Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-11-06
HOW TA1LoRs HELP swmDLERA
Rogues Who Live on Their Elegant
Wardrobes.

Wardrobes.
From London Tft-Bits
II manners make the man. assuredly q
good suit of clothes goes more than hall
way to make the swindler. The modern
Beau Brummell commands every bit as
much respect. and, incidentally. credit. as
he did In the days Of the regency. and the
swindler who is dressed by a hrst-class
tailor generally has a much longer tether
than the ruffianly Bill Skies.
case In point Is that OF a person who
was arrested last April at Poitiers. His
name was Cusas, but he called himself the
Count de Casmadard, and posed as an at
tache of the French embassy at Madrid.
He may be said to have lived on his ward
robe. Not only were his diplomatic uni
forms perfect and correct In every detail,
but he seldom wore the same clothes two
days In succession. When he was at last
fects 40 fewer than 800 suits OF clothes.
40 extra pairs OF trousers. $50 waistcoats,
ntnety-seven hats. and other garments too
numerous to mention.
But It is very possible for q swindler to
gun the public at q much less outlay than
the bogus nobleznan just mentioned. A
butchers blue apron has beea known 20
procure Its owner an illegal but excellent
swfndler. who has recently retired into
enforced seclusiOn Cor the space OF sfx
months, had his regular method OF going to
work Downing his blue badge Of butcher
hood he would loaf along suburban street
until he saw genuine butcherboy carry
ing q joint. He waited until the meat was
delivered and the boy had gone. then bold
ly knocked and stated that the butcher
sorry. Might he take 1t away and bring
the right one? Nine times out Of ten he
got the joint. and either sold It or devoured
It.
For sheer cheak II xvould 3a difficult 70
beat the ruse OF a man who used to get
himself UP as an omnibus conductor, and
for long time reaped a harvest Of pence
in the following way: Watching till the
collecting fares, the swindler would slip
into the body OF the vehicle and demand
the fares of those who had not yet paid
It Is q proof of how little the average pas
senger notices things around him that this
man pursued his illegal game in various
parts of London for some weeks, and then
was at last spotted" and captured by the
driver Of a hanson cab.
The secondhand dress suit of q waiter
enabled smart Partisan scamp to make
some lucky hauls. By the aid Of forged
testimonials he would get taken on as an
extra hand at busy seasons in some large
well as any professional waiter until some
diner happened to intrust him with a bank
note in payment Of his bill. The waiter
would go off for change, but he never came
lord was obliged to pay up. But after
about two years of this kind of swindling
In various parts of the continent, our Pa
risian friend was foolish enough to try his
game on at Brussels in a restaurant which
he had visited once before. He was recog-
ntzed. and when he left with a stolen note
In his pocket he ran into the very arms of
policeman who was awaiting him at the
door.
A black coat silk hat, a stethoscope
and clinical thermometer combined with
a suave professional manner were the
stock-in-trade OF Max Muller. the inventor
OF one of the smartest swfndles In the ex-
perience OF the New York police. To ex-
plain Muller's methods, it Is easiest to take
typical case. Mr.. Frederic Seitz. a
wealthy Brooklynite, received call one
morning from a gentleman whose card
represented him to be DR.. COLDER, heart
specialist
The latter announced that he had come
about a house that Mr.. seitz had for sale.
AS they were talking, the sham doctor sud-
denly told the merchant that he had all
the symptoms Of heart disease. Seitz badly
frightened, asked COLDER to examine him.
The latter did so. and. pronouncing the pa
tents condition serious, babe him lie on
the sofa on his face while he, Colber went
to fetch medicines. Seitz lay there for an
hour. and when at last. tired Of waiting for
his specialist he got up. he found that his
mouse mad been ransacked. This time
Muller got of with the spoil. but he has
since been caught and is at present in
Sing Sing.
Blue-eyed nocence attired as a Breton
peasant girl got the better OF a number
of Partisan tradesmen lately by a trick of
really amazing ingenuity. One of her vic
tins was a butcher. The girl-who was
extremely pretty and whose picturesque
costume was just perfect enough but not
overdone-entered the shop and, purchasing
some outlets casually asked the butcher II
he would mind reading over a list Of win
ners in lottery in which she had three
tickets.
She explained that she herself could
neither read nor write. The butcher
obligingly consented and presently saw
that his little customer had won a prize Of
f4OO. Here was his chance-too good a
one to be missed! AS coolly as he could he
Informed the girl that she had not won
anything yet, but that he would not mind
giving her 200 fr. (s0 for her tickets, as
they were his lucky numbers.
The girl laughed and consented. When
the butcher went to claim his prizes he
nearly had fit on being told that the
tickets were bogus-that Is. the numbers
had been altered. The fair Breton. il is
said. collected fully f3O0 from different
tradesmen by this clever swindle
CANDLE LIGHT IN FASHION.