The Appeal. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. ;) 1889-19??, 1891-12-26
At SOMEONE'S ELSE EXPENSE.

The Many Who Manage to Do It and
How II N Done.
That numerous class 81 people who
eontrive to live at the expense Of others
frequently display in the pursuit Of
their vocation ingenuity worthy Of
better cause. Nor do they fail to take
the most extraordinary pains to secure
the success of their nefarious under
takings. Of the various novel methods
employed by these individuals in OBJ
tanning funds the following are some
recent examples:
"A sham count whose breast blazed
with number of dubious foreign dec
orations, has been condemned to five
years imprisonment for series of mis-.
demeanors known as the apartment
trick" His modus operandi was the
simple one of hiring apartments, from
which he 6lched various ornaments
whenever he had the opportunity.
His most daring exploit in this direc-
ton was achieved some months ago,
when he succeeded in ingratiating him
self into the confidence of q certain
baron, who had splendid apartments to
sub-let for Ell, 900. Pretending to be
deeply interested in the workings Of a
bathroom, he induced the baron to I'M
dress, enter the bath, and give practi-
cal illustration of it's merits While the
performance was going on, the count
made dash at the baron's coat, alb
stracted therefrom a purse containing
SIG. and quickly disappeared from the
scene.
On another occasion this accomplished
rogue pretended to recognize royal
personaget whose hand he shook in the
presence of that magnate's doorkeeper,
and then borrowed a sovereign from
the latter on the strength of knowing
his master. He also bamboozled the
proprietor of an old curiosity-shop who
had a weakness for manufacturing
verses, and from whom he managed to
obtain considerable sums of money for
stolen articles by represen ting himself
to be brother bard of noble family in
reduced circumstances.
With the object Of obtaining com
mission from Paris wine merchant,
all artful but exceedingly dishonest per-
son, falsely declared himself to be the
nephew of M. Washington, the French
AMBASSADOR in London. On the strength
of being what he stated, he was invited
home to dinner by the wine merchant,
but the willy tradesman before sup
plying the champagne, telegraphed to
London and found that NJ. Waddington
had commissioned no one to order
wine for him. A trap was then laid for
the imPostor, who, however, SUI cceeded
in cvading it, but he was afterward
captured in connection with fraud of
different character.
Very amusing reading is the case of
the two Frenchnen who appeared at a
linen factory at Jevolen in the Volga
and told the manufacturer that they
were French government commits
| sioners, with an order for cloth case
in which to wrap the Eiffel tower in
winter. The production of a number of
sealed documents and letters with the
signatures of celebrated Frenchmen
proved convincing to the manufacturer,
who agreed to take the large contract
The commissioners required 2l00 as a
guarantee of his intention to turn out
the order and gave directions that he
should at once proceed to Paris to meas
ure the structure. Accordingly, with
several assistants, he repaired to Paris,
thereby spending EGO more, only to
learn that he had been swindled.
Some peculiar frauds insurance
companies have been brought to light
through the arrest of police agent for
having attested accidents which had
| never happened. He confessed his guilt
and gava information as to the existence
of az organized band of swindlers, who
had defrauded several insurance com.
panies by obtaining indemnities for per-
sons who had never been injured The
| head OF the gang was an inspector of
| assurances, and leagued with him were
cabmen, policemen and number of in
dividuals whose duties consisted in
throwing themselves down carefully
near passing cab. They were then
picked up in an apparently fainting
condition, and removed to neighbo
| ing wine tavern, while the policeman
| near booked the accident and reported
| it.
A young Englishwoman. in Paris has
been practising the marriage trick"
from which, it appears, she made nearly
$500 a year. Her method of procedure
was to advertise in the journals that a
widow possessing fortune of ESQ, 900
wished to marry gentleman in good
circumstances, and so cleverly were
things managed that she invariably re-
| celved rich presents from her suitors
Having got all the money her dupe pos
sessed' she would then suddenly disap-
pear. Her last exploit was with a GER
| tain noble viscount, who made her a
number of presents, but whose sus-
Picions eventually caused him to COM
municate with the police, and the gay
deceiver was promptly taken into Gus
tody.-London Tit-B
lTAl VsS ONE AnInEAc