Arizona weekly citizen., 1885-06-13
"FLIM-FLAMMING."
sToReKEsPsRS CAUGHT BY A COM
 MON swlNDLINe TRICK.
Scheme Which sadly BewiIder. the shop. man Who Is His Own Cashier-How Variations Of the Game
 Are Worked.
New York Hs-nI.i1

lNAtl Lua hlnIek epers are sub lect tO is the proces. oi linn namming. The word is not tS
 De found In the dictionary. nor. for tba
 matter. are some of the vigorous expres sions mad use of the victimized shop
 Keeper when he has been film. ammed'
 The trick is best explained by relating ar instance ID point that came under a re pOrters observation. The reporter had purcha ed a weed in a cigar store am
 While testing it's drawing capacity there entered the store an Irish wOman-appar. ently respectable, honest. everyday WorAlng woman. She asked for two bags oi smoking tobacco They were wrapped up Tor her by the urbane storekeeper. She tendered S2 bill and received in change. Sf.s+ Then began the -iiim, ilamming" device.
 My husband. sor. says these bags is two Tor h ci s. she observed. and you are charging me l6 cints, sor
 The proprietor assured her that the to- bacco could not be sold at the price she stated
 Then give me back my money. won't take them. she replied
 The man dd as she requested. she meanwhile retaining the Sl. s4 in change. Then came point No. ? in he interesting swindle. In came A man with much hustle and asked for a penny box of matches. and rendered a quarter there. for. While the stOTekeeper was making change for the man, who was the con federate of the woman. and whose entry is always Opporiunely timed co as 10 divert the victims attention while the first operator is making the final steps to get out with the goods. the change, and the original purchase money rendered. the woman kept harping on the dearness of the tobacco. The man having gone. the woman pointed 10 some other brands of tobacco Ou the shelves and there ensued a conversation about prices of tobacco in general The upshOt was that the woman took up the original packages of tobacco and ioitily remarked that after all "a cint was uei CT here nor there with her. ? Under cover of another customer who came in and who may or may not have b.. a confederate aiso the woman went out wI'' t-.o bags of tobacco. SlS4 m change and her own - bill That is how the couddinE shopkeeper is film ilammed
 The rekeepcr. when told by the re- porter that he was minus the & bill. just walled long enough 10 verify the fact. and then tore madiy around the counter. dashed out of the door. glared wildly up and down the street. and. catching sight of the -uim Iammeuse waddling hastily across the street he gave chase. swOOped down upon her. and made her return 10 the store. where. upon a threat of im- mediate arrest. she returned the change and the tobacco. It occurred tO the re- porter while the stOrekeeper was prancing n R.. Ff f..hs Iat been for third confederate to have been contingency as the proprietor temporary vacalion of the sho and pronting thereby pull to the damper
 There arc some variations tO this game. as. for instance. the -fiim- Hammer might have asked for dollar bill after the purchase. carelessly re marking that he or she didnt care -to bo carting around SO much small change. Having secured the S1 bill. the operator would hand tack Si cents. Of course the man behind the counter would say that the change was short of a dollar The swindler would then lOftily wish 10 know if the stOrekeeper was not aware that the urice of the tobacco made up the sum lacking the round dollar The vic tim now beComess nonplusSed. and that is just Il e condition the schemer desires him 10 be in.
 No, uo'- asseverates the storekeeper. who is now getting angry. with a faint glimmer dawning upon him that all Is not right More pickering follows. until the - mimi ammer" gets his subject properly worked up. and then comes the coup dc grace. The rogue snatches up the bone of cnntention-the S4 cents remaining un- touched upon the cOunter-and pulling ont Sl throws it and the S4 cents and the tobacco down with a vicious slam. and vociferously demands his S2 bill. and in- inmates that he wants 10 get as far away as he can and as soon as he can fl such a lunkhead of a storekeeper Th- store keeper. who is now al white heat. gen erally gets caught at this juncture. He fires the ; bill ai his troublesome customer. a parting growl is exchanged. and the d iiim- am-ar" bolts out with his original S2 bill ana de Sl bill the changing Of which ad caused all the final row. The game is worked in this way with from a JO cent piece 10 e Sl0 bill