The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-08-23
THE WAYS OF SHARPERS.
swINDLING Is HARD WORK AND
Doubtful PAY.

soon Parted-The Note Trick, the
CLAD Hand and the Little Game of
Cards.
/ From the Philadelphia Times
I The swindler is seldom lazy. Il is a fact
] that many OF those who make a living by
/ imposing upon the creduHty Of the public
I work as hard and as automatically as
/ men engaged in Legitimate business.
/ As in every other profession. swindhng
/ has its successful and unsuccessful men;
/ the most talented and best instructed
/ among them often combine forces. forming
companies Of cooperation. both for mu-
tual safety and also in carrying out some
[ systematic fraud, the more likely TO win
success. At the same time. individuals Of
/ exceptional talents and wide experience.
who have fun appreciation OF their abil-
/ tiles, prefer to go il alone" as there is
l less danger Of being compromised by the
/ stupid plumbers Of pals OF subOrdinates.
Ihere IS little originality i'm the genius Of
/ these men, Old methods have proven the
/ best, and the most "Artful DOdger' is he
VINO can most readily adapt old ways and
/ systems 10 any set Of circumstances and
/ conditions. A radically new method is al
4 ways dangerous Experience has not prov
D
/ son conservatism is the creed Of the profess
/ sional sWindler
| As rule, the majority OF pickpOcKets are
/ young. If successful I'm this branch of the
! business 1t is not iong before they develop
4 a school or apprentices who can do the
work for them. The apprentice begins by
some simple method Of begging. This ac-
| customs him to study and judge of strange
/ faces. It cultiVates an expression of face
/ and tone Of voice betOkening great need
and humility. The average street thief has
/ this habitual expression of injured inno-
/ cence. From plying the trade Of the thor
/ oughfare IL is long road to that state
/ or oDulence where one from an Office To-
! Gated in a central public building, manipu-
lates the operation OF an army Of light
/ fingers 'shop-lifters," counterfetters or
| confidence men.
Swindling is an art-a professional bust.
ness. 1t may be turned into either one
! Of these vocations, according to the abil-
! ity, tastes and temperament Of the rascal,
/ and its votarles are members of all
/ grades OF society.
So numerous are the systems contrived
/ by sharpers to carry on their schemes for
| detrduding the public IL is difficult in a
| few examples to give the reader an ad-
/ equate idea of how ingenious and
! extensive their operations are.
Persons who get circulars from swim
dlers often wonder how their names are
/ L
| rious. Subscription lists Of the city week
! lies are bought or stolen, and nearly ev-
| cry sWlndler exchanges his letters or the
| addresses OF those who have answered
| his advertisements with other swindlers
| in similar lines of business. Hence the
| recognized fact that after person has
| once been swindled he is much more like
ly to DO caught" again. Nearly all the
| dealers in Objectionable books. those who
advertise your future husband or wife"
| fortunes told' and retired clergyman"
sell their letters for / cent each, or more
to the bogus money operators. So 1t will
be seen that some lines Of swindling have
their branches, paying a large percent
age on the money invested.
A firm OF 'sawdust" spectators, at one
time bought thirty thousand letters receiv-
| ed by concern that had realized $4,000
out Of a certain bogus sewing machine,
| This machine was made of cast iron and
| turned by a small hand wheel i would
sew two pieces OF the finest material to-
| gether, but anything coarser would de
molish the whole machine and render It
| useless. The same enterprising firm
bought about forty thousand letters from
a woman in Brooklyn who advertised TO
| supply every young man and woman with
the date Of their marriage and descrlp-
| ton Of their future partners for life. This
woman received in nearly every one Of
| these ferty thousand letters a 5O-cent
stamp, and no evidence was given thaS
| she had ever sent a single reply. Indeed
so great was the harvest that some fifty
or sixty Of the letters had not been opened
by her and still contained the 5O-csnt
stamps. They also bought up letters ad-
| dressed TO quack doctors, dealers in OBJ
| jectionable pictures, also letters from lot
terry keepers, fortune tellers, etc. Another
firm on Wall street advertised two steel
engravings of distinguished persons
mailed free on receipt Of 81. They received
t.faVr y r,lf
and sent In return two Decent stamps of
the period. Some advertisers offer ''dia-
monds rings" Catalogues" RECIPES"
songs" etc, simply to get addresses and
after getting all they can out of parties
replying they find it a profitable business
to sell the letters to "saWdust' and other
swindlers, who again sell them to others.
1t Is surprising how credulous many peo-
pie are, particularly in regard to these
curious advertisements. They are willing
to part with their money with little hope
of getting an adequate or reasonable re-
turn. And, strange to say, people are
swindled in similar way over and over
again.
A man, knowing how credulous many
people are prone to be, and how multi
tudes delight in anything bordering on the
vulgar, sent out circulars Offering to for
ward by mail "a handsome bound book
with ricn and peculiarly interesting
picture for frOntispiece, executed in the
highest style of French art in several
colors." Every bachelor" the circular
said, should read it; every married cou-
pie and unmarried ladies, IL they like.
Every one should keep it in the trunk or
the pocket. Sent by mail on receipts Of 80
cents" The bait took; great many peo-
Pile sent the money and in return received
a New Testament, with a chromo-lltho-
graph of the Virgin and Child" They
could have purchased the same book at
their home book stores for one-fourth the
amount paid
In this country the confidence man is
perhaps as successful as any of the pro-
fessional swindleTs. And for ways that
are dark" he beats the willy Chinee. The
unwary traveller is usually his victim, and
on the train, steamboat, in hotels. thea
tiers and other places Of public amuse-
ment he carries on his vocation with I'M
speakable audacity. His methods vary,
but he usually accosts a stranger whom
he has spotted" with; Hello, Brown
how are you?" You are mistaken, I
guess sir replies the stranger. my
name is Smith, and I live in Chicago"
Then the man of pleasant address and
smiling face, apologies for his mistake