The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-04-19

Storekeepers Caught by a Common Swindling
Trick.

New York Herald.
One of the many petty annoyances that store
keepers are subject to is the process of film
TANNING The word is not to be found in the
dictionary, nor, for that matter, are some of the
vigorous expressions made use of by the VIC
timized shopkeeper whenl he has been film
damned" The trick is best explained by re-
lating an instance in point that
came under Herald reporters observation.
The reporter had purchased a weed
in a cigar store, and while testing its
drawing capacities there entered the store an
Irish woman-apparentiya respectable, honest,
everyday working woman. She asked for two
bags of smoking tobacco. They were wrapped
up for her by the urbane storekeeper She ten
dered two-dollar bill, and received in change
ST.. 81. Then began the film famming" device.
my husband, sor, says these bags is two for
Is cints she observed, land you are charging
me 16 cints, sor."
The proprietor assured her that the tobacco
could not be sold at the price she stated.
Then give me back my money. won't take
them," she replied.
The man did as she requested, she meanwhile
retaining the ST. 81 in change. Then came point
No. in the interesting swindle. In came a
man with much hustle and asked for penny
box of matches and rendered quarter there
for While the storekeeper was making change
for the man, who was the confederate of the
woman, and whose entry is always OPPORTUNITY
timed so as to divert the victims attention
while the first operator is making the final steps
original purchase money rendered, the woman
kept harping on the DEAFNESS of the tobacco.
The man having gone, the woman pointed to
some other brands of tobacco on the shelves,
and there ensued a conversation about prices of
tobacco in general The upshot that the
woman took UP the original packages of tobacco
and loftly remarked that after all "a clint was
neither here nor thore with her." Under cover
of another customer who came in and who may
or may not have been confederate also the
| rant ont two hoe ~ fnho
in change and her own two-dollar bill. That is
how the confding shop keeper is film TANNED"
The storekeeper, when told by the reporter
that he was minus the So bill. just waited long
enough to verify the fact and then tore madly
around the counter, dashed out of the door,
glared wildly up and down the street, and catch
ing sight Of the "fim-fammeuse" waddlng
hastily across the street, Ire gave chase, swooped
down upon her. and made her return to the
store, where, upon threat Of immediate arrest
she returned the change and the tobacco It oc-
CURED to the reporter while the storekeeper was
prancing down the street. how easy it might
have been for third confederate to have been
lurking around waiting for just such coptin-
the shop and profting thereby pull to the
damper."
There are some variations to this game as.
for instance, the ''fim- fammer" might have
asked for dollar bill after the purchase, care
lessly remarking that he or she didn't care ito
be carting around SO much small change" Hav-
| ing secured the dollar bill, the operator would
hand back eighty-four cents. Of course the
man behind the counter would say that the
change was short Of dollar. The swindler
would then loftly wish to know if the store.
keeper was not aware that the price of the to-
| bacco made up the sum lacking the round dol
lar The victim now becomes nonplussed, and
that is just the condition the schemer desires
him to be in.
mol mol" asseverates the storekeeper, who is
now getting angry, with a faint glmmer dawn
| ing upon him that all is not right. More bick-
ering follows, until the "f1im-fammero gets his
subject properly worked up. and then comes the
| coup do grace The rogue snatches up the bone
| of conantion-the 81 cents remaining I'M
| touched upon the counter-and pulling out a
| dollar throws it and the "a cents and the to-
bacco down with vicious SIAM and vocifer-
ously demands his two dollar bill, and intimates
| that he wants to get as far away as
| he can and as soon as he can from suck a Junk
head Of storekeeper. The storekeeper, who is
now at white heat, generally gets caught at
this juncture He fires the two dollar bill at his
| troublesome customer, parting growl is ex-
| changed, and the film TANNER" bolts out with
| his original two-dollar bill and the one-dollar
bill the changing of which had caused all the
| final row. The game is worked in this way with
/ from ffty-cent piece to a ten-dollar bill