unending string of jokes put out by Aberdonians to advertise their city without paying the usual newspaper rates.

However, there is no doubt that the letter has arrived from Grao, Valencia, written in what is supposed to be English and telling a very sad tale. The writer was, he said, a prisoner in the Sangunto Fortress and ho wanted the farmer’s co-operation in the recovery of an iron box containing £40,000. There is more; the writer goes on to say: “Owing to the /watching of vile spies I can’t by any means receive letters to my own name, so that in order to conquer this difficulty I request you to address your reply exactly as you will see it at the end.’’

I don’t suppose ho will bo troubled by the reply unless the Spanish police take it into their heads to find out who “Don Benjajmin Oorres’’ is in tho ordinary way of life—and they are not likely to do that. When I was in Seville I knew a man who made quite a big income on this stunt and nobody ever made inquiries as to why he was receiving such a considerable mail from England. Faith in the “Prisoner.” No matter hoy often tho stunt is worked ‘somebody is always ready to bite. I knew a Spanish gentleman residing in the South of England who once received a similar offer—and it ■was so replete with, facts regarding incidents which he knew to be true that he not only sent money, but eventually sold out in England and went back to

Spain to help the “prisoner” find the hidden gold.

Despite what the police told him and what everybody he spoke to said about the wild goose chase, it took me three long months to get him out of the clutches of the gang that was bleeding him dry. Even to the end, ho was under the impression that I got him out of the way merely to get Ihc- gold myself. When a native of the country can be thus hoodwinked, I do not see that the Aberdeen farmer lias much necessity to be mystified as to how the swindlers should have got the details regarding himself so accurately considering that he had never been in Spain. Knowledge of the intimate details regarding their quarry is the first thing such swindlers consider.

Studying the Subject. Look at poor old “Patsy,” who worked the confidence trick with such vigour in London. For years he used to drop his rosary in front of a gentleman who happened to have a considerable sum of money. Do you imagine that that happened by accident? On the face of it confidence trickery seems the most obvious swindle in the world —but the actual trick is never staged before the pigeon to be plucked has been thoroughly weighed up, all his peculiarities studied, and tho most suitable way of skinning him arrived at. Then the actual business is begun. When read in cold print one says, “What a fool the man must have been,” but it is not so silly when the thing is being worked out. I know a man once, an Aberdonian (strange to relate) .just back from Kobe, Japan, who came up to a crowd of us and Explained how he had got a watch from a man, with a pipe and some other odds and ends. He explained the whole thing—and then I spotted that someone had been ringing tho changes.

I asked the ‘smart Aleck” to count his money—and then, two hours after the swindle had been worked, he found that he had dropped £2. That is not much money but it just shows how clever those swindlers are. “Patsy,” the “con-man,” worked his stunt for years, and, although the police had Ms complete description from dozens of his dupes, he was never caught. Now he is getting old; he has given up the game, but, although his net takings at the swindle must have reached about £50,000, he has not a penny to-day. His expenses in collecting information were so high that most of the profits went in bribes to certain confederates who worked out the ground details of every coup.

‘ ‘A Sucker Every Minute. ’ ’ You w'ould wonder how it all goes on, but, as the great Barnum said, “There i 3 a sucker born every minute, and thank heaven they live.” There was “Tichborne, the claimant.” Well known in Australia as ‘‘Bullocky Orton,” and in England as a butcher in Wapping, he so imposed cn the public that thousands of pounds were subscribed to enable him to fight

ifl the Courts for his “rightful posses sions.”

Nor were all the subscribers people who were merely taken in by scare stories. My grandfather, who served with the real Tichborne in the 6th. Dragoons, was so convinced that the claimant was his old brother officer that he dropped more money in the caso than I care to think about. Then there was Madame Humbert and her safe. This safe contained untold millions in securities, but, because of a pledge she had given to the people who had bequeathed it to her, she could not disclose what they actually were.

However, her word seemed good enough, and there certainly was the safe for the world to see. That was good enough for thousands of honest people, including Cabinet Ministers, and money flowed into the coffers of the good lady like water.

Years passed and the subscribers became uneasy. Action was taken and the Courts decreed that the safe should be opened. It was! It contained some old newspapers and one button! Barnum was right!

“ Father ” hatches out the children in the rhea families. It takes him about seven weeks to incubate the eggs. The rhea is a South American three-toed ostrich.