The Rutland daily globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1877-02-24
A Sharp Boy.

u.
York city forged check. The check pur
ported to be drawn by prominent New
York firm, and bore the forged endorse
ment of country merchant.
On this check he obtained the sum o
three hundred and thirty-fve dollars. HI
had possessed the money but three day
when be was arrested. He Is now, at th
age of twenty-six, serving out sentence o
seven years in the state prison.
This case-one of the very many case
wherein rogue and forger is brought Il
grief-interested me, because ! knew Do
vor when he was boy. He was a nativ
of town in northern New England, an,
was considered one of the smartest lads il
that region.
AS | read IN a newspaper the narrativ
of his downfall, many incidents of his earl,
career came f;eshly to my mind. Thel
seemed the more vivid, from the fact tha
in my younger days L had somewhat ad
mired his shrewdness.
Everybody VINO lived in his native tow
or in the county, ten or twelve years ago
must remember Will Dover's 'black fox.
The affair caused a great deal of talk anC
merriment at the time.
In those days the boys OF the town us.C
to hunt foxes in the autumn and winter
Sometimes we received very remunerativ,
prices tor their skins. A red fox.skin, /
10 prime condition, was then worth tiv
dollars. Red foxes were the most numer
Gus, but occasionally there was anothe
species of tex found, though it was athe
rare, which we called ''silver-gray; auC
twice l remember tnat black foxes hal
been caught. A silver-gray fox-skln wa
= -
the skin of true black fox vas still NOR
valuable.
There were also what we termed "cross
ed ara, s." whose tk,n, though interior Il
that of the "siIver-grays, was yet worth
when ia prime condition, as much and m u
than that of red fox Whoever was luck
enough TO capture q genuine ''slver-gray, =,
felt that he had made weeks work
and to run down black fox was a gres
event.
But to return to the story of Will DO
ver's "black fox"
We had heard the baying of Dover
hounds for two days, and supposed that h
had got Il fox. When, however, the repor
reached US that Will had caught blacl
fox, all the young people thereabouts wer
very much excited.
We went In squads to see the skin. l
seemed to be that OF black fox. Sur
enough, and it was large one, too Their
was net white or even a gray hair on tn
pelt.
"It's just like this, fellows" Will said t,
us. II really don't think that this fox wa
in just what you might call prime condi
tion. His hair, inside, does have jus
the sparkle to it that l wish it did but III
a very nice melt for all that
True, the fur was not so glistening as VI
had seen, yet it was jet black, and looked
very rich. How we envied Will his gooC
fortune!
In February OF every year there used t.
come into that section of the country
somewhat unscrupulous travelling fur-deal
er, named Latham.
In buying our furs he used to take ad
vantage Of us boys-at least, we felt so
and we had good reason for the suspicion
He knew how to deceive us in deprecia
ting our furs. When blufling would no
serve his purpose, he would talk as patron
izingly as the very fluent statesmen in dry
goods stores. Every shot-hole he coulC
find in skin lessened its value. He wa
always telling us that the prices of fur hsd
fallen, when, as we sometimes learned af
terwards, there had been no depreciation
but on the contrary rise.
AS you may well believe, we had no re-
spect for him, yet es he then was the only
fur-dealer 10 that section, and we knew lii.
tie of the city market, we were forced
always to sell to him-and at his owu
price.
Latham came to town that February, and
of course he heard of the black fox-skiu
long before he went to aea IL
When he did see it, he pronounced 1t of
condition, and would not offer near as much
as Will asked.
After much talk, however, bargain was
concluded. Latham gave thirty-eight dol
lars for the skin. We all thought that was
too little but Will seemed Satisfied. He
laughed at our expressions of sympathy
and appeared rather amused than other
wise.
About the middle of March, Latham and
another man suddenly made their appear
ance in the neighborhood. They brought
back the black fox-skin, and inquired tor
Will. He had gone away on visit into an
adjoining county. Latham was in fear
full passion, and used some very severe and
emphatic language.
1t appeared that at the Boston wholesale
fur-house, where Latham sold his furs,
they had made discovery. The skin which
Latham had bought of Will was not that of
a black fox, but Of q common red fox black
ened with some kind of dye
Latham threatened to have Will arrested
and sent to Jail. But as he could not a.
certain where the boy had gone, he went
away, after staying about town number
of days. Nothing further was done about
the & aud.
The story somehow got into a Boston
paper, and was copied far and wide as a
rare piece OF roguery.
am ashamed tn say that the most of us
boys felt that Will had done a smart thing
We 30 heartily detesied Latham that we
eaw no wrong in exulung over the fact that
he had found his match, and been cheated
Everybody was laughing al what they call
ed wills sharp trade" No one called IL
by its right name, fraud.
Because Latham was a rascal, people
seemed TO argue that IT was quite right for
WIN to be aswindler.
AS now look at ID, enlightened by sub
sequent events, this criminal act was one
of the worst things that could have hap.
pened TO Will.
He came out of the transaction, In the
estimation In the thoughtless aod the bad,
shrewd and clever fellow and the cheat