New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1889-12-25
STOOL PIGEONS.
The Oity Horse Trading, Sharks Cannot
Do Without Them.

- ~ 10y 10y lorse IEaulngg, SHARKS Uannot
Do Without Them.
q Their Whole Duty Consists in Inveigling
Lambs to the Shearer-I Intense Hatred in
Which They Are Held by Despoiled Victims
They are Slick.
The duties of astool pigeon are not
& very onerous. He can put in six good
days work in a week without soiling
his his hands or taking the shine from his
patent leather shoes, and can often in
that time accumulate an account of
money far surprising the wages of
harder working men. The stool
pigeon is the particular detestation Of
the fleeced dupe. and just as the victim
hoped to down some one and secure
a return OF something for nothing, just
IN that ratio he hates the treacherous
knave who led him to ruin, A curious
phase OF all sWindling transactions is
that the lamb who is shorn hates the
Shearer far less than the smooth-spoken
wight who led him into error.
The uses of the stool pigeon are
various. About horse markets his at
tendance is as constant as that of an
.auctioneer. Parties wishing to buy a
horse wander through the stables in
search of one that will suit them from
among the dozens that are brought
there for sale, and is shortly accosted
by an afable individual with the direct
query:
s.Do you want to buy a horsep" s..
The visitor admits he does, when the
new acquaintance informs him that an
actual bargain in horsefesh is waiting
some man with discernment at a little
stable less than a block away. ''You
can't tell anything about these horses
in public stable kindly volunteers
the pigeon, ''better buy at a private
barn" <.~a
The two walk little further in Or
der to divert from them the suspicion
of the attaches of the stables. If the
visitor be inclined to stimulate his
nerve with strong drink the stool
pigeon readily finds convenient bar
4 at which tonics are retailed, and then
+ the den of the private horse seller is
invaded. --
s'I'll just intro duce you to a friend
of mine," says the pigeon. ''Mr.
Blank will you treat better than if you
came in as mere stranger What is
your name?" .~n. ...,
Bond replies the innocent, re-
flecting with a chuckle that he is very
fortunate to fall in with a man so
accommodating in a perfectly strange
place.
''Mr Blank, this is my friend, Mr..
Bond says the pigeon. He wants to
look at that roan mare of yours. Do
the right thing by him, Blank. I'll be
back in a minute" and the pigeon,
having led his victim to the lair of the
sharper, departs to find a new tender.
foot.
The two men then go over the points
of a horse that is really so defective he
could not be sold in a public auction,
/, but whose infirmities have been skilful-
F" ny hitCOh W o. 1ile1A wiz 11e1o SOASA HULL
ing. sound in years. A bargain is struck
and q $1O-animal, old to vote if enfran-
chised, is transferred at fancy price
to a man too shrewd to trust an auc-
tioneer. In less than two days ne is
back with his purchase, cursing every
man who had a hand in robbing him,
but swearing particular vengeance on
the fellow who introduced him to Mr..
Blank. That worthy, however, has
had his commission on the sale of the
roam mare and dozen others, and is
as difficult TO find as a restitution of
the purchase money. This kind of
stool pigeon runs very little risk of
meeting his victims a second time, for
he can lead them to any one of a,score
of stables, but he now and then meets
with a severe drubbing at the hands of
the men who conduct the great sale
stables, and who naturally wish to
hold all prospective customers. Aside
from this the pigeons life at horse
barn is usually strewn with roses
Chicago Herald.
you're Another"
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