Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1898-12-15
The Cunning Oriental.

licemen, says writer in Once a Week
exhibit an acumen that would not dis
grace the most intelligent of our own
force. I will give an instance of this
that happened lately. One day we'll
dressed woman, apparently Of the bet
ter class, entered the house Of a sowcsr
or money-lender IL Hyderabad. She
seemed to be in the utmost distress,
and was crying bitterly. She informed
the sowcar that her husband was
merchant, and that he had embarked
his all in stocking a shop; that the
shop-keepers had agreed together TO
ruin him; that they had succeeded in
doing so and that he was now lying
in prison, sunk under load of debt,
at the mercy of his pitiless creditors.
The only way Of helping him that she
could now think Of was to pawn her
Jewels, and that she had accordingly
brought them with her hoping that
the sowcar would advance her such
sum on them as would be sufficient to
lberate her husband. She then pro-
ducei her treasures-diamond rings,
earrings, pearl necklaces-aPParentIy
worth several thousand rupees, and en-
treated him to lend her two thousand
rupees on them without delay. He
accordingly, having first tested the
gold settings, and found them of pure
gold, Judged the Jewels to be also gen
uine, and thought that be might make
a good thing out Of the transaction.
So after beating her down a hundred
rupees, he gave her the money. The
woman left the shop and disappeared.
The sowcar shortly aiterward hap
pened to show these jewels to friend
who was visiting him, and was advised
by him to examlae the stones careful
iy, which as yet he had not done He
had concluded at the time he made the
bargain that, as the settings were un-
doubtedIy Of pure metal, the stones
also would be genuine. He acted ac-
cordiug to his friend advice, and then
discovered to his horror that they
were all only clever limitations, worth
nothing. There was only the gold,
worth about forty pounds, for comfort.
He had been swindled cleyerly out Of
fifteen hundred rupees.
The only thing that remained for
him to DO was to put the matter into
the hands of the police, in the hope Of
capturing the woman. They advised
him to say nothing of his having been
cheated, but to give out that his house
had been broken into by a band OF
thieves, that everything had been
carried off, among which was large
quantity of jewelry-tho,e belonging
to the woman was to be minutely de-
scribed-and that be should offer
large reward for the discovery Of the
stolen goods as, from their having
been deposited on pledge, he would
be involved in a great loss. This be
did, having it cried with beat Of tom
toms through all the bazaars.
Two or three days after a man came
to the sowcar, and said that be had
been in prison for debt that his
wife had pawned her Jewels to get him
out; that, since then, his father had
died and left him property, and that
now he wished to redeem the jewels
that had been deposited with him. Of
course the sowcar said he could not
produce them, as they had been stolen
but would the man give him time ?
This was refused and the full value
demanded, less the sum lent and in
terest. A great deal of baggling was
done, in order to allow time for the
police to be summoned. On their ar
rival he was taken into custody.