The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1884-12-24


me gamc-oue who owns the articles.
mostly very valuable ones, and the other
vino = AXIS them. ihe careful bargain
IS made, perhaps several hundred d l.
lars are advanced AVID Il daV or two
later the owner com s around with
detective, proves ownership 50 COM
pleteiy that there is no WAY out Of il,
ana we have u give up the goods with
out charge. IL is true this game can he ,
playe tut once ia the same time and
place by The same parties hut IL pays
them well enough To travel around the II
country in great style. There is rarely
n week thai one or the other of us is not
caught by these sharpers."
"rhen you mean tU say that the pawn
brokers are special OBJECTS for certain
, class Oh erooksY" asked the reporter.
"Decided.v so. Quite recently TEL.
a low travelled through the larger cities
! with II bag OF god dust 10 dispose OF.
, lie had the uumlStakable appearance OF
q miner; knew the whole dictionary of
slaug prevailing in the mining regions,
aud had very plausible story to tell OF
/ being ON pleasure trip, hevng got on
: hiS Iamooree. and Of having spent all !
i, his available Cash The gold was sub |
u jCc ed 10 the most explicit tests. anu |
: proved TO be all right, tut when the |
= question OF the price came up, the al |
y legged miner kicked He would finally |
"a place the bag back into his y ckei and
i walk 10 the door ~ if to leave. Then
he would return, throw the bag on the
counter with an oath, tel lug the pawn
:, hioTers 10 shell out the cash, and leave
- as soon as he got it. II is needless to
II say that the bag thro wi on The counter
= was u all outward appearance like that
shown AT first, but 10 contained brass
;, filings instead OF gold dust. OF course,
~ II the pawnbroker attempted to make
j., u second test the bag with the genuine
20 gold would be substituted by some
4 clever sleight.oi,hsnd trek. 1t that
- was impossible the game was up, aud
-. II nothing was gained by the swindler
T.. he did not lose anything However, ho
- took in quit, a number " pawnbrokers,
40 and must nave realized handsomely on
his act. The gold brick swlndle, by
which lesser Frirherg was taken in
3 some Yeas ago, Won know ut.r
W .IhaC trick VIII bear a description, be-
~ cause it comes 20 liuhG still IN various
~ parts of tho world, aud the details have
en- likely escaped the memory OF the gem
u" eral reader The clever swind,e has all
chances Of being successful with Ger
~, tain class of dealers, because IL involves
W. speculation upon dishonesty. 1t re-
"o quroS AT ieas two "uprratOrs." Mostly
'a tnree OF them are engaged in the eXecu
4 ~ ton OF IL. They make careful survey
'N'i OF the pawnbr0licrs in the town whcf,
tney operate, and, havin found tn
, proper man, they begin 10 study thor
ia' nughly his mani. ulalions in tostin
~ gold, ana also the interior arrange
Wy meuJs of the place. The small vial con
:, Is tanning the nitric acid for the tests is
ny. special subject OF their attention, be
ere cause IL is necessary Tor the succcsslu
N"s working of the scheme to secure an ca
heI act counterpart of IL. That being done
',N The negotiations are opened with Oh
~ phWubroker. "A Il rule, he tx tul
IL Jhat the gold brick to be disposed Ct
Gan the product of great Stage robbery
the wild vest the gold captured haviu
been melted. The greatest secrecy
avs enjuined, and this request is natural
complied with by the intended vicuI
'uge who expects TO realize handsomely
TRY, tho "inveSimeut." At the final lite
I'd at view the business is managed so adj o
tiles " that even The wary paWnbrOktr
here hoo iwinked. Every time lie makes
the test on bOrngs from the spurious 90
,ost- brick, vial containing water is su
anne stitutcd Tor that in which the acid
god Should the pawnhroker eyince desi
,nse' to test the strength OF his acid, as he
ives, very apt TO do when about to ont
upon so large a specu aicn, and {
peciallv with people who profess
h ave come bv their property dishone
atcb ", then the acid hottie must he restore
-. and for like reason IL would seN
"Se' do to meddle with tho acid. In
ming Lesser Friedberg ca this operation
4 on changing the Walls was gone thrOu
1t H. seven o. eight times, and ev ry tit
ured with such consumale skill that the "
with pawnhruker knew not that he had he
built swindlcd until alter he had paid S5J
the for lump of bras =, whose alloy was
such nature AZ to make IL complete
resemble gold. If Friedberg had kno'
how to make n scientific test by cal,
mes mtlug the displacement uf water ma
Oh. hv the spurious metal and compare
=, Ne with the displacement made by z,
" 80 W uue gold he could not have been V
liz tiuzed. But then, pawnbrnkers do !
-, usually boast OF the possession OF :
M euUtr knowledge,
t ,n The gold brick swird die originated
a i,, the outskirts OF civilization. COwbI
." or thieves akin to them planned IL to
celve those who were Willin to, IL
In the habit of, backing up stage q
train robbers, aud IN return there
sharing in their plumber. II rapi'
'e'N' travelled east, and after having hi
ns' succe- srully worked in nearly every I
grea' or town of iWpurtarce from the GOl'
clelk Gate to Baltimore ~ touk trlp on
ps ~ the mark in this instance aud Is =
W. VI being successfully worked In Envll
Ioh' and on the continent. One az tho cl
t. IN crest of the gold brick workers WI
e"c.' dapper little Chicagoan, the son q
u va. clergyman i'm the east, who was knC
uNNo 20 his cOmpauors 10y no other W.
lsase than apr. WattS.n His early re
sums ious training he never iOrg ", M ma
teTals 100, u,id. ~ Ina ..traipht and mar
" NO path" he might stray, and IL
'slo,h- his habit at singing over the hvm's
take nr, Watts, taught him in childh'
US that gave him his sOhriquent. Anol
goo1s "workcr ol the racket" is n well kn'
, WIN onc-armod sporting man, of this {
80 w who formerly ranked "a \ conh't
w ~ man He, or rather some OF MS IRE
~ liNS owed grudge to former copln
DUST police in New Orleans. The "cnp'
l. For known TO have love for gold, and
comes concluded to- yet even with him by
wants INC him a "brick.n They did so,
lie Is were caught before they could i
ven re- town. and were forced To buy II
of ev- elves ont of iail. There was alV
lslness this charm about the gold brick swil
70, anu II could not be worked on honest
not re pie; Il was only some avarcious le
IL no who was ready and willing TO n
inquire mnnev Inv rereiving stolen propt
", per whom II was possible to catch.
81 the even thieves delight to plumber
@ ideu- nconio "'It,hicauo Herald
no evil Po'f''' 'N----------------------I-. A..
ii we One OF the arguments against wy
70 the bacco clause ot the spaulsu iea'
mother that II would leave great many r, y
! lett makers out of emnloyulent. lu
cket is precisely tho argument tnas WsS
.. The when IL was proposed 10 sups'lt" y,
on the railway for tue st9ge-Couuu' no,
of the horses engaged IN hauiinS sI"Su,
thirty the drivers aud h0St,erS, Wo" W., ov
n to 70. without anything to do. Whei