The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1870-12-08
AM IdrOlt SWlndIe.

One day a gentleman called in a
the store Of Mr.. Ralph Hardman, il
Pawtucket, with a violin box unde
his arm. He purchased a necktie 70
which he paid fifty cents, and thel
asked permission to leave his box
while he did few errands down town
Old Handman-a dealer in new an,
seeond-hand elothing-had no Objec
ton.
'It Is q violin, p said the gentleman
(which I prize very rightly. It wa,
given me by an italian, who died a
my fathers house. 1 beg you to b
careful Of it. sir"
Mr.. Hardman promised, and the
owner Of the precious violin depart.
ed.
Toward noon, while the old clothing
dealer was very deeply engaged in the
work Of selling suit Of shOddy for s
bang up Prussian tricOt, a stranger
enter the stOre-a remarkably, well
dressed man, with a distinguished
look. The violin box was IN sight up
on the shelf, and no one being near 70
prevent, the new conner slipped
around and opened the box and took
out the instrument-a very dark-hued
and ancient looking-one.
HHallo ?" cried Hardman, when he
heard the sound Of the violin, "what
for you touch dat eh2'
The straLge- explained that he was
a professor re was leader Of or
chestra-and that he could never see
q violin without trying it. And then
he drew the bow across the strings,
playing a few passages Of fine old
German waltz.
"My soul ~ he cried after he had run
his fingers over the instrumentawhilc,
'that Is the best violin ever saw =
There is not a better one in the city
q perfectly genuine old Cremona! /
will give you q hundred dollars for
It,"
Hardman said it was not his.
~ will give you q hundred and fifty!
Two hundred"
MT, Hartman was forced to explain
how the violin came to be left in the
store.
The stranger had taken out his pock-
et-bOok and drawn forth two one hun
dred dollar bank notes. He put them
back remarking:
81 must have the violin If money
Will buy it. When the owner returns
will you ask him 10 wait for me? II
he cannot wait, ask him to meet me
here at 8 O'Clock. If he cannot do
that, tell him TO call at the Office of
the Treasurer of the Academy of Mus
ic;and Inquire for the director of the
orehestra. VIII you do that ?"
Hartman said he would.
"But," suggested the stranger, "you
need not tell the man what I said
about his Yiol, nor what I've offered /;
because he may have no idea of the
treasure he possesses. You will be
careful and circumspect.D
The stranger went away, and Ralph
HRrdman reflected. In the the course
OF an hour the owner Of the violin re-
turned, and asked for the box. But
the shoddy man had been captivated
by the golden bait.
What would the gentleman sell his
violin for (?
At first the gentleman would not
listen to the proposition; but, after y
deal Of talk, he confessed that he was
not himself professor, and could not
well afford to keep such valuable
instrument. He would sell il for one
hundred and seventy-fiVe dollars
not a penny less.
Ralph Hartman paid the money
and became the legal possessOr Of
the violin, ready to take anywhere
from S300 to $500 from the director of
the orchestra, as he might be able.
But the director DID not come. At
the end Of Of aweek Hartman carried
the violin TO professional friend, and
asked him what WIS its real value
His friend examined It, and said:
Two dollars and a half, without
the b0x ~
Ralph Hardman was strongly of the
opinion that the gentleman who left
the violin in his care was q swindler,
and that the director was a partner in
the business, and that, together, they
had made him their victim. That
shoddy was marked ten per cent.