The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1892-07-03
BARGAINS THAT SWINDLE.
CONFIDENCE GAMES PLAYED WIN
DIAMONDS AND PIlSOS

"Sncr;nce" sales ut Rc-ideners. rnvc,
brokers'. md storage wa,chouses-The
Ruyer Pays Tremendously Hiuh prtces.
"Thero Is no moro profitable swindlo in
vogue" said u piano manufacturer reccntly.
than the business OF selling pianos to Vic.
Tins who AFRO caught by advertisements pro-
claiming flat tho Instruments are for sale at q
sacrifice at private residence Various
reasons are stated by tho advertiser for max.
ing tho alleged Sacrifice but lust now the
reason most often assigned by tho sharper 10
that tho supposed piano owncr lie going to
leave for Europe or tho country Tho sharper
also works IN with great SUCCESS tho gag about
being financially embarrassed. Thore are
many we'll Gaming people who like to possess
n piano. and who haven't tho means to buy a
good one OF she maker. who imagine that they
can got n bargain by buying those sacrificed
instruments They seldom discover until they
are several hundred dollars out OF pocket that
they have been dupcd. By the time their eyes
havo boon opened the sharper has disap.
pcared to another part OF the town to work the
same trick under now atlas. There is a
business and they rsap fortune every - ssas
The balt thrown out for the victims. who
nre called suckers by the sharpers who work
t!somcnts. These all follow 4 certain form.
StOfnX0
1t reads like this:
sSsshSr
:. I'm nearly every instance the buyer Of these
for now of the maker. imagining all the time
that he Is securing genuine bargain. Often
from m Inferior maker and sold at retail
Price and sometimes tho price II Increased.
customer Where the OllrChaaar S1An
for q. piano thus advertised is safe
t so hss hst ecsr the ro efps $50 n sb E
mSnts at cost price. can easily AFFORD to in
and let the instruments 60 at less than the re-
tail price and still be big gaIner. Where this
strpment sold is always a second hand one.
and the purchaser DISCOVERS too late that 10
has got something that isn't worth what he
Another decoy advertisement reads thus:
RARE 0froRTrNITY for any ono ds.irog. Of
sRnn
;SiS @
to call before purchasing at private residence.
This looks nll straight. but the no reason.
as the VS. 81 ZIP word sscriioc and pTi.
address advortised finds What a appears te be- enc
piano Of standard make. Examination BY a
the name ~ the mn er IL Sata9 h hot Oily ply thas
t menRs has not boon In three
Nv IN infapior moEor pi nmS' suh;aetd ous
tSSssts IN 4usbns e Da Ss the ms Ss
ana WORKING IN stHndnrd makers meme with
q stencil Plate. Ihis business is. OF course.
spite tho strenuous efforts Of tho Plano Max
err Association to break It up the generous
quarter OF its advertised value. no will still
and the purchaser VIII get an instru:
VIM warn and crack. too. revealing ths swndiss
soTt q saqrii!ee ssle ap as lSas az tseIs ere
IS s afa as day Meter tes Of DAY hs ss
that publish such doooy adyertiseqe It IS
auction In private residences that tho police
have made 1t difficult to garry on in the town;
on a wider scale, sud the piano MAKER"
fhe sale PIC 81 &c thdt haze been pawned
brit, Ilere is some of 1t picked at random out
OF the newspapers:
4ss .as sss ST. EA :
sti i S.0 Xaf...
sell Ss nes sss
ers. Call Miss
~ NyNs n
riny 1sS .sn A saS SON a @ for
man in reduced circumstances viii .sorinoe tickets
D1,Novn pI.cp.wxrn .or u,r ..r
Id adys Win iamrss. sob-W,i Boil uekes also
:. -, ' "N.'''' N
this particular game in the city at the present
time. and some OF them keep tho police busy
chasing nfter them Thoy ach work under AZ
least l.alf dozen aliases. They often employ
assistants to catch victims so extensive il
their business. Sometimes they have girls to
aid thom The game is generally worked
through the connjyanco of unscrupulous
pawn brokers ANY one who is foolish enouph
to answer the decov Embellishments gets renv
directing thom TO meet the owner Of ~
Jewels at a certain place. Where the sharper
las advertised to allow nm inspectfon
OF the Gems. he sends confed.
crate TO keen the ennontmont with
tho dune and take tho ticket along. The
infendjnv nurchnsor discovers at tha start
fhut n" FMS GOT r. INV Tho naunnroIer a fas
t" toe exnmin" tic levels. Recomcludes 10 purs
eVery tine i'm Instead Of u getting the fancied barr
II ho redcems tho gem or watch at the floureS
on tho pawntickcts, for the ticket itself has
boon male out by tho pawnbroker purnoseiy
to catch suckers. The pawnbroker. as