The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1885-05-09

Storekeepers Caught by II Common Swim
ding Trick-How it is Worked

"F,LIM-FLAM."
storekeepers Caught by a Common Swim
ding Trick-How it Is Worked.
From the New York Heraldl
One OF the many petty annoyances
that storekepers are subject to Is the
process of m-fiamming. 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 victimized shopkeeper when he has
been "flim-hammed." The trick is best
explained by relating an instance in
point that came under a Herald re-
porter's observation. The reporter
had purchased a weed in cigar store.
and while testing its drawing capaci-
ties there entered the store an Irish
woman-apparantly a respectable,
honest, everyday working woman.
She asked for two bags OF smoking to-
bacco. They were wrapped up for her
by the urbane storekeeper. She ten
dered a two-dollar bill and received in
change 81 81. Then began the film
Hamming' device.
MY husband sor, says these bags
is two for fifteen cints," she observed,
land you are charging me sixteen
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 az she requested, she
meanwhile retaining the 81 "a in
change. Then came point No. 2 in
the interesting swindle. In came u
man with much hustle and asked for
a penny box OF matches, and rendered
quarter therefor. While the store
keeper was making change for the
man, who was the confederate OF the
woman, and whose entry Is always
OppOrtunely timed so as to divert the
victims attention while the first OPP
orator 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 dear
ness 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 was that the woman took
up the original packages OF tobacco
and lOftily remarked that after all "a
cint was neither here nor there with
her" Under cover of another custom
er who came in, and who may or may
not have been II confederate also, the
woman went out with two bags of
tobacco, 81. S4 in change and her own
two dollar bill. That is how the con-
fiding shopkeeper is ''fiim-tlammed."
The storekeeper, when told by the
reporter that he was minus the two
dollar bill, Just waited long enough to
verify the fact. and then tore madly
around the counter, dashed ont OF the
door, glared wildly up and down the
streets, and, catching sight OF the film
flammeuse' waddlng hastily across
the street, he gave chase, swooped
down upon her and made her return to
the store, where upon a threat OF inn
mediate arrest, she returned the
change and the tobacco. 1t occurred to
the reporter while the stOrekeeper was
prancing down the street how easy it
might have been for third cOnfeder-
ate to have been lurking around, wait
ing for Just such contingency as the
proprletor's temporary vacation OF
the shop and protiting thereby to
"pull the damper."
There are some variations to this
game" as, for instance, the 'fiim-
Hammer might have asked for a dol
lar bill after the purchase. carelessly
remarking that he or she didn't care
ito be carting around so much small
change" Having secured the dollar
bill, the operator would hand back
H..,.v ~
behind the counter would say that
the change was short ola dollar. The
swindler would then loftily wish to
know If the storekeeper was not aware
that the price OF the tobacco made up
the sum lacking the round dollar. The
victim now becomes nonplussed, and
thaC is Just the condition the schemer
desires him to be in.
NO No" asseverates the store
keeper, who is now getting angry, with
a faint glimmer dawning upon him
that all is not right. More pickering
follows, until The CLINT Hammer" get s
his subject properly worked up, and
then comes the coup de grace. The
rogue snatches up the bone OF conten-
tlon-the elghty-fOur cents remaining
untouched upon the counter-and pull
ing out dollar throws it and the
eightyfour cents and the tobacco
down with vicious slam, and vocifer-
ously demands his two-dollar bill, and
lntimates that ne wants to get as far
away as he can and as soon az he can
from such a lunkhead of storekeep-
er. The storekeeper. who is now at a
white heat, generally gets caught at
this luncture. He fires the two dollar
bill at his troublesome customer. q
parting growl is exchanged and the
"him-tlammer" 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 fifty
cent piece to a ten dollar bill