At the Pennsylvania Railroad ferry in Jersey City there is a youth representing the “green goods” men continually on the watch. He scans the faces of all passers by and looks out carefully for detectives. Knowing all the employes of the police department by sight he can get an idea if there is anything unusual going on, or if the department is on the watch for some criminal. This youth was pointed out to me yesterday by a private detective once in the employ of the Law and Order Society, and who told me that the “green goods” men were still doing business on a large scale, though they were not so bold as before the sessions of the Lexow committee.
Some of the operators have been robbed lately by “come-ons.” So great has been the publicity of the exposure of the business that it is hard to realize that there can be a single man in the country who could be gulled by it, but still hundreds of New Yorkers make a fat living off “green goods.” During the Lexow investigation a few of the Jersey City operators who did not know human nature very well thought that the end of the “green goods” trade had been reached, and that they would have to think up some new scheme for making a dishonest living.
NEW SWINDLING GAME.
One of the tricks that has superceded “green goods” is the “country postmaster,” or “red goods” game. A circular is sent to postmasters in out-of-the-way towns where the level of intelligence is supposed to be very low, informing them that the writers have become possessed of a large quantity of postage stamps, and are waiting for a chance to sell them at from thirty-five cents to fifty cents on the dollar, according to the quantity taken.
After this the modus operandi is precisely similar to that employed in the “green goods” game. The victim is shown a lot of postage stamps, which are then packed in a valise, and at the last moment the valise is changed for one containing mud or stones or a brick.
This has not the same field as the “green goods” game, as the number of postmasters is limited, and in little towns their opportunities are smaller for disposing of any great quantities of stamps. It was invented by operators who had been clubbed or beaten by “come-ons” familiar with their game, and who decided that a change of ground was necessary. But it can hardly be said to have scored a hit.
The police have made a statement to the effect that Harlem is now free from “green goods” men, but it must be remembered that at all times, even when Harlem was overrun with the swindlers, the police have issued similar proclamations. It has been said that Captain Thompson, of the West 125th street station, has made an arrangement with the Western Union Telegraph Company by which all “green goods” messages shall be shown to him. This statement is made in order to show the vigilance of the police and the change of heart of the telegraph company, which has derived a large income from the swindlers, it being alleged that the company had a regular “green goods” department to look after that branch of the trade and to see that the operators got what they wanted.
It is denied, however, that the Western Union people could show telegrams to the police. It is against the law, for one thing, and any company that did not guarantee the secrecy of its messages would soon begin to lose its business.