COMBINE IN CRIME.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 87, 6 January 1908, Page 11

COMBINE IN CRIME.

HEADQUARTERS* IN SYDNEY.

AUSTRALIAN CONFIDENCE MEN.

■ Tho sensational discovery has been mado (sayfi tho i"Sydney 'Morning Herald" :of Dioomfior'2B) 'that there 'exists Something in thO'nature" of 'nir interstate organisation of gamblers, confidence • men) and other criminals Which nmy vet become f a- serious menace eo'sofcicty. Apparently there aro no recognised headquarters of the combine, or trust,, and / no 'board of ,directors appears to have been elected.;: still, .it; is .nevertheless a fact, that' the nnuierous. gangs- of "spielers" are bound .'together by 'a " description of freemasonary •or bond ,of sympathy; and' that communications by'telegraph andv post. aro constantly;,passing between the leaders in the" different "States c/f,-; the. Commonwealth: ■ The -oxpert confidence trick man is as a nile:a .wftU-jlressed, intelligent,' and':well-edu-cated/individual, 'and' to ; alls outward' appeiironces; is :a :' respectable'member of society. Ho is-well read and alfable, call siiig a good

song/ iparticipatc ;with : credit in discussions on political, arid other' quesioiis, ' and. pos- .' the necessary .qualifications; if proiperly,.directed, forjibecommg a successful pro- . . ' ..'man.-. =• He is entirely different from tho average person's concep- • i; tion' iofa.'<criminal, and Tierein Hies his suc- ■ ■ ceß3; : :!.|-Thev confidence inen operate ,in a varietyjof. ways-'-'Some' devote themselves, to the.;-f'fiiah ,< 'froih the country," , others make •')specialtyrofv the mailiand other deep-sea ■ :■ pasaeßger' ateamers, and; others"aEai'ri lay in : wait for tlio'cute' business-man; who, strango to is'rnot infrequently', the easiest vic- . tmfeto'ldeal;. with; especially .in ..relation to \ , minmg;swihdles and other wild-cat schomes. S.Each ' gaiig of - confidence men.. consists of froni.'.four'Ho five members', and; there aro many '/ hundreds of these gangsspread throughout', the Commonwealthi . A daily. . mfeetilij;'"of those located.in Sydney is held in the., fdrenoon in the vicinity; of tho Museiitn, .Hyde Parkj .and, needless to Bayjv'there is always a detachment of plain- , clothes'; police on watch:' Tliero is nothing in little g&thefings. which, would. arouse tho.attention of the passer-by. Tlie men are wellvattired 'and, apparently prosperous' citijsin'SViaritl- they quietly;' conduct their ■ busi- : nea.': ' The ,pbject| of the ; meeting is to ;cx- < change inforination 'with regard -.to likely "marks," and to ailot'..the duties ■'of. each cach member of ,each .gang, pperdtions aro conducted :on,,,.'business-like methodsy-'ahd thero is", active,' co-operation ampnjg., all : ,tße confraternity. Perhaps. tho jjrio'sfc;;remarkable.- fact "of, all is that, these thieVes f snd^; robbers', are .scrupulously honest ■ air/i)lip;'i themselves, and the 'most dastardly ' , that .can' bo committed -byr a confiIdiuicfi" man is to "take down" or chcat a ; 'CiVltiraiU*;-;--i'j-V; . - ; ' ' ".'vV ' -'V . , . • ■(■tliM.r lias.ul-is always against society and » . Riiiliiiiif, Uiii liiiv,- but" l they regard themselves nf--j-.r---flirfi rldividuals. Few , if. any of them havy been forced to take to tho life by advw-iu circumstances, and' many , of them have -.been grained ;in good'homes.: Tho ex- \ pU'iiatiiDri, of. the ■ whole 1 ...matter'' seems to. be cpnfidence tricksters are men of illbaliincod brain power, and although rational : on'%s|iy..p<Hnts-'ar6 incapable' of aistinguish- ' i ing{right' from wrong.. There is an : inborn . hatred;of;\v ; 6rk'among .themj arid the: public at'larfee is'.regardetl as fair game for their It is questionable whothpr. they arejcriminals in the ordinary acceptation of the ternij Or whether they ( are not'tho unfortunate'victims 'of disease or malforihation of th6,brain.; In 1 either case. howoyer, it is in the' of Eociety .that th'oy should be confined-frithin four walls.. ■ "free lance," as lie is called, is an ex-ceptionally-smart criminal, 'and remains unat.tached. to any- particular, gang: ' Most of his'time ii* spent, in travelling between the S'ates—from Brisbane right round to Fre-mantleP-with occasional trips to England. He travels saloon, and holds his own among tho passengers with credit: B[e becomes very - iwpularv.on l board, , sojnotimes. takes "part,in , entortaihments. for/cliaritaWe' purpises, and is: always, to the .'fore in arrangine for deck sports .