El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1900-10-31
NEWUSE FOR FOUNTAIN PEN
Two Strangers introduced One In u
Clever Confidence Game.

!
Clever Confidence Game.
! Several Chicago business men last
week discovered brand new con-
| fidcnce game which cost them from
| $50 to $50 apiece. In manner of work
| ing il resembles the lock game, but is
much more clever. fully as sure I'm its
results. and. all in ALL. trick that is
likely to catch the wisest persons.
well dressed stranger walked into
the Boyce building buffet last Monday
and exchanged a quarter for n drink
and cigar. Just ms he turned to go
out hr stopped To the floor and appar-
emily picked up gold tipped fountain
pen. Ii WAS of fine workmanship and
must have cost its owner ut least $40.
Something of n find murmured the
stranger. as he placed the pen on the
bar. Guess we will have To have an
other one on that Try 1t and see IL It
will write
The bartender reached for "A sheet of
paper and unscrewing the pcnholder
found that il was filled with black ink
and that the pen. which was diamond
pointed. wrote az smoothly as n quill.
Several present tried IL ia order To test
its good qualities.
Just Mt this point "A second stranger
entered who had been around earlier
in the day. had spent a little money
and had departed.
''Say. when | was here awhile ago /
lost my gold pen. ANY of you fellers
seen anything of one?'' he said.
What kind OF n pen was it?' asked
one OF the proprietors.
Gold cap and head, diamond tipped,
gold pen. bout five inches long, for
eign make. and was filed with red
ink
Look anything like this oncY' queri
ed stranger No. /. as he held up the
pen he had pretended TO find just pre-
viously.
That's the pen. sure enough.
Thanks. Come up. boys" was the an
swer.
But you said yours was filed with
red ink" some one remarked. AS this
was said the stranger traced several
lines on the paper lying on the bar.
The ink was black. even jetlike in col
or All saw this except the claimant
OF the pen.
Yes; / said red. and l mean red.
carnine red. and no mistake. l know
my pen when | see 1t. and don't you
The pen had reached the proprietor's
hands. who tested it himself. There
was nothing red about its contents that
he>could see. The ink was of the black
est hue.
One word followed another between
the two strangers until the man who
claimed the pen offered to bet 500 the
pen was his property and contained
red ink.
Coolly the first stranger brought out
his pocketbook. He had but $40 with
him. Lend me $50" said he, ION this
ring or come in halves on the bet It's
a sure thing
All thought SO. and I'm less than a
minute the money had been placed.
Now try the pen for yourself" said
the stranger who was betting on black
Guess know my own pen" observ-
ed the second stranger as he gave
quick jerk downward with the holder
as if to force the ink into the pen.
Lets have a clean sheet OF paper and
see what the mark will be like"
Throwing the pen hand forward with
a decided jerk once or twice, the stran-
ger took the paper and in a bold easy
running hand wrote:
Fools are born every minute"
The letters were plainly transcribed
in red ink In fact, the pen would not
write In black The 500 bet was col
lected, and drinks were bought The
gentleman having proved ownership
of the pen placed il in his pocket and
went away Shortly aftcrward the
other left. and il wasn't until Detect
I've Jack Flynn of the central detail
came in that the boys realized they
had parted with their money on anoth-
er mans game.
The reservoir of the pen is divided
by partition, each side of which con-
meets with the feeding valve at the
pens nub. \ small point projects on
the lower side of the penholder The
inks are easily changed from one color
to another by simply pushing the slide
The trick Is a good one. as many can
testify to their Chicago Inter
Ocean.
Thomson kingsforTi. who dlcu re-
Gently in OsweGo. y. Y. constructed
with his own hands the little six horse
power engine that was the first en-
ployed I'm the newly discovered process
OF extracting starch from Indian corn.
He was az years old and had retired