New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-12-28
SnINnLERS AND SWINDLED.


One of the most successful forms of swim
ding has for long time been based upon thor
ouohlv cynical view Of human nature. The
rogue has said to himself: If | can persuade
"people that they can get something for less
ethan its value, or at the expense of somebody
"eIse. nine out of ten will swallow the bait, and
81 can fleece thcm.n Upon this principle a
whole class of "moral agriculturists," as'one of
Willie Collins's characters calls them, has long
Gourished. OF these are the pretended dealers
I'm counterfeit money, who lay traps for dishon-
estly inclined persons of means, and rely upon
the fears of their customers for immunity. VI
these are also the so-called " bunko men" who
appeal to the cupidity of their intended victims,
and 40 often with complete success. Of these
also are the mOck-auctiOn managers, and con-
corning these latter n recent illustration oc-
curred A country merchant went into place
where, apparently, cigars were being sold by auc-
tion. One of the supposed audience remarked
TO him that the goods were going very cheap !;
wbereupon, a case containing n dozen boxes be-
ing put up, the merchant bids - 90 Tor them,
and the case being knocked down to him he iinds
that he Is expected to pay So 80 box, or $50 for
the case In this instance 1t is rather difficult to
apportion the blame fairly, for 1t is plain that
no man of sense could have expected to buy
n dozen boxes of cigars for 50 80, while no man
who knew a good cigar from bad one could
have expected to buy the former for So 80
box. The man who expects to get six or twelve
hundred cigars for 50 so must either be very
simple. or must think that the goods he is pur-
chasing cost the seller nothing; in otherwords,
were stolen. And this is another ruse Of the
dark fraternity. They know that there are
many people who will buy stolen goods if they
can get them cheap, and so they cause it to be
believed that their wares have been obtained in
that way.
Those who yield to such temptations must
have dark streak in their own composition.
For be it observed that however green the vic
tim may be in the majority of these cases. it is not
lis verdure, but it is his tendency to knavery,
that eventually brings him into trouble. He
thinks he is "smart." He thinks. that is to say,
that he can cheat his neighborj and he is quite
willing to do it if the opportunity occurs. The
professional swindler takes advantage of this
dishonest propensity. He exctes two strong
MISSIONS, avarice and vanity. The victim longs
to obtain money without earning it, and is sim
pie enough to conlide in his own sagacity. Ands0
it is that the pigeons so often turn rocks them
selves in the end. The professional swindler is one
in whom the dishonest tendency has always been
stronger than any social restraints. The class
from which the professional swindler's victims
are usually drawn consists largely of people who
are dishonest within limitations. They will not
subject themselves to legal pains and penalties,
but they will get the better of their neighbors
whenever It can be done safely 1t is because
there is so considerable. an admixture of kna-
very in the conduct of many of the victims of