The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1891-01-30
SWINDLED THE TAILOR.
A KNIGHT OF THE GOOSE TELLS
OF HOW HE WAS TRICkED.
A Reporter Gave Him the Simple Beai

"Well, 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 l have.
Every man in my business Is bound to
meet with men who swindle him IN one
way or another. don't think, however,
l have lost a great deal of money in late
years. Before / set up IN business tor
myself 1 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 managed to get
a good many ordess. used to give them
credit, and I will say one thing for the
public department clerks, and that is that
lost very little money by them. 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 q fellow who was here for
some time as newspaper man. He was
On a local paper, and it was after / had
gone into business for myself that met
him. He came into my store one day
with two or three we'll known business
young msn whose trade l had possessed
for a long time. One Of the party,
banker, ordered a $50 suit, and L meas
ured him while the others chaf1ed him
and examined my stock. About an hour
afterward this newspaper man returned
and said that he would like me 10 make
a suit for him of the same goods selected
by his friend. l presumed he was all
right, took his measure, made the suit.
sent it to his address and waited for
him to come and settle. But he never
did, and in short time he skipped out OF
town. That was a dead loss to me.
That wasn't as bad, however, as
trick that was subsequently, played upon
me. A tall, fine looking gentleman came
in one day, and after looking over my
stock selected piece of the most expen-
sive goods and ordered suit to be made
from il. He wanted the suit finished in
three days. as he was going to leave the
CITY. He was on his way south. he said,
and had already spent more time than
he had intended. He was very polite
and appeared to be a man of means. He
was also particular as to the cut and
stvle of the coat and vest, insisting upon
a collar to the latter, although the style
was without one. Well, l put off some
other work and completed his suit with
in the time agreed upon, and sent 1t to
his hotel about dusk with the bill-$S0
The man brought back the money, four
$50 bills. and put this in the safe and
went home. The next day when l sent
nv deposit to the bank those four $50
bills were returned marked counterfeit.
Well, perhaps l wasn't mad. l sent
down to the hotel, but of course the man
had gone. l placed the matter IN the
hands of the detectives. but they failed
to find the swindler. Many years after
ward l 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
itentiarv, but it was a long time before
the government officers captured and
convicted him.
A QUESTION OF EXPANSION.
Zone of the funniest swindles ever
played upon me was by government
clerk, who was brought to me by the
chief Of his division, for whom / had
made clothes for years. / measured the
man myself, and was particularly care
full about the shoulders and cnest, 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 ut him. He
said the trousers were all right, but the
coat and vest were altogether too small
l 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 [ wrote a
note asking him to call in after his Of
flee was ont 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 nOnpiussed.
1 was certain that had made the correct
measurements. but there was the man,
and the coat and vest evidently dldn I
fit. | offered 10 make him Others, but
be was mad and wouldn't have II. de
paid me for the trousers and was going
TO leave the coat and vest on my 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 go that he
could button that. but that the coat
would always have TO stay open. FINAL
" he said he'd give me $50 Tor the gar
nents. the price of which was SO. !
told him | would prefer 70 make him a
new coat and vest, but he wouldn't have
II and finally. rather than run the
risk Of not getting rid Of the garments
at all I let him have then for go. About
q week after saw him at the theatre
with the coat buttoned over his chest
il was Prince Albert-and fitting him
beautifully. l couldn't understood II
until was told that he had formerly
been a contortionist, ana had the power
to throw out his chest far beyond rs
normal size. he lad just beaten ne
ont OF S15. | DIDN'T MAKE any more
clothes for him. but ! heard that he
beat another tailor in the same way
w ashington Star.
while TOu wait"
Enterprise can hardy 60 further taau
49,. - = -, ,.r...svyT1 arrCCeT. 90 rs--l