Arizona weekly enterprise., 1882-04-22

h each case. The goods OD- tained were immediately sent out West and auctioneered off. He did this every week, until in &ve months he had run up an account of from $500, 900 to $600,- 900. Suspicion was excited by his heavy purchases, his store was visited and found almost empty, and Lagrave, having been received coolly the next day by his dupes, saw he was discovered, and fled to Canada.
 Among the swindles that have been very successful may be mentioned the bogus counterfeit-money manufacturing shops. The principal victims of the swindlers are country people, to whom communications are sent by bogus firms in this city offering to make them rich in a very short lime. The swindler generally begins by stating that he has on hand, ready for circulation, large sum in one, two and fve-dollar bills, which he claims are the best counter felts over put upon the market, and which he defies even treasury experts 10 detect. He claims that they are of the same size of the genuine, are printed on frst-class paper, are correctly num- hered and are so exceedingly well exc ililSO lA CNGt 1CSlYCCb tl4ctG tl1CIf Cstu IlOb possibly be detected, even by the aid of powerful microscope. He then offers 10 sell any amount of the bills for one fifth the par value of the genuine. This ften takes the eve of country people, ,ho, in tAeir anxiety to get suddenly rich, ,ay visit 10 the office of the bogus firm Il this city. The latter generally consists f three persons, one of whom meets the -ictim in the hall and offers to go into he office and let the firm know of his presence. The victim Is left for a few ninutes alone when another person >omes out and inquiries how much the ,cntleman wishes, and tells him that 1t would never do to let him go into the ffice, as they occupy 1t in common with
 man who Is very suspicious, but he will bring him out any amount he wishes un- observed. This Is satisfactory, and the ,coundrel goes into the office and gets ,ackage of paper about the size that 5rcenbacks would make of the amount ,rdered. The package IS securely done lp and sealed with the firms name, and ihis is quickly exchanged for genuine bills. the victim being cautioned at the same time not to open the package until ne reaches home for fear of detection. Is rule the purchaser obevs the in- ,tructions to the letter. and is thunder struck when he proceeds to display his wealth to admiring friends. IL is of very little use to try and recover their money, as the "bogus firm" is inacces- sible except to fresh victims. The ' 'sawdust game" Is also used in this bo- accommodating scheme.
 
 been made the victims of swindlers, es- pecially females. Among the many de- vices to carry out their purpose was the following: They always worked in couples and were generally assisted by a man. The latter would select house that advertised furnished rooms, and. ,oing to the place in the course of tEe day, he would hire rooms for two ladies and then inform them of the locality of the1r new residence. Then the parties would take stroll through the principal thoroughfares and select store to fur nlsh the material. As soon as every thing was ready one or both ladies would enter the store and purchase a quantity of goods, invariably faces or such light valuable materials as could easily be disposed of, and give direc- tons to the person from whom the pur- l chase was made to send them to the house, giving the address. When the employe of the store arrived at the house with the articles one of the ladies would politely receive him in the parlor, ask him to wait moment while she was showing the merchandise to her sister and husband, and theIA taking the goods, the swindlers would disappear from the house with the booty. leaving the messenger waiting patiently for his cash.
 The next swindle to be mentioned is The bogus express company" The pretended managers of the concern would commence by forwarding to mer. chants of this city notes purporting tc come from different parts of the country, asking for all kinds of goods to be sent immediately c. o. D. through the bogus express. Of course that would be the last of the merchandise, as the swindlers would sell 1t and pocket the proceeds.
 The prize-candy swindle is well to every New Yorker, and nowadays very few people fall victims to this class of swindles. It is not, however, SC many years ago that people of all classes from the merchant to the street Arab went crazy over it. Fortunately, the craze was not in this city, but broke out in Boston, where willy old man named Flint Peaslee succeeded for quite { while in feecing the citizens of the Hub" His manner of operating was to sell pipe-stem candy for cents { stick. Each stick was done up in paper and inside some of them were checks entitling the fortunate buyer tC whatever prize was named therein. Thes, prizes ranged from 10 cents to $10, ant occasionally consisted of a barrel of fiou or ton of coal. Of course 8 large pro portion of the sticks contained no check whatever, and these were recognized a. blanks. Every class of the communit, was represented among the dupes, ant even well-dressed and refined womel mingled in the line, anxious to try thei luck. This thing continued for months and some days as many as 50, 900 stick were disposed of. The entire resource of the largest confectioner in Bostol were inadequate, and small army c girls were hardly able to wrap the stick in papers fast enough to supply the vic timized buyers. The game was fnall, broken up by young girl i'll Peaslee' employ, who managed to so place tn
 sticks containing prizes that her friend
 were able to draw them all in the. earl
 morning, leaving nothing but blanks fo
 the other customers. Peaslee was fnall
 driven from the city.
 The excursion swindlers" are anoth
 1T class that were very prevalent fe,
 Fears ago. They would open an offic ,n one of the principal streets, fit it II handsomely, and when the would-be eH
 ,ursionist called he would be receive
 n tine most courteous manner, and O he payment of a stipulated sum woul . ae presented with n card Purporting
 give him passage up the sound or else
 where on the water. The date of tn
 xcursion was printed on the ticket, bu 70 part. steamer CT starting plac
 VAS mentioned on the face; but thi n e.,,n |,