The Northern Pacific farmer. [volume] (Wadena, Minn.) 1878-1885, 1883-03-08
Observation-Disclosures
The Deceptive Ring. tho Nimble
Dollar and the Worthless Nickel.

The New York Sun.
The glove and ring trick, recently no.
ticed as the latest variation upon the
old pocket.book dropping trick, has be-
come quite popular. There are scores
of young men prachcing it up town on
every fine day, in:.the neighborhood of
the principal dry-goods stores. Women
are generally the victims. They have
either not read about the innocent look
ing little game or have forgotten it, so
when they see decently dressed, polite
and smooth-spoken young man ..pick up
a kid glove, which some lady has evil
IDENTIFY just dropped, and plucks hand
some ring from one Of its fingers. they
envy his luck, and when he offers to sci!
it cheaply because he needs money more
than rings, they gladly enter into his lit
tie trap. When at home afterward they
are informed that the ring is worth only
about half q cent, they are too much
ashamed OF their folly to admit that they
gave 81 for it; and the day will never be
cold enough tor them to complain to the
police about it. So the young swindler
is safe.
Another rather neat trick that the
shopkeepers are just beginning to sus-
peet is almo monopolized by Young
fellow Familiarity known by his asso-
ciates as ''Sheeney." 1t requires Pc
culiar skill in palmlng coin or Tipping
into coat-sleeve. Entering store, he
asks in the politest manner, the favor of
silver change-dollars will do for S.
Or a $40 bill, generally the latter. The
storekeeper, annoyed by his accumula-
ton Of silver, and seeing that the bill is
perfectly good, gladly makes the ex-
change. Tn, young man counts his
change over AID under the storekeep-
er's nose, and in the act of dong so
causes one of the dollars to disappear.
The storekeeper sees that his change
is short, apologies, makes it good, and
and the young man accepts another coin
and the apology with courteous grace
and goes away. That evening the shop
keeper wonders why his cash will not
come out right. A few nights since,
Sheeney, somewhat exhilarated, was ex-
planning the trick to some Of his associ-
ciates in Sixth avenue saloon, and
showing how neatly he could work it.
They gazed upon the demonstration of
his skill with admiring envy, so absorbed
that neither he nor they noticed stran-
ger overlooking the proceedings,-a tall,
good-looking young man, who was about
with a friend seeing the sights; 80!
broke in the stranger. you're the chap
that played the game on me, are YOU?
thought knew your face" Sheeney
protested that he did not remember
him, and asked where he did business,
"!n the rubber store on Broadway,
a little below Fulton street." was the
reply: Sheeney assured him it was
mistake, as he had not yet worked
that part Of Broadway. mo mistake
about" insisted the young man." know
you now. But it's long past to growl
about: You did It neatly, and it's worth
a drink to know how it was done.
What will you have?'
The street car railroad companies
running bob-tail cars are again finding
good many spurious nickles in their
cash boxes, and it is pretty we'll under-
stood how they are passed in. There
might be little com fort in knowing
that the tri * seems to be peyond detec-
ton, at the momentof paying, by the
val iously employed driver, and threatens
to be serious Offset to the economy of
making every passenger his own con-
ductor. A man stations himself in
crowded car near the door, and obliging-
~ makes change for those behind him.
He may occasionally make cnange from
his own pocket, giving good nickel t.,
the passenger and putting bad one in
the box, but generally, it is believed, he
passes silver out to the driver, gets the
little envelope of change, tears it open,
appears to drop one OF lis coins in the
box, and in reality drops in bad one,
palming and subsequently, pocketing the
good one. The driver may watch the
little mirror over his head until he has
collision and gets crick in the buck
OF the neck, yet can not see the trick of
exchange performed, and the coin in
tie box, SO far as he can see through
the glass, is good.