The sun., 1897-12-29
THEY SOLD SILVER SPOONS
Two Feminine Sharpers Euchre
PawnbrOker Harris.
ENGLISH ACCENT FOOLED HIM
Several Others Said to Have Charit'
ably Bought English Spoons at
Il Bargain.

! Two clever swindlcrs have vctimized
several people in this city during the
past two days.
They were women and were new
thing in the swindling line here. "Men
were deccivcrs ever" but these two
| women discounted masculine efforts in
great shape.
This is the way it happened.
On Monday afternoon two foreign
looking women, in very noticeable cos
Tunes entered the paw. shop Of Minnie
Harris, at No. l2G Market street. They
wore big broad brim hats an' coats Of an
odd shade Of brown. MIR. Harris, who
usual Y attends to the shop, was absent
and his son came forward A. wait upon
the two.
The visitors told an interesting and
pathetic tale. They stated that their
names were Mrs. Smith and Mrs. Will
Jams, and that they were English.
wcavcrs by trade, and had just arrived
from the old country. They expected
to secure employment here and mean
while their cash had given out
Could they get some money on some
silver spoons?
Mr. Harris, .jr., hastened to assure
them that they could, and they pro-
d,lccd one dozen small spoons, one dozen
tablespoons, one dozen knives, and one
dozen forks
They stated that they lad unrxpcct.
edly been forced to pay Il heavy duty on
them and that the stock OF ready
money upon which they had de-
pended to keep them unit. they
went to work had been sadly
depleted and they were forced to place
their silvcrwa,c as collateral for loan.
All this was spoken in Scotch
English dialect so broad that Harris was
completely thrown off his guard, and be-
sides dangling from their ears were rings
made from English sovereigns.
They asked for $40, but Harris, with
the guile OF his craft, offered 81 for the
lot. After some discussion this was ac-
ccptcd
] No suspicion Of the fact that he had
been euchrcd crossed Harris mind as he
wrapped up the articles and placed them
tcndcrlv away on the shelf
Yesterday afternoon an officer stopped
in the pawn shop and asked about the
two women, and If they had pawncd
anything
Harris produced the silvcrware and
instantly recognized the fact that the
metal was base.
! "Mein Gott they vas not worth two
tollars for the lot ~ was his agonized
exclamation.
Upon invest igation it was found that
the women had left the town Immediately.
1 They returned yesterday afternoon,
however, with fresh supply Of silver
ware and among the victims they are
said to have landed was Robert Hutton,
Il plumber, at No. 23l Shipley street.
/ They were said to have secured S. from
Mr.. Hutton for one dozen and a half
spoons.
| John Mctiowan, who keeps a saloon
at Front and Shiplcy, was also said to
have been victimizcd by the pair, but
he stoutly denied it.
"No, sir! didn't get burned. heard
about them, however. No spoons in
mine
They are said to have secured money
from five or six other places with
their plausible tale and silvcry argu-
mcnt.
/ The women were described as being ~
and 35 years Of age, one dark and the
other of y light complexion. Their
spoons were Il fair counterfeit and bore
as Il trade mark n crown surmo,ntrd by
the word "Shenield." Mr.. Harris ad-
mittcd that upon considering the matter
he could not recollcct ever having seen
or heard OF such q mark on silvcrwarc.
I They are still at large-'Ware spoons!