Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1885-04-02
misfellaneous.
; How Biters ore Bitten.

How Biters are Bitten.
LATEST DoDGE FOR IMPROVING WoxEN's
EAGERSEss FOR BARGAINS.
Hard times are developing the wits of
the sharpers and Crooks" remarked a
gentleman the other evening in a chatty
little party. land their latest dodge is
peculiarly fine one threatening the conf.
dence and cash Of women. My wife
came near to being q victim. Indeed. l
may as we'll admit myself to have been
only saved BY an accident. The fool
catcher in this new game is a stout, hon.
est-looking fellow, a Belgian who speaks
German, French. and English He is
we'll but plainly dressed. carries large
package of samples and big. business
like order book. possesses good address
and yet affects 4 little diffidcnce. His
samples are all of exceedingly good linen
fabrics. plain stnffs, towels. tableeloths.
sheetings. &c. Each piece, il of thing
that is manufactured in whole, say
tablecloth, is but half of the article,
enough to show the size. quality and beauti-
full figures with which it is adorned. There
is no question about everything in the lot
being of pure linen. of the very best quail
ity and OF the finest make. Every woman
can see that at q glance. and it makes her
head whirl around when the fellow tells
her how cheap they are. The man says:
MADAM. am selling these goods by
sample. As you will understand, linen
fabrics are heavy and could not carry
about with me such load as | would re-
quire for peddling them out of hand, even
if there were no other reason why |
cannot we'll do so. Consequently. | am
simply taking orders. If you see among
the samples anything you desire. and will
favor me with your order, you will have
the goods tomorrow morning. OF course,
you do not pay anything until you get the
goods and find them exactly the same as
the sample"
That looks honest enough. He shows
his order book. In it the woman sees
hundreds of orders, some of them by PEG.
pie she knows-ladies on the block, prob
ably She is wild to climb into the trap
along with the rest, and begins figuring
up how many yards and pieces of this,
that and the other that her family will
want in all the rest of their lives, for
surely she will never again be able to get
so cheaply, linen like this. But how can
such things be sold at such prices? They
would cost three or four times as much
even at Browns or Smiths or anywhere
else. Well, the man insinuates that he
has brother VINO is a petty officer on
certain steamer and a cousin who is a
custom house Waterman, &c. He does
not exactly say that the goods are snug
| cr1oA h,t ho tho
decidedly that they are. and that settles it,
Not one woman in seven thousand can see
anything wrong in defrauding the revnue
for anything she wants. The order is
given, as large an order as possible; the
salesman thanks her profusely, and she
stiffens her back with a pleased conscious
ness that she has given bigger order
than Mrs. X. or Mrs 4. He respectfully
bids her "good day. with renewed assur-
rences that the goods will be delivered
the next morning, and starts to make his
exit. On his way to the door he happens
to remember that he has in his pocket a
dozen handkerchiefs of fine linen. Hand
kerchiefs being light he has brought out
with him few dozens for sale, and this
package is all that he has left. The
handkerchiefs are all large. heavy. hand
somely laundried. seem to be linen, and
their price is only three dollars. The
womans eyes are still dazzled by
what she has seen, her con.
fdence has been won completely,
and-she buys the handkerchiefs, we'll
satisfied that she has drawn prize Then
the man goes. After he has gone she ex-
amines at her leisure the linen handker-
chiefs. They are cotton, and very poor
f1imsy cotton at that, loaded down with
starch and paraffine, ironed smoothly and
beautifully, so as to deceive even the very
elect. Even an expert would have to
make very close examination, before
they have their first washing, to be posi-
tive that they are not linen. She has 60
cents worth of handkerchiefs, for which
she has paid IS. She will not keep
them; she will make the man who brings
the goods take those things back. But
the goods never come. My wife knows
half dozen ladies who have each bought
dozen of those handkerchiefs. She
would have done so but for the accidents
that she had no money and had left my
pocket-boek in the safe in my stora''
II had a novel experience not long
since with one of the Crooks" said Jew
eler present, mot however, as victim,
but in the way of business. Two young
fellows came into my shop, and one asked
me if | engraved rings. l said that did
Then said he, cut some letters in these
for me-, pulling out OF his pocket upon
my show case handful of rings. What
letters? asked. oh, anything you like.
M. to r. and F. to B. c. to W., and all
that sort OF thing I saw at a 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
thiniy plated That's all right he re-
piled placidly; 4 know what they are.
Come, said; there is something crook
ed about this. What do you mean to do
with those rings?' Well he answered.
Il don't mind making a clean breast of it
to you. Me and my pal here have tried to
get along working and we don't seem to
make a 60 of it. We can't get no work
Now we're going to play the smarties for
living 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 vet
in New York. not by a large
majority. But it's bully game
yet out in the country. in towns of
1000 or 1000 inhabitants. One of US sees