The Bunco Man’s Cold Feet
After swindling a local man out of his savings, a group of confidence men returned the stolen cash in fear of the law.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
A package containing $138 was received at the police station yesterday. It came from Seattle and was directed to J. Werner of this city. It was found that J. Werner had signed a complaint Saturday for the arrest of two bunco men—'Charles Jacks' and 'Joe Doe'—who, in company with a third person, he alleged, had swindled him out of $138. The third person, designated on the police blotter as 'John O'Rourke,' a well-dressed young man, had been picked up on suspicion by Detective Fitzgerald Saturday morning. O'Rourke, however, did not have the $138 which Werner had lost. It is presumed that, in the meantime, the two men, who had made good their escape to Seattle, contracted a severe case of 'cold feet,' and, fearing capture, decided to return the $138. O'Rourke had spent the intervening time in a dingy cell, and the jail bill of fare was not to his liking. He was anxious to get out, and after promising to leave the city within an hour, he was released by Chief Malony. The proposition on which Werner was induced to put up his money was the old story of a scheme to beat the races, the bunco-steerers assuring him that the profits would be large.
“It is presumed that, in the meantime, the two men, who had made good their escape to Seattle, contracted a severe case of 'cold feet.'”
Modern digital scams have replaced the 'bunco-steerers' of 1904, but the vulnerability of individuals looking for a quick financial windfall remains a constant in Tacoma's economic life.
From readers
No comments yet. If you know something about this story — a correction, a family memory, a source — it belongs here.