Custer chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, Black Hills, D.T. [S.D.]) 1880-1890, 1889-08-17
A CATCH" T
How q Clever Swlnd;er Used to Fnsnare
the Unwary Betting Man.

One trick, though a small one. that
l used to play years ago on the unsus-
porting has caused me many pangs Of
conscience while in a %rcpcntant mood.
| SAYS George Denol, a reformed gam
bier, in the ST. Louis G(obe- Democrat.
1t was quite simple. ! had a catch
| watch; and it caught 'em, too. The
case was made Of pure gold, the metal
actually being hammered into the
proper shape. The works were not
worth rs cents; they were rs cheap as
could be found. But the case was very
fine. and | had to carry the watch IN a
chamois-skin pocket to prevent the
soft gold from wearing away. IN those
days-this was befo' the wah-brass
candlesticks we're in common use. |
would take the tallow dripping that
ran down on the outside of u brass can
dlestick and rub it on the case OF the
'.catch" watch. This gave the case
the appearance and smell of brass. As
l dressed generally in the style, when
n gentleman saw me pull out that
watch-and | always managed to pull
it out in a way to attract attention
he would give me the laugh, and say:
''Well, | am surprised to see a man Of
your appearance carrying an old brass
watch like that" ''Ill bet You 800
to $40 that my watch has a finer case
than yours, sir" l would probably re-
ply. The nan would examine my
watch, and when he opened it and saw
the cheap works, he was then more
than ever confirmed in the belief that
it was a snide watch, and that / was
lust giving him a bluff. '.Ill bet vou,'
he would say, land wen leave the de-
cision to n jeweler." would repair
to a iewcler, and after the test was
made, Of course my watch was found
IL have Il case made Of pure gold-24
earats iinc-something not known rs
10 any watch made for common use.
No watch eases are made Of pure gold,
While | raked in the poor fellows $40
that he had put up, | then gave him
the laugh and left him u ponder over
the manner he had been taken in as a
''sucker." In all my travels | never
found but one man who rot ever with
me on this trick, and he was a st.
Louis jewelers. clerk in those tlnlns,
but is now running a handsome Store
here of his own. | had made Il bet
with Il man that my watch had a finer
ease than his, and we stepped into a
st. Louis jewelers. establishments TO
have the two watches tested. one Of
the youn@ clerks, who Is now IN
business for himself. looked at the
watches and said: Pm bet you $40
that the other gentleman's watch case
is liner than yours, Devol.' 'See
mere, young man, | would advise you
not TO bet | replied, for this gentle
man and myself have just stepped in
to settle a little dispute as to the num-
bcr oi carats Of gold in the watch cases,
and il is an affair Of our own. But
the young clerk fought he had a sure
thing. and was anxious to bet, and !
took him up. He went upstairs with
the watches to test them, and soon
learned that my watch was IA catch
and that had won my friends money
and also his SO bet. The young clerk
came down with IA broad smile on his
face, and said my watch case was the
finer of the two. but that he guessed
he would inst charge me $40 for max
ing the test. That clerk was the only
man who ever rot ven with me OF
that trick, and he was simply even
that was all.