The weekly Thibodaux sentinel and journal of the 8th Senatorial District. [volume] (Thibodaux, Lna. [i.e. La.]) 1875-1898, 1893-09-23
FILM FLAM IN SALOONS.
A Novel Game Recently Worked with
Success in San Francisco.

Novel Game Recently Worked with
Success in San Francisco.
San Francisco Cal.
A large number of saloon keepers in
San Francisco have recently been vic
timized by two connterfeiters. DR..
Whitfield and John Mcdonald. Their
methods Of ''shoving the queer" are
audacious and amusing. Their sue
cess, too, has been phenomenal. con-
sidering the utter baseness of the spu-
rious coin they palmed off on their or
dinarily siirewd victims. The trick
was Il combination of the "flim fam"
device, with slight effort at legerde-
main. Whit lid and Mcdonald, both
well dressed men, would enter sa-
loon in company. Whitfieldwould pose
asa doctor and Mcdonald as his patient.
The latter. as he approached the bar,
would talk in loud voice about his
gratitude to the physician for the won
dertul cure that his friend had accom-
plished. The conversation would
take this kind of a turn:
"Doctor, l know l should have died
bu: for that prescription you gave me. :"
ooh, that's all nonsense; you were
not quite as bad off as all that" was
the answer.
''But | know BETTER" would shout
Mr.. Mcdonald. 81 was ready to
croak. Yuu're The best doctor ever
met, and I've tried hundreds"
Meanwhile the barkeeper had tossed
two little tumblers on the bar and had
| become an interested listener.
"Weli, let's have drink anyway"
suggested the doctor. very cheer,ly,
at the same time throwing good so
piece down on the bar.
The two having named their drinks,
Mcdonald would walk to the lunch
counter and help himself to some cold
crab, keeping up at the same time his
conversation with the doctor, who re-
mained at the bar. BY the time Nc
Donald returned from the lunch coun-
ter, the drinks would be ready and the
! doctors change counted out to him.
including a good S. niece and a lot OF
| silver. McDonald's face would then
be suddenly transformed into an in
terrogation point. Then in voice oi
assumed anger he would shout as he
showed the change back to the bar
keeper, while the doctor was pretend
ing to reach for it:
"That don't go; called for the
drinks anG amt going to let you pay
for lheh. No, doctor, you have done
enough for me already. His money is
no good, barkeeper. The drinks are
on me-"
Saying this The grateful patient pull
ed a big dollar out of his own pocket
and slapped it on the bar. Meanwhile
the two men would be engaged in q
contest in which their hands would
be on the doctors change, the one tt
push it toward the barkeeper, the 9th
er To seize it for himself.
The outcome was always the same
Mcdonald was the most persistent and
the good natured doctor always sur
rendered.
"Take back the change and give
him his $10," said Mcdonald, as with
one hand he thrust his own good dol
lar into the barkeeper's hand, while
with the other he pushed the doctors
change toward the man behind the
bar.
The eomplacent barkeeper was sat
isfied so long as he collected his tolls
Seeing that the doctor had succumbed
he swept the change back into th'
cash register, took his pay for th'
drinks out of McDanald's big dolla
and returned to the doctor his beauti
ful $40 piece. In the scramble dur
ing the controversy as to which of TIN
two men should pay for the drinks ,
counterfeit five dollar coin would b.
substituted by the doctor or by Nc
Donald for the genuine one which th
barkeeper had taken from the till. |
was not until long after the sharper
had left the saloon that the spuriOu
coin would be discovered. Then tn
recolle ction of the struggle betw ee
the two strangers flashed upon TIN
mind of the victim and he knew h
{ had been swindled.