The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1880-08-21

George Williams-right name Mike Jen.
nings, of Dayton. o."
/ "Who is heg'
Don't you know himp He is a pen.
ny-weighter. He had laid plan with
his mol to work the jewelry stores
here. tumbled on it-so Ihave blocked
his game by ordering him to quit the
town"
As the reputation of the great Mike
was not recalled to the questioner by
his name, so his business was not sug-
gested by the term ''penny-weighter. -
"What is penny-weighter?' was
asked, with a feeling that this igno-
rance would not enhance the inquirer
in the esteem of his detective friend.
"Don't you knowp Is it possible
anybody don't knowP" queried the de-
tective.
He assured himsthat one at least did
not.
"Well, well, that is strange" said
he musingly. elf you don't know I'll
tell you. The racket is simply lifting
chains and jewelry at the stores"
Lifting2" was the exclamation.
Stealing" replied he.
"But howP'' :.
"Easy enough. Take a chap like
that one just spoke TO. He goes into
jewelry store with confederate (usu-
ally his molD, and he and she wants to
look at long ladies or gents vest chains
The chains are in cloths and spread out
before them. She looks at them and
keeps the attention of the seller. He
gets one in his hand, pretends to blow
his nose with his finger and thumb and
then puts his hand into his pocket, pulls
out his handkerchief and wipes his nose.
Now when he pulls that handkerchief
he drops what he has lifted into his
pocket. That's penny-weighting.
Sometimes he will 90 into iewelry
store and pretend to be railroad man.
Then he will pick out an article of jew
elry, make an advance on it and have it
kept until he calls again. He will some
times make three or four payments, at
as many different calls, and on each oc-
casion he will lift something and gener-
ally gets the article he has paid for be-
sides.
'But how can he do this? How can
he fool the jewelerp'
That beats me-" replied the de-
tective. I'm the first place, you saw
what give-away his looks are. Then
his moll is a bad woman. Any one can
see it who looks at her. You'd. think a
jeweler would send for policeman the
moment such pair enter his store; but
ne works the best stores. He has
played his racket at Cleveland, Pitts
)urgh, Chicago, Dayton, Cincinnati
'verywhere-and ON pretty sharp bust
less men, too"
'Do you think he'll leave?r
"Sure of it! He knows that everv
ewelry store in town is up to him now
md he can't do anything unless. he
comes down to clothes lines
but how does it payr'
s. Well. as near as / can get at it, he
fitted in Chicago alone in one year
bout $1,000 worth. This he sold Tor
fifty cents on the dollar. OF course he
vas pulled, and had expenses; but he
ets living out of it."
why do you let him go nowP"
"Because prevention is better than
rre. If he is out of the town he cannot
teal in it. He'll go to Chicago or Pitts
urgh from here. They are his favorite
'orking grounds; he'll get to work
but we will telegraph him
head, so that he can't do much if the
dice chose to prevent him. gs )
The writer thanked the detective for
is useful information concerning the
lysteries of the glorious art of penny
Fighting and left him wiser man.
etroI Free Press.