-of for social, gatherings in tho. cvon-. ,ing.;_-Thfe.-free 'laiicfe; in short,'is a very superiorvkind of thief, who never attempts tricks of any description, and parts .company',with h'fs •feUow-travellers oil ; the :,best of . terms.j,'iHis duty in'-'life is to . gather-infprmation as to the means and movements of tho travellers, and thus make tho .wayrof tho, confidence men, somewhat oasipr.''The free' lance supplies his informa- . tion .to any 1 pang he chooses to select, and participates in 1 the proceeds, according to, a recognised'scale of commikion. Sometimes tho haul of plunder is very great-, but frecjuently,; of course,-tho confidence men fail in ■their;, attempts. / At' any rate, tho freo lance- makes a very considerable competence, an d*Jrvos an easy, idle life. He passes himself questioned, as a man of independent means, or an investor, and, apart from the .police of the different States .who rhnow him;, manages'to.secure .the'respect and even the.'estieem of those with whom he comes in contact/' * . • - Btit, in addition to the free lances, mem:p. 0 1 " - gjings . occasiojially travel and keep in '-touch .with .their comrades ,by wire. Before they board their vesse they probably . possess a very accurate account of a good many of tho a:d when once , 0 .i s way .it •is a matter of. - comparative ease to introduce the particular subject in/which ,the_ intended victim is most interested. -The ; police assert* that 4 there are poarding-house keepers and runners, who work on commission for the gangs, and assoare told off to watch the movements 9f;7W^P r8 i-Particularly from tho country, at the 1 banking and other , financial institutions/ 1 as >wcll, as the shipping and booking ofi; cs : The .artibunt of information clererv andf sv- 1 pre«y- collerted"as to the business "of travellers, would, if divulged, astound those most concerned, and there are hundreds, probablv thousands, of; persons \yho have been fhV subjects? of'most searching ; inajiiries withe their Suspicions being; aroused: ' f • , Sydney is expected by the police' authori-: ties >to;. become very shortly. the happy hunti^S^round; of all the confidence men. spoors,, petty thieves, and pickpockets of. tho : Commonwealth, and renewed efforts are being.made' to copb with the ovil.' They are being rapidly driven out of Victoria and New Zealand recent legislation, and owing to the ;fact that our' vagrancy laws are now' this undesirable class is making )ts - headquarters in Sydnoy. Indeed, the policei report that the "spielers" are most aggrCßsiyo, and knowing tho weakness of tho law^^^SarcasticallyV bid godd-day ,, to tbc plain-clothes men,. They cannot be arrested £ 8 :^ a sf whilei they are 'able to produce funds; and they .must be caught in the act of tnckory or theft before hands can be laid on them.- What is required here is an amendment 7 of the Act, which will throw on tho suspected person the onus of proof that ho came Itf his funds bon'chtly. Tho InspcctorGeneral ( of-Police .has: for somo-,time past been agitating'for increased powors, and the hope jhad. beonf.cptnrtained. until,..tlie prorogation' that Parliament-'* would have passed an amending law. . ' , It ,is feared' that the confidence men will a rich harvest in Sydney before power is obtained to elfictually deal witli them. Sydney had b'een, particularly free'from crime for many years, and, the Habitual Criminals Act .the qf Criminals Act worked wonders. sThe stnnjfeent measures adopted by the other States! however," combined with that, tho Vagrancy Act of this Stato is-inoperative, have resulted in a genernl influx of criminals from all quarters. "Wellknown men, who haveHicen away for years, are now> coming here in shoals," a poiice superintendent, said yesterday ; "but if We could,, only get an amendment of the law on the lines of recent. legislation in Victoria and ;New Zealand, then Sydney, would be as free from crime'as any .cohntry in the known wbrld." • ,