Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1886-09-10
A SHREWD SWINDLER.
CROWDS OF VICTIMS MOURN A GA
KRIS" ACQUAINTANCE.

He Gives Them Warning and Then Pro-
Chains and Watches Go on Like Hot
Cakes.
A victim appeared the other afternoon
at the city hall, in vague search for re-
dress. He related the actions OF street
"fakir" who succeeded in quilting crowds
and winning dollars by sheer boldness
About the middle Of last week n lively ap-
/ pearing man stood in buggy be side a
vapor light, in the square near the post
office. A crowd soon collected The
stranger drew out saChel and took from
/ it Il quantity Of jewelry. With a smile, he
held up several watch chains. and said,
/ Gentlemen, want to sell you some jew
elry. Perhaps you think these are gold,
but they are not. They are good thing
To have, but they are not gold Gentle
men, | will sell you these chains for 81
each"
While talking he drew forth a number
OF bills, and folding them lengthwise Sc
cured them to his vest by passing them
through the buttonhOles. The chains
gllttered brightly under the tlaring light,
and the man was very jolly. blunt, candid
and straightforward. One or two of the
chains were bought and in one of them
the stranger tied curious knot He still
kept up his talking You must be
careful or III swindle you" he said,
laughingly. This is my business, and
they say it is hard to beat a man at his
own tricks These chains are not gold,
and don't want you to buy them unless
you really wish to do So
MOre of the chains were sold. and finally
the stranger asked if some one III the
crowd had not received chain with a
knot in it The chain was passed up to
him. Whipping a 81 bill from button
hole, he pas led 1t Cleverly into the knot
and tossed the money and chain back to
the owner Still continuing his peculiar
remarks. at which the crowd laughed, he
sold chain after chain, right aud left. In
some of them he tied one knot i'll some
two, and in Others three.
Finally he held up beautiful glitter
ing hunting case watch. "Iuu fellows
think you're smart, he said. You think
this is a gold watch. 1t isn't. This is not
gold. Neither is it a watch. 1t is a good
thing in its way, but il is no watch. |
beg you not To buy it if you don't want it.
! will sell this for s." The crowd laughed
uprOarouSly, for the object in the
fakir's hand was Enthusiastically a fine
looking timepiece. He insisted, however,
that the object was no watch and begged,
with a COmlCal look on his face, that all
who We're foolish enough to buy them
would not examine them until they
reached home. In half an hour he sold
in this manner a large number of watches
and chains Finally he exclaimed. "Oh,
believe knOtted some of the chains. You
needn't send them forward, gentlemen.
Those with Cne knot are for little men,
those with two for medium sized men,
and those with four and five for big men.
Now, gentlemen, | said those We're not
watches Observe me-"
He held one of the watches over his
head, opened the case. and to the aston
ishment of all, passed his finger COM
pletely through the dial and where the
works should have been The cases We're
of thin metal, stamped in the proper
form, and the dials were merely paste
board, but the deception was clever. The
chains were worth about 10 cents Zach.
Lifting his hat politely, the smiling fakir
said, "GOod-evening, gentlemen" eXtin-
guished the light, and drove away. The
fakfr then went to Michigan street, near
Ontario, and held forth for half an hour
with great profit TO himself Then he
went TO the west side, near the market
house, where he sold more of his j. welry
TO the amused people. Here he sold his
watches for S. and one of them is said to
be in the pocket of Il prominent west side
physician. The fakir Staid no more than
half an hour in any one place and prob
ably left the city at once. The victim
was informed that the humorous seller Of
jewelry could not be reached by the law,
as he had made no false pretenses.
land Leader