The daily morning journal and courier., 1904-10-13

AAeLNC nEEAA HI hAGAAAlo1 AEt four months, 1" said the owner of a Coli see viejo jewellery store, and I am now more than ever convinced of the fact that the jeweIry business must be extremely lucrative in Mexico City, to enable US to stand the losses to which we are at any moment exposed.
 T had put in long apprenticeship in the line of commerce before opening up for myself, having been fourteen years with the house that claims to be the largest in this republic. I acted as salesman, as traveller, as jewel expert and as representative of the establish ment in matters of extreme delicaey. l thought I was fairly wise. Yet my re- cord in four months includes midnight robbery when my show window was burst open and six hundred dollars worth of goods carried off. Not one cents worth have I recovered. It also includes the purchase of a fake invoice of goods.
 A man on neighboring street whom ], knew to be getting along successfully came to me recently and showed me a facture. He said he did not need the goods, as he was already oyerstocked, but would let me have them at their cost price. I put up one hundred and ninety dollars, and received a collection of imitation jewelry such as cannibal savages of the Solomon islands would not deign to accept as a gift Then boy worked me for a watch while pre- tending to pay for it and getting me confused by doing some sleight of hand with the change.
 Some days ago a well dressed man came in and asked to see my best dia- mond rings. The finest of them was the one he liked the best. He examined 1t from every point of view, seemed on the point of purchasing, but finally said the price was too high and left. Two days later another man came in, and after examining various articles, asked for rings. This same valuable one seemed to appeal to him. He took a long time in looking at it and in figur- ing over the price. My two boy assls- tants were meantime more than usually busy with another customer. At last the man handed back the ring to one of the boys, said he did not want it and proceeded to leave. A thought of sus- picion suddenly flashed across my mind. I grabbed the ring from the boys hand and saw at a glance that I was being robbed. Running to the door I seized my we'll dressed thief. He made no re- sistance or argument, but promptly handed over my ring and took back the glass substitution that he had been try ing to palm off I felt that day as if I had won several hundred dollars in the lottery.
 Then little later had a visit from the three aristocratic ladies in black. They examined a number of earrings and other trinkets. The one that looks like the mother of the other two had a voluminous lace parasol with her All three were handling the goods and jab- bering like jays and trying to keep my attention distracted from their move ments. Occasionally one or the other of them would drop an article into the parasol. At last the old lady said: I think I won't take anything to-day
 < Madame, said, you are taking considerably more than you have a right to-, and made q pass for the para sol. She started to make fuss and as there was a policeman near the door I called him in. The three were marched to the commisafia and the old one, understood, was consigned to Belem. I heard no more about her, but three days later the old dame put her head in at the door and executed in my direction a gesture which among the common peo- pie is regarded as very insulting.
 The now celebrated lady from Yuca- tan very nearly caught me mapping. She came with little boy who appa- rently was well coached. He pointed to gold watch and said Mamma, I want that watch, and began to cry. I shall buy you the watch but have not the money with me now I must goeto the hotel and get it. But want it now, sobbed the child.
 Madame, began, you may take 1 the watch and pay for it When--,' but there happened to be a lawyer in the store who was amusedly watching the scene. When he heard me make this break he scowled at me, and I grew
 
 woman and child were gone the lawyer told me who they were. It appears the | lady is really from Yucatan and that her husband was wealthy man there But he fell upon evil days and came tc Mexico in the hope of repairing his for tunes, and best of all 1t is said he has now found wealthy packers here whe will reinstate him in his position in Yu- eatan.
 "It must be because am now in the business that apparently every class oi grafter in the city is after me. The other day well dressed woman came ir to purchase a pair of earrings worth l two hundred dollars She offered me | twenty-five pesos cash and pawn tickets to the value of eighteen hundred dollars as security that she would pay the re- mainder in a week, but that was game on which could not be caught Oi course, the woman is in league with some interruptions pawnbroker. If the victim pays his money and takes out the pawn articles he finds that he has acquired goods that are not worth one tenth of the sum marked on the pawr ticket, and if he does not take out the articles he is still, of course, to the bad on the original deal." :" The dry goods stores and groceries, as well as the big jewelry people, all have expert watchers-out against the light. | fingered gentry and the flim-flammers