The Abbeville messenger. (Abbeville, S.C.) 1884-1887, 1886-04-20
HORSE "SHARPS."
Swindling Unwary Country
mon in New York.
a Single Worthless Animal that has
Changed Owners Many Times.

OF individuals, that might very appropri-
ately be cal cd "a gang" are operating
just now very successfully on the other
side of the limit, and gentlemen who
think that mankind is naturally prone to
be honest arc being seriously affected by
it every day.
The victims are generally men who
wear soft felt hats. Men of that kind
are not indigenous to Manhattcn Island.
They are the noble sons of agriculture,
who are the mainstay Of the blithesomc
bunco man. They come to the city to
buy horses, and they go home firmly con-
WINGED that there is nothing between the
Battery and Harlem River that will ever
get into heaven.
The 'gang" have stables in two streets.
AT one it is always announced that seven
horses arc for sale, while at the 9th or the
number is nine. Perhaps these numbers
are chosen because they arc considered
lucky-not because they represent the
number of horses, as each stable can
boast of but one animal, and that Of such
a KIND that in a good fair count it would
be set down as only half a horse.
When the unsuspccting purchaser ap-
pears ut the stable he is promptly ''spot-
ted" and half a dozen gentlemen, who
have previously been lounging around
the corner with their hands in their
pockets suddenly become very deeply in
tercstcd in the prospective purchase of
the one horse. Nobody pays the least at
tention to the real purchaser ut first. He
thinks business must be very brisk indeed
and his chances of getting a horse ut
what he begins to believe must be n bar.
gain quite as slim. Finally he edges into
the conversation and becomes the central
figure.
"Whcrc are the other horscs?" he asks.
"Just sold four this morning, and the
rest are out on trial. A gentleman is
coming around to try this one in an hour,
if he is not sold before" replied the
dealer.
"All right; let me take him out on
trial?"
81 am sorry, but I can't. I promised
to hold him for that other fellow unless
some one bought outright"
At this point the dccoys evince further
signs of purchasing. and the result is that
the victim makes an offer. Alters little
haggling the price usually settled on is in
the vicinity of 500. The money is paid
and the conntryman drives off. happy in
the consciousness of having Il good bar
gain. When about two blocks distant
his joy willis down to several degrees be-
low freezing point. The horse begins to
whecze and cough, and finally chokes and
falls down. Then the sad faced farmer
leads the horse back to the stable and de-
mands his money. At first he gets no
satisfaction whatever, The dealer insists
TINT the horse was all right when he left
and he can't understand it. At last a
compromise is made and the victim
thinks himself lucky in getting $50 of his
money back.
81 tell you what" said one of the de-
coys to Il Herald reporter, "that old horse
is a dandy. He's got that choking rack
ct down to a fine point, and plays it Gle
CANT"
elias he been sold many timcs?" asked
the reporter.
"Many timcs2 Well, I should cough
up a cat. Every day, sure, and some
times twice. Oh, you can gamble on his
knowing his business now. Funny, now,
amt it? That horse, as n horse, amt
worth two cents; but as n piece of prop
erty, I'm a gilly if he don't bring the old
man in $50 n day, easy. Yes, sir; he
don't look it, but he's one of the most
valuable animals in New York"
; At both places the same modus operan-
di is pursued and with the same profta-
bic results to the dealers. They have now
been carrying on the fraud for some months
and as yet have not met with any serious
setback. The average man does not like
to admit that he has been ''played," and
prefers to pocket his loss and keep quiet
rather than air the affair in court. A
few victims, more brave than the rest,
have caused the heavy hand of the law
to drop on the dealers. The heavy hand
clutched savagely enough for a while,
and then, after the usual manner, let go
and the dealers sercncly went back to
their business and their faithful old trick
horsc.-Nep York Herald.
F, Making Money.