The morning call., 1891-05-14
TESTING HONESTY.
Furtive Attempt of a Wealthy Woman
to Obtain a Diamond.

Furtive Attempt Of a Wealthy Woman
to Obtain a Diamond.
A large and glitteriBg diamond lay on
the showcase of an uptown jeweler the
other day. Apparently the jeweler had
been displaying his stock of diamonds and
when he put them away had inadvertently
left this on the case. A handsomely
attired woman alighted from her carriage
and entered the establishment. AS she ap-
preached the showcase her eyes Tell upon
the giittering gem. She gave a slight start
but quickly regained her composure, says
the New York Recorder. Drawing her
handkerchief from her muff she placed it on
the diamond and compressed her hand.
After moment she restored her handker-
chief TO her muff, but the diamond still
rested on the case.
a clerk was coming forward TO wait upon
her. She replaced her handkerchief over
the diamond and let her hand rest carelessly
on It, She asked to see some rings, and
when the CLERK turned his back to get tray
from the safe she contracted her hand and
tried once more to lift the diamond in the
folds Of her handkerchief. Again she was
unsuccessful The stone lay cleaning
on the case. Then she reached out
her gloved hand and attempted to
pick up the stone. Her fingers
grasped nothing. She had been deceived by
a trick of the clerk who was waiting upon
her. be had stuck the diamond on the
other side of the glass, but to the eye it
looked as II 1t were lying on the glass He
had used no mucilage or other adhesive 10
dscOlor the diamond or the glass. He had
simply breathed upon the stone and the
slight dampleSS thus produced had caused
it to hold to the glass.
The clerk had purposely delayed coming
TO the case on the entrance of the lady, TO
see whether she would attempt to steal the
diamond. He had observed all her efforts
TO possess ii, and when she discovered the
trick the consciousness came upon her that
she had been watched. Mutterag some
thing about a sudden illness, she hurried
from the store, stepped into her carriage and
was driven rapidly away. The clerks con-
science did not seem TO Smite him. He said
that people who would steal simply because
they had an opportunity were entitled to no
sympathy, more especially If they stole
when they had no need TO.
The clerk said it was surprising how
many people, most Of them evidently rich,
attempted surreptiti0Osly to secure the dia-
mOnd stuck to the case. Men with high
regulations would enter the store with the
intention of making purchases of costly
articles, and on seeing the diamond would
carelessly cover it with their gloves and
attempt to pick it up. On finding out
the trick they would cast guilty looks
about to see if they had been watched. For
fear Of injuring trade the clerks would pre-
tend not to have observed the effort to APP
prOpriate the gem. There were, however,
plenty Of honest people who came to the
store aud saw the diamond. They would
direct the clerks attention to it, and make
some remark about a rather careless way of
doing business.
1t is a common thing to see silver dimes
and quarters, and even bills, stuck on the
under side Of the glass in a showcase. At
first people used to be fooled by them and
try to ri them up. but the trick was so
generally adopted that every body became
familiar with it, Besides, the coins and
the bills were generally stuck to the glass
by yellow mucilage, so that the deception
was not a perfect one. BY breathing OH a
coin it can be made TO cling to the glass the
same as a diamond. The diamond being
so near the color of the glass the illusion
is cOmD9te