The Irish standard., 1886-09-04
THE BOGUS DOLLAR.
Clever Game Played by San
Francisco Adventurer.

Cl0V9T Cdn6 Flay9Q Oy a. san
M Francisco Adventurer.
How Pleasant-Faced Young Man Hood.
Winlted a Crowd in Bar-Room-
"A Bogus Silver Dollar Which,
Was Worth v.
[San Francisco Alta.]
Notwithstanding the fact of there being
considerable portion of truth in the gam
blers' adage that there is sucker born
every hour" one portion of all large COM
munities is kept pretty tolerably busy in
venting new devices and schemes for de-
frauding the public on which they live.
Some burnt children dread the fire and
others do not, but it is always safer to
spring e new dodge or story for fear that
the intended victim might have encoun-
tered one Of the old chestnuts that are now
only fit for service in the far back woods.
If half the ingenuity that is expended on
the confidence games and thieving tools
was put to legitimate invention, the labor
saving machines of the world would be
doubled, and the scamps would get rich by
benefiting humanity instead of wo1sting it.
One Of the very latest swindling tools has
reached this city through the agency Of
a pleasantrfaced, gentle manly young fell
low, who is an artist in his business, but
has committed the error Of giving his
s'snap" away for too small a price. Sa~
looms are his favorite operating g-rooms, and
not few of the astute Ganymedes who
mash mint and mix imperial punches have
been landed for small amounts through
betting against his game. A reporter OBJ
the other morning. and will unfold for the
benefit of his fellow-men who are liable
to be taken in by the same operation it not
forewarned.
The pleasant-faced, gentlemanly young
stranger heretofore mentioned walked
into one Of the most swell Of Kearney
streets magnificent drinking palaces and
called for punch. When the concoction
was completed he raised it to his lips, at
the same time that he tossed u dollar On
the bar in payment. The coin fell like the
hunk Of lead that it was, and the sound
produced by its contact with the bar was
as flat as the kerchug Of Il frog in striking
the water. The sound attracted the atten-
tion of two or three of the young mans
neighbors, and they eyed him with some
curiosity, as if wondering what sort Of
verdant he was to attempt to pass such q
coin. The barkeeper simply glanced at it
and smiled, and waited for the stranger to
produce g. substitute. The dollar piece did
look disreputable, and no mistake. 1t was
battered and bruised, had plug in one
corner, and the milling about the edges
was in state of sad decay, while added
to all this was color that betoken it to be
lead from Leadville, and no mistake.
"What is the 1natter?: asked the patron Of
the house and proprietor of the queer piece
OF bogus.
The crowd laughed, and the barkeeper
suggested that another coin be substituted
for the bad dollar.
"Oh, that's it, is it?" responded the gen.
tlemanly young man, pretending to ex-
anime the date on his unsavory proffer
s'Well, don't you know that am glad you
refused it; that dollar is worth five times
its face value to anybody that has got
common sense"
Two or three Of the party grabbed u look
at the date and then laughed again.
'sWhy, you are foolish, young man,
said one of them, pityingly. "As money
a b1shel-basketful of those things would
not be worth one dime. thought at first
it might have an old date, but if it was
coined while Noah was afoat in the ark it
would not be worth more than it is, which
is simply nothing"
With this the barkeeper felt impelled to
give the young man some kind advice to
tho effect that he had better not make any
more attempts to pass the dizzy thing, or
he would be liablesto arrest for showing
tho queer.
Q svrhat's all right, gentlemen; I'll bet any
of you ten dollars that that coin is worth
five times its face value, just to show you
that know what am about"
"Oh, we don't want your money" put in
the barkeeper: "just pay for that drink
and say nothing more about it,"
every well, sir, Pll pay you for the
drink with any sort Of money you like, but
when you grow wiser you will be sorry
that you did not take your payment out of
this worthy, rnisused coin," and with this
the owner of the violation of the law
against counterfeits produced wallet
fairly bursting with it's hoard Of bills and
gold, and passed over half eagle for the
punch. The sight Of his wealth caught the
crowd at once, and two Of them immedi-
ately offered to accept the bet he had pro-
posed few seconds before. The young
fellow pretended to hesitate and then in-
sinuated that they should give him odds On
the wager.
every well, since you are 80 clever q nu-
will give you chance for
your money; I will bet you twenty dollars
to ten dollars that that coin is not worth
five dollars to any one except yourself. OF
course, you can not be the judge of its
worth, as you are betting on it,"
'sWel], that is fair, although would pre-
fer to appraise the value of my own goods
I will take your wager and leave it to any
man that you may select"
"Done.n
s.Bet me, too, on the same tern1s?' asked
another of the party, and another, and
still another.
The young man accepted all the Offers
and then offered to wager the bar-keeper
drinks for the party on the result The
drink-mixet accepted, and piled ten dol
lars on top of the liquids. A respectable
old gentleman was called from the other
end of the bar to hold stakes and act as
referee. The money once deposited and