Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1881-11-29
TRICKS ON JEWEL Rs.
SOME TEXTS FOR SENSATIONAL DRAMAS
IN REAL LIFE.
How a Female Sw1ndler Robbed Gin
cinnati Merchant of $4,000
Worth Of Jewelry.

'sOf all the tricks, devices, subterfuges,
sharp lodges or receptions / ever saw,
said Jeweler J. 81. Johnston to Sun re-
porter, was one by which sharp fellow
stole from me three pairs of diamond ear
rings. He evidently knew when / was not
in the store. He came in one day and
said to one of my clerks:
SO Is Mr.. Johnston in ?
No, was the reply.
st'I am sorry for that, he said, 4 wish
to buy pair Of diamond earrings for my
| WIFE,
This was repeated on four or five sue.
cessive days. The last time he said ne
would not wait to see me, but would look
at some earrings. The clerk showed him
| an assortment, and he finally selected three
pairs, valued at $3.50, and said
az guess will let my wife select from
these. She will be at my store in an hour,
and l want you to tell Mr. Johnston 80
bring these around himself, as he is &C.
quainted with my wife,
''' All right, sir; 1 will, replied the
clerk.
"'By the way said the fellow, if you
will permit me, l will write note to Mr.
johnston
Certainly said the clerk, who
showed him to desk and pointed out
where he could get paper and envelopes.
He sat down, wrote short note, folded
it and put it in an envelope directed to me.
Then he went back to the counter and said
to the clerk / think you had better
put the three pairs of earrings in here and
| will seal them up, 80 that Mr.. Johnston
will be certain to bring the right ones
Every well, said the clerk, who
handed out the three pairs of earrings and
| the fellow dropped them into the envelope
before the clerks eyes, and was apparently
about to seal the envelope when he said
suddenly:
".Oh, 1 guess you may put in that other
pair, pointing to pair the clerk had laid
on the shelf behind him. The clerk turned
and got the other pair and handed them to
the fellow, who dropped them apparently
into the same envelope, sealed them, hand
ed them over and said Let Mr.. Johnston
bring me the four pairs to my store as soon
as he comes back, giving the address OF
well known store in the vicinity. Then he
left, and the clerk laid the envelope on one
side until | returned. OF course we found
but one pair of diamond earrings In the
envelope, which was the last pair dropped
in The other three pairs were paste,
about the same SIZE The fellow had taken
two of my envelopes, and into one had
placed the three bogus pairs. When the
clerk turned to get the fourth pair the Eel.
low had put the genuine In his pocket and
substituted the envelope containing the
others. We never saw him afterward, but
| heard that he had practiced the same game
in other places.
stOf course, the imperative rule is to not
| let goods 90 out of your sight until you
| get the money. The trick of having goods
sent to hotels or boarding houses with bills
for collection is so stale that the undeviat-
ing rule is to keep your goods in sight.
But shrewd fellow once managed to get
three watches from me by clever dodge.
s. A bright, sharp looking customer came
| in one day and said 8 | am from OHIO,
and have commission to buy some goods
| for my sister, who is about to be married
there He picked out bill of $500 worth
of various articles, and said, just send
them around to my store in Broadway at
| II o'clock, naming a we'll known carpet
store in Broadway. The goods were sent
by clerk, who found the customer ap-
| parently engaged in showing carpets, and
perfectly at home. He recognized the clerk
and said
".Ah just step this way, and l will
| give you check
He went with the clerk to desk,
drew mp check and took the goods. He
appeared to be SO perfectly at home that
the clerk had not the slightest suspicion.
OF course the check was worthless, and we
found that he had secured the desk privi-
lege at the carpet store by pretending that
he was buying large stock Of carpets
among other purchases in the city. He
fooled five jewellers in New York, and
Others in other cities.
.'One day swarthy, foreign. looking
we'll dressed young man called on a brother
jeweler and handed him his card Alex
ander Dumas, Prussian Legation, Wash.
ington.' He said he was with his wife and
child at the st. Nicholas Hotel, and wanted
to buy some watches and jewelry, for
which he would pay cash. He said his
wife was too sick to leave the hotel, and
wanted the goods sent with the BILL The
ieweler thought he would make sure
thing of it and take the goods himself He
Mr.. Dumas was stopping there, and was
| SuOWn III Ills IOuul. MI. lIuuiao Was DuSJ
writing, but welcomed the jeweler cor
daily
- An, he said, Il am glad you have
come. am sorry that my wife is confined
to her bed. / will step into the next room
and let her make her selections.
"The jeweler, in a moment of weak
ness, consented. After waiting five min
utes he began to get nervous. He did not
| -. Ill Id. hut 20 H.
office to make some inquiries. There he
found that Mr.. Dumas had just stepped
out, and had no wife or child in the house.
He was finally caught, after he had played
the same game on number of other jew
elers, and lodged in Sing Sing When he
was captured he tried to conciliate his last
victim by the presentation of beautiful
overcoat. Butthe overcoat proved to have
been stolen.
.'In showing iewelry it is the custom to
show only six watches at once, of some uni
form number. If the customer wants to
see another, one of those already on exhibi-
ton will be taken away. The same rule is
observed with rings. The tray is always
full, or with known number of holes
empty, SO that if ring were taken the loss
would be instantly detected. Sometimes
a swindler will watch an opportunity and
slip in worthless ring and take away a
good one. One jeweler OF my acquaintance
found five plated rings thus substituted for
plain gold rings one day. The trick was
played on number of jewellers about the
same time, and then the rogue was cap
tured A common trick in buying goods
on the installment plan is to give wrong
name, mentioning the name of some sol
vent person. The references will, Of
course, give good report, and it will not
be discovered until too late that the good
character does not belong to the one who
purchased the goods
One of the shrewdest and boldest tricks
ever played on jeweler was done by q
woman Of nerve in Cincinnati not long ago.
One day middle. aged woman, of fine per.