The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1883-06-28

great show of alacrity in as
sisting to pick up the coins,
and finally, with renewed excuses
and elusive offers to make good any
loss, if such had occurred and the
amount could be stated, took his leave.
but alasi if his feet did not, ike those
of Tennyson' 5 heroine, set a jewel-print
in the earth upon which they trod, they
shed a iingling shilling and a sixpence
upon the stone steps outside. and led to
their owner performing his devotions
for many Sunday afternoon in the
chapel of Holloway Jail. Whilst in
church, he had thickly smeared the
fore-part of the soles of his boots with
prepared wax, walked downstairs upon
the heels, and by his ingenious man.
oeuver had silyered his feet with the Of
fertory!
Those who deal in precious stones or
metals, whether in the rough state or
manufactured as articles of jewelry, are
naturally more exposed to the schemes
of artful dodgers than most people, and
/ it is extraordinary to see how, when
they are equal to every strategem that
cunning can evolve, they are sometimes
taken in by bold, blazing, naked i'm
pudence. Only the other day, a re-
! Specially dressed young man called
] upon II WGli-A1OHh AA1l1l VI jew Ii
| the Strand and requested to see the
| principal on business. Shown into the
| private Office, he stated that he had
valuable parztre of diamonds, the worth
of which he wished to have assessed,
with view of disposing of it, if he
could obtain a fair price. The jew
| eler was willing to entertain the nego-
tiations; and the applicant departed,
promising to return with the specified
articles for examination an hour later.
He Immediately proceeded to dia-
| mond-merchant on Regent street, where
he represented himself as being in the
employ of Messrs SO-and-so--the
firm whose premises he had Just
quitted-saying they wished to purchase
a necklace of stones of a certain value,
and requesting that samples might be
sent at Once-no unusual or suspicious
order, but an affair which might occur
any day in the ordinary course OF trade.
| Some necklaces of briiliantS were Sc
lected and placed in a case; and the sup
posed messenger, with q confidential
clerk in charge of the diamonds, took a
cab and were driven forthwith to the
Strand. ''Wait a moment" said the
swindler who got out first; "Ill just
see if the governor is disengaged;" and
went in, leaving the clerk and the dia-
monds in the vehicle. The governor
aUas disengaged, and consented to a pri-
vate interview and consideration of the
pdr9tre at once, the young man return
ing to the cab qCjtHOut his hat to fetch
the parcel, which he had left in charge
of friend. "Come along!" said he to
the unsuspecting clerk. Mr.. - is
at liberty, and viii see you immediately"
at the same time taking the case of Jew
els from the other in the most natural
manner possible, and preceding him
bareheaded, with all the confidence of
an inmate of the house, towards the
master office. At the threshold of that
apartment he paused, politely holding
the door open for the clerk to enter first,
at the same time introducing him by
name. The instant the misguided man
had passed him, our friend turned,
slipped out at the hOuse-dOOr, which
opened into a side street, and vanished,
diamonds and all! Here, there must
not only have been intimate knowledge
of the premises and the habits of those
who were thus uncOnsciOusly made to do
duty as lay-fgures in the accomplish
ment of the trick, but efficient cO-Opera-
ton of confederates outside must have
existed, or the spectacle of a hatless
man, otherwise well clothed, would GER
, tainly have excited attention and led to
} arrest.
= AS for the substitutions of paste for
precious crystal, there is scarcely any
jeweler who has not been deceived at
some time or other, and many could
furnish the materials for a dozen curious
romances of real life from the attempts
at this imposture which have occurred
: within their experience. Some of the
I biggest rascals with whom they have to
l I Hpal a tho for fbn
part-whO buy up objects of value for
I the purpose of breaking them up, and
selling the stones. metal, etc, which re-
| suit from the process, to working gold
and silversmiths for re-manufacture. If
these individuals are crafty in selling, it
may well be imagined that they are not
? over-nice in their buying. That they
ask no questions of promiscuous vendors
is of little importance, since they are
: astute enough, rs q rule, to decline
I transactions which they perceive may
: possibly compromise them. But gold
article taken behind a screen to be
: Tested" is easily made to appear as
t nothing but gilded silver, to any one ig-
7 norant of these details, by the applica-
4 tion of little quicksilver to one spot,
7 and contemptuOus valuation coinci-
S IDENTITY One of these worthless had 9
g pair of scales which had long been sNs-
0 pected, though they were used under
7 the eyes of the customer, and had been
t subjected to repeated examinations
t without anything wrong being detected
2 At last, it was found that underneath
each tray was a piece of soft iron,
= made magnetic at viii by the com
D pletiOn of an electric current
n This was managed by pressure of tn,
s right or left foot upon one of two but
i tons underneath the counter; and so
/ | although the balance of the beam wa:
perfect, the operator could cause either
scale-according as he was buying OF
selling-to descend pramaturely ut his
o pleasure. Chambers Journal.
o.