Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1884-09-17
sFlim-Fiann "
l think you ought to warn the public.
against the swindle.'' -

think you ought to warn the public.
against the swindle."
"Oh, that game is more than half d
dozen years old, :" replied the reporter.
81 have good reason to know that,
for | was one of its first victims. But
don't believe one person in ten knows
anything about it, and you would be
doing them favor to tell them about
it. It'll catch most anybody"
ut caught you, you say?"
Just as easy as the angle-worm
| catches trout. One day, about six or
seven years ago, well-dressed and
quite pretty young lady came tnd
bought three or four aTticl, a
small basket, the whole costlu5 less
than dollar. l asked her if | should
send them around to her house, to
which she replied in the negative, say
ing that she had just moved into the
neighborhood and wanted some of them
right away. l asked her where she was
living, and she named a cottage over
Oh 8 street, cottage that | knew
had been vacant for two or three weeks.
"During this conversation | had been
putting her packages into the basket,
and she had taken from a well-filled
portemOnnaie bill and laid it upon the
counter Ill front of me. just as | was
opening the money drawer, or about To
open it, she pointed to the shelf behind
me and said she would take can of to-
matoes. | turned around, took down a
can, placed 1t in her basket and pro-
ceeded to make change.
ITO my astonishment the bill was
not lying upon the counter. l glanced
down at the floor, thinking it might
have been blown off by puff OF air, but
II was not there. glanced at the lady.
Her attitude, expression and all indicsl-
ted that she was waiting for her change.
Can 1t be possible that put it in the
drawerl' thought l. l opened the
drawer, and there, right on top, lay
- bill. | hesitated no longer, but gave
her 50 % change and she went away.
Nevertheless, was not wholly satisfied,
aud as soon as had an opportunity L
asked my clerk if lie had taken in a -
bill that morning.
"Yes;" said he, 81 changed one for
Mrs. Kelly about half an hour ago"
Il put on my hat and went around
to 5 street. That vacant house was
vacant still. L had been tiim-tiammed."
And that was the last you ever saw
of the sweet damsel, / SuppoSel"
''Oh, no, IT wasn't. That evening
detective whom | know happened to
drop in here and | told him about II.
He gTinned about six inches wide ,jotted
down long list of the articles she
bought, looked at basket like the one
she had purchased, asked me lot of
questions as to her dress, features, voice
and actions, and went away laughing.
The next day he sent for me TO come
down to the police headquarters, and
there | found her and my basket of gro
ceries. He wanted me to go to the
Police Court and prosecute her, but L
-Ttr'd'nt have gone up there and been
laughed at for ten times the money"
80 you were s. out?"
mo. | wasn't. Out of six of us whom
she Swindled that day, one made COM
plant against her. but before the case
came TO trial man who claimed to he
her father went around and settled up
with the whole of us, and she was let
CO."
''To 90 to some other city and film
fam somebody else?"
IL suppose so."