TRUE CRIME: BUNCO KING LOU BLONGER AND DENVER'S 'MILLION DOLLAR BUNCO RING'

For more than thirty years, conman supreme Lou Blonger controlled Denver's underworld with his "Million Dollar Bunco Ring."

Denver was an "Open Town" and Blonger's influence extended to police and politicians until the arrival of District Attorney Philip S. Van Cise, who assembled a secret squad - including Colorado Rangers - to break the Blonger bunch.

In Blonger's "Big Con," crooks set up fake stock exchanges and betting parlors to swindle tourists, travelers and everyday suckers. The 1973 Paul Newman movie "The String" is a fairly accurate representation, according to Wikipedia.

After months of gathering evidence, Van Cise led a raid on Aug. 24, 1922, arresting Blonger and 32 others - and holding them in a church basement instead of the city jail to prevent political interference.

The trial in February 1923 was marked by jury-tampering attempts, however, after 102 hours of deliberation, the jury found Blonger and 19 associates guilty on March 28, 1923.

Sentenced to seven to ten years behind bars, the fallen boss was locked up at the state penitentiary in Canon City and died several months after his trial. He was 74.

In his heyday, Blonger and his brother, Sam, owned saloons and gambling houses in the vicinity of 17th and Larimer streets in downtown Denver as well as the extravagant Elite Saloon at 1628 Stout St., according to Wikipedia.

[Photo: Private Collection]