Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-03-26
THE SOCIAL H1aHwAYMAN.
His Method of Making a Living With
out Hard Labor

From the London Express.
Your thief is often as nimble fingered as
Cinquevalli: in your burglar in good prac-
tice may be found Napoleonic stratagems;
your forger is sometimes gifted with the in
stincts of an admirable engraver. But these
low class folk are dolts, bunglers and
greenhorns compared with your scion of the
aristocracy with expensive tastes and a
bank balance represented by an overdraft.
An education at a historic public school.
a popular career at the university, many
friends of both sexes membership of the
best clubs a pleasing polish, and the alb
sence of any veStige of moral sense COM
bine to render the modern society highway
man peculiarly dangerous Individual.
The social highwayman to whom / refer
has a keen eye for likely victim. 1t may
be an elderly dame whose husband repre-
sents newly acquired and shining coins, AMI
plenty of them, or youth with a fat legacy
as his back or man of commerce who has
become a parsonage of political and social
ambition. But whoever and whatever he
may be. the highwayman settles down upon
him with the sympathetic kiss of the in
curing horse fly when it neStleS on the
back of your hand in the summer weather.
Our highwayman begins by treading deli
cately like second Agag. He is content
at first to feed, shoot, and perhaps sleep at
the expense of his entertainer. 1t is only
gradually that he develops his many
schemes for transferring part of the coin
There is. first. the political game to be
played. A well born friend of mine, in the
post of secretary, has made steady In
come for years from rich vulgarian, who
left to him the selection of a suitable cpn-
stituency, the engagement of agents, the
allotment of subscriptions and the enter
tainment of the proper men in the division.
Then, again, there are those most golden
of geese. the men and women anxious to
cut figure in society. The social nigh
wayman who can claim such victim ac
quires an assured income. There are corr
missions from score OF tradesmen; there
are commissions from other highwayman
who are DESTROYS of an introduction to the
golden goose in question; and, last, there Is
the expense which the highwayman alleges
he has incurred In securing due publicity
for his patrons doings.
Let me give an example. My friend A.
the heir apparent to a peerage. was shep-
herding Mrs. from the states. Mrs. b
had bought at AS suggestion wonderful
collection of china. This is all very we'll.
said the astute A, but now we must get
the collection advertised" Mrs. consent
ed, and sent an invitation for dinner to
C, writer of some note in the art world.
G came. was shown, the china, was struck
on its beauty, and out of sheer admiration
wrote column about 1t In weekly paper.
Some months later met d. friend Of
Mrs. BIS. Hello C" said D. II hear your
mean?s why, Mrs. B tells me she had to
pay you f1O0 for that article on her chinar'
A always said c acted like cad in tell
ing the facts to Mrs. B. True, A had pock-
eted the R1O0. and C had never asked for
or received a penny; but. all the same.
considered that was "a low writer fellah
and no gentleman. He'd have given him
"tenner" out Of tie spoils If e had asked
for it.
The social highwayman has sharp ears.
At the club, on the race course. at the
smart party. he ia ever on the watch for
something convertible into ready cash. An
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