The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1903-11-04
CROOK DID AN UNCLE
CRATER SWITCHED WATCHES
AND WON HANDS DOWN.
PAWNBRoKER WAS EASY.
VICTIM. HOWEVER, FAILED TO
COMPLAIN TO THE POLICE.

Preferred to Lose His Money and
Keep the sVvindle Secret-But
the Police Learned of the Graf
ter's Work from Another source.
First watch ofTercd Was the GEN
uine Article and Was Tested With
Acid-But the second Was IA
Phoney worth Only 81 or -.
Strong Arm Men Are StiH Angry.
Hounded by publicity. and under al
most constant police surveillance. the
grafters, fakirs and strong arm men
have grown all but desperate. one
of them was able yesterday morning to
turn a smooth trick on a pawnbroker.
OF course the victim made no report
at police headquarters and if asked
about the incident would probably
deny that anything of the sort ever
happened. But it did and the pawn
broker who would have been willing
to wager that there was no living
learned that in many cases the wise
man is the easiest of all suckers.
Because of the fact that a hundred
and one crooked games will probably
be attempted on those who fail to keep
up with the exposures that are being
promptly made by the police, the man
ner in which the Savannah pawnbrok-
er was victimized is made public. Not
that the game was a new one, but for
the purpose of showing how old tricks
can be worked on even those who i'm
agine themselves immune.
Armed with a handsome gold watch,
richly engraved, and with a monogram
on the back, the CRATER entered the
pawnshop and explained that he was
a little short, and wanted to negotiate
loan for a few days. The pawn
broker knew that it was a cinch, and
knew that he was dealing with a man
who wasn't born the day before.
Marks were not considered and the
handy acid bottle was taken from its
resting place. The watch stood the
test. perfectly. 1t could have been
bathed in acid without getting off col
ored.
Easy Money for Crook.
1t was easy money and the pawn
broker rubbed his hands together glee-
fully. He announced that he could af-
ford to lend $50 on the super, but the
fakir couldn't see it that way. Oh, no,
as hard up as he was, even if he
couldn't buy a meal ticket for whole
day, even if he had to sleep at the
police station house. or had to walk
to Jacksonville, he wouldn't think of
borrowing less than $25 on such a val
liable timepiece. 1t was valuable all
right. but the pawnbroker insisted that
twenty was the limit. With a defect
ed air the stranger put the watch back
in his pocket and started for the door,
He would visit a hook shop where the
owner had sympathy for a fellow crea-
ture who CHANGED to be up against ii
temporarily.
But he didn't walk three feet. No
indeed, he changed his mind almost be-
fore he turned, and declared that be-
cause he was in such hard lines he
would have to take the money, but that
he expected to have other business of
a similar sort to transact during his
stay in the city. and that he would be
certain to hunt another uncle The
pawnbroker really felt sorry that he
had been so rude and almost reIented
But the stranger seemed so inCensed
that the pawnbroker decided to be sat
isJied with the interest on a loan of $40.
In an angry fashion the man in hard
luck jerked the shimmerng ticker from
his pocket and handed it to the pawn
broker. There it was, handsomely en-
graved and with the same monogram.
A crisp greenback with twenty on il,
was handed over and the stranger lert.
How did the pawnbroker lose? Well
you see the CRATER had switched
watches and the one that is now hung
up for twenty spot is phoney and
really worth only about 81. 1t was a
counter part of the super that had
been tested, but it was made that way
purposely, But all of the pawnbrokers
are not as easy. and the same CRATER
failed to connect when he tried to work
the same trick with an Elk badge on
another uncle.
And maybe the whole outfit amt sore
that the public has been put wise to
the fact that IS and 3 mean twenty
three, and that twenty-three means
we'll there is no use in repeating it. for
the public is already next, and the boys
are having a pretty hard road of II
without having 1t rubbed in. One
OF them admitted yesterday that the
only salvation OF the strong arm man
here at this time is to pick up an oc-
casional drunk on the outskirts and
roll him good and hard. Savannah
ians have suddenly gotten very careful,
and as long as they are this way there
is no chance for the dips and mol
buzzers to find a Mr.. Bates. No won
der then that the queer boys are dead
sore on ''all this talk in the paper"