Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1891-02-19
SWINDLED THE TAILOR.
A KNIGHT OF THE GOOSE TELLS
OF HOW HE WAS TRICKEO.

A Counterfeiter Exchanged Products
with Him-The Contortionist Played
the SIickest Trick of All.
We'll, I've been in business a good
many years." said fashionable tailor,
''and I've met some very queer customers
in the course of my experience. Have l
ever been beaten? Why, of course have.
Every man in my business is bound to
meet with men who swindle him in one
way or another. don't think, however,
| have lost great deal of money in late
years. Before set up in business for
myself represented large house in an
other city. Icame here and made quite
trade among the clerks in the depart
ments. l used to call upon them in their
offices with my book of samples, and as
I'm pretty fair talker 1 managed to get
a good many orders. used to give them
credit, and will say one thing for the
public department clerks, and that is that
lost very little money by them. l used
to have to wait good while sometimes,
but they generally paid me in full.
TWO SIMPLE CASES.
But you want to know about the
beats Well, one of the worst | ever
knew was a fellow who was here for
some time as newspaper man. He was
on local paper, and it was after l had
gone into business for myself that met
him. He came into my store one day
with two or three well known business
young men whose trade had possessed
for long time. One of the party,
banker, ordered a $50 suit, and meas
ured him while the others chaffed him
and examined my stock. About an hour
afterward this newspaper man returned
and said that he would like me to make
a suit for him of the same goods selected
by his friend. | presumed he was all
right, took his measure. made the suit,
sent it to his address and waited for
him to come and settle. But he never
did, and in short time he skipped out of
town. That was dead loss to me.
THAT wasn't as bad, however, as a
trick that was subsequently played upon
me. a tall, fine looking gentleman came
in one day, and after looking over my
stock selected piece of the most expen-
sive goods and ordered suit to be made
from it. He wanted the suit finished in
three days. as he was going to leave the
city. He was on his way sodth, he said,
and had already spent more time than
he had intended. He was very polite
and appeared to bea man CT means. He
was also particular as to the cut and
style of the coat and vest, insisting upon
collar to the latter, although the style
was without one. Well, put off some
other work and completed his suit with
in the time agreed upon, and sent it to
his hotel about dusk with the bill-$S0.
The man brought back the money, four
$40 bills, and put this in the safe and
went home. The next day when l sent
my deposit to the bank those four $50
bills were returned marked counterfeit
Well, perhaps wasn't mad. l sent
down to the hotel, but of course the man
had gone | placed the matter in the
hands of the detectives, but they failed
to find the swindler. Many years after
ward saw his picture in rogues' gal
lery, and learned that he was one of the
most expert counterfeiters in the coun-
try. | think he is now in western pen
itentiary, but it was a long time before
the government officers captured and
convicted him.
QUESTION OF EXPANSION.
Zone of the funniest swindles ever
played upon me was by government
clerk, who was broushs-te-H -H4e-by the
chief of his division, for whom l had
made clothes for years. measured the
man myself, and was particularly care
full about the shoulders and chest, as |
pride myself upon the fit of my coats. l
sent the suit to his boarding house on
Saturday night, and the next Monday
morning, bright and early, he was down
to the store very much enraged because
the coat and vest didn't fit him. He
said the trousers were all right, but the !
coat and vest were altogether too small. |
| sent up for the garments and COM
pared their measurements with those l
had marked on the books and found that |
they corresponded exactly; SO l wrote a |
note asking him to call in after his Of
fee was out in the evening. He did so,
and / asked him to try on the coat and |
vest. He went into the back part of the
store, and when he came forward with |
the garments on they would not meet by |
at least three inches. was nonplussed. |
| was certain that / had made the correct |
measurements, but there was the man,
and the coat and vest evidently didn't |
fit. | offered to make him others, but |
he was mad and wouldn't have it. He
paid me for the trousers and was going |
to leave the coat and vest on pcy hands.
"Just as he was going out of the door
he turned and said he was sorry that I'd
made such a blunder, for he liked the
goods. He added in reflective sort of
a way that he might split up the back
of the vest and set piece in 80 that he
could button that, but that the coat
would always have to stay open. Final
ly he said he'd give me $50 for the gar
ments, the price of which was $50. l
told him l would prefer to make him
new coat and vest, but he wouldn't have
it, and finally, rather than run the
risk of not getting rid of the garments
at all let him have them for $50. About
week after l saw him at the theatre
with the coat buttoned over his chest
it was Prince Albert-and fitting him
beautifully. couldn't understand it
until 1 was told that he had formerly
been contortionist, and had the power
to throw out his chest far beyond its
normal size. He had just beaten me
out of SIS. l didn't make any more
clothes for him, but I heard that he
beat another tailor in the same way"
Washington Star.
A Dogs Education.
Given an equal amount of intelligence