The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1885-04-29
TO CATCH THE uNwARy,
The Old Dropped Ring Device stIIt cstch-
ing Victims.

had novel experience not long sipcI
with one of the CROOKS" said a jeweler,
not, however, as victim, but in the way
OF business. Two young fellows came into
my shop, and one asked me If 1 engraved
rings. said that did. Then said he,
cut some letter in these for me, piling out
OF his pocket upon my show case handful
OF rings. What letters p I asked. ooh,
anything you like. NJ. to H. and F. to B.
and 9. to W., and all that sort of thing I
saw at glance what the rings were, and
told him The engraving will cost you 10
cents letter, which will be three times the
value of the rings, which are only base
metal, very thinly plated That's oil
right he replied placidly; I know what
they are Come said "there is some
thing crooked about this. What do you
mean to do with those rings p WELL he
answered, don't mind making clean
breast of it to you. Me and my pal here
have tried hard to get along working and
we don't seem to make go of it. We can't
get no work. Now we're going to play the
smarties for living q while until we strike
something better. Those rings are for the
dropped ring trick. It's pretty we'll played
out here, though the fools amt dead yet in
New York, not by large majority. But it's
a bully game out in the country, in towns
of 1000 or 1900 inhabitants. One of us
sees lady walking along in quiet sort of
street, and, going up close to her, pretends
to pick up ring and says to her, Excuse
me, lady, but did you drop this ring p hold
ing it out to her. Well, you may believe
me or not, but it's Gods truth that three
out of five of them after hesitating Just q
little will say, Why, yes. Dear me how
could I have let it slip off my finger and
not notice ftp Then the one of us that is
working her says that he is hard up and
hints at a little reward for his honesty We
hardly ever get less than dollar, and
sometimes two or three that way. If the
lady don't bite on the bait that it's hers,
then we try to sell it to her, shy that we arc
looking for work, tramping through the
town, poor and hungry, and would rather
have two-dollar note than pound of gold
rings to wear. Either she says to herself
that it's good chance to get heavy gold
ring for one-ffth of its value, or, If she's
real straight one, she thinks know pretty
much everybody in town, and can find out
who has lost it, 30 I'll return it to the owner
and get my money back with thanks for
saving keepsake. So, however the lady
figures it out we are mighty likely to get
the 80, and then we dance along to look
out for somebody elses daughter Then
you play this trick only on women p ask.
ed. No. he said, mostly ON them be-
cause they are the easiest but where we
see fellow that looks like rank sucker
we give him the crop with the glove and
ring What do you meanr Drop a
lady's little kid glove, with ring nicely
tucked down in one of the fingers and pick
il up near him. When he says 1t amt his
we accidental-like find the ring and shake it
out before him. That is pretty sure to
! throw him off his guard, and whea we come
the necessity dodge on him he goes to the
slaughter like lamb. Sometimes we get a
v that way. Men that look real good, cleri-
cal like, are pretty sure meat for us, but
they're not liberal in buying"