Arizona weekly citizen., 1896-08-29
THE sWINDLER.

ing by imposing upon the credulity oi
the public work as hard and as system
atically ae men engaged in legitimate
business.
Ar IN every other profession, swindl'
ips g it's successful aud unsuccessful
r the most talented and best in
| !. ted among them often combine
ccee, forming companies of co-opera-
t.on, both for mutual safety and also
in carrying out come systematic fraud,
the more likely to win success. At the
came time, individuals OF exceptional
talents and wide experience, who have
full appreciation of their abilities, pre-
fer to ego it alone" as there is less dan
ger OF belng compromised by the stupid
biunders of pals or subordin ates.
There ia little originality IL the genius
of these men. Old methods have proven
the best, and the most 'sArtful Dodger"
| is he who can most readily adapt old
ways and systems to any set OF clrcum-
stances and conditions. A radically
new method is always dangerous. Ex-
perience has not proven how it will turn
out, and for this reason conservatism is
the creed Of the professional swindier.
As rule, the msiority of pickpockets
are young. If successful in this branch
OF the business ii is not long before they
develop a school OF apprentices who can
do the work for them. The apprentice
begins by some simple method OF beg
ging. This accustoms him to study and
Judge of strange faces. 1t cultivRtes an
expression of face and tone OF voice be-
tokening great need and humility. The
average street thief has this babitual
expression OF injured innocence. From
plying the trade OF the thoroughfare 1t
is long road to that state of opulence
where one from an office located In q
central public building manipulates the
operations of an army of ''light-fngers,"
'shoplIfters," counterfeiters or conf
dence men.
Swindlipg is an art-a professions
business. 1t may he turned into either
one of these vocations, according to the
ability, tastes and temperament of the
rascal, and ite voteries are members of
all grades of society.
Sonumeroue are the systems contrived |
by eharpers to carry on their schemes |
for defrsuding the public it is difficult |
in a few examples to give the reader an |
adequate idea of how ingenious and ex-
tensive their operations are.
Persons who get circulars from swind
lers often wonder how their names are
obtained by the latter. The ways are
various. Subscription lists of the city
weeklies are bought or stolen, and near
ly every swindier exchanges his letters
or the addresses of those who have aD-
swered his advertisements with other
swindlers in similar lines OF business.
Hence the recognized TACT that after
person bss once been swlndled be is
much more likely to be caught" again.
Nearly all the dealers IN Objectionable
books, those who advertise "your future
husband or wife," "fortune told'' and
retired clergyman" sell their letters
Tor one cent each, or more, to the bogus
money operators. So it will be seen
that some lines OF swindling have their
branches, paying large percentage on
the muney invested.
A firm OF ''sawdust" speculators at
ore time bought $4,000 letters received
by concern that had realized $4,000
out of certain bogus sewing machine.
This machine wac made OF cast iron and
turned by a small hand wheel. 1t
would sew two pieces of the finest ma
terinl together, but anything coarser
would demolish the whole machine and
render it useless. The same enterpris-
ing firm bought about 10000 letters from
! woman in Brooklyn who advertised to
supply every young man and woman
with the Cate OF their marriage and des-
,ription of their future partners for life.
This woman received in nearly every
one OF these 10000 letters SOC stamp,
and no evidence was given that she had
ever cent eingle reply. Indeed, go
great was the harvest that some fifty or
sixty of the letters had not been opened
by her and still contained the SOC
stamps. They slso bought up letters
addressed to quack doctors, dealers in
Objectionable pictures, also letters from
lottery keepers, fortuue tellers, etc. An
other firm on Wall street advertised two
steel engravings of distinguished per-
Sons mailed free on receipt of 81. They
received some 10000 replies, with dol
cent stamps of the present period.
Some advertisers offer "Dismond
RiDge," Catalogues" Recipes"
Songs" ETC., simply to get addresses,
and after getting all they can out of
parties replying they ind it a profitable
business to sell the letters to "sawdust"
and other swindlers, who again sell them
to others.
1t is surprising how credulous some
people are, particularly in regard to
these curious advertisements. They are
willing to part with their money with
little hope of getting an adequate or
return. And, strange to
say, people are swindled in similar
way over and over again.
A BICYCLE REFORM.