The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1906-07-27


"We shall never see our S again.
said one of the party, who did not
trust the stranger. But when the race
had been won he appeared with their
winnings and distributed them. Just
before the Grand Prix he asked his
hotel acquaintance to back the Eng
lish horse, for him.
"I only want to put OH hundred
francs,' he said But he could find
nothing smaller than a thousand
frame note. "It is nuisance" said
he, "I want to go back to Paris with
out waiting for the race. And after
all I don't know you, do I, to the
tune of 40q"
The Englishman laughed, and gave
him 900 fancs change. They never
saw him again, and both the thousand
frame, note and the smaller notes in
which he had paid them their former
winnings proved to be sham ones.
But the cleverest swindle of all of
which I have heard this season was
worked by an Englishman. A we'll
known theatrical manager Of my ac-
quaintance, on visit to Paris, was
astonished to see man whom lie
knew we'll by sight and recognized as
Il member of the 'swell mob' taking
to lady and her daughter, people in
society. He took al early opportunity
of warning them against the man, but
they laughed.
"Captain Thompson" they said
(this was the name adopted by the
swindler) els a man Of means. We
have known him for some time. He
occupies one of the best suites in the
hotel, and far from getting money
from us, he has brought us money.
Little by little the theatrical manager
discovered what "Captain Thomp-
son' was doing.
He had made the ladies' acquaint-
ance, and had actually proposed to
the younger one. Every now and then
on his return from the races, he
brought them small sums of money,
which he chad taken the liberty of
winning for them" He recoupcd
himself by gambling with the ladies
friends, and in the course of few
weeks he had made several thousand
pounds out Of two or three young men
who, having been introduced to him
by ladies whom they knew we'll, had
no suspicion that they were in the
hands of a sharper.
But thieves and sharpers are by nc
means the only pitfalls awaiting the
unwary visitor to Paris. A tremcnd.
ous trade is done here in bogus thea
ire tickets, and it is very unsafe tt
take tickets for Il theatre of music
hall anywhere except at the officia
boX-office. Outside every theatre il
Paris are men with tickets for sale
and even if the tickets sci be, as the,
often are perfectly genuine ones, In,
unottlclal vendors exact cnormou:
prices for them basinH the price ask
ed upon the gullibility of the buyer.
As for bad money, that, in the sum
mer season, is almost unavoidable
Numbers of waters in the Gales fire.
quented by foreigners keep stores o
Peruvian five-franc pieces and othc
unnegotiable coins in Il special pocket
and plant them on their custom
could fill this column with list o
the coins to be avoided, but a goo(
general rule is to refuse anything tha
is not French and that is not a cuir
either of the Third Republic or Of the
Second Empire. You should also be
careful that all the heads of NapoIear
III. have their laurel wrcaths upon
them. Others will not pass.
| And now for one last word Of warn
ing. Avoid the so-callcd guides who
offer You their services on the boulc
wards and round about their nciyhbor
hood. | will not go SO far as to say
that there are no honest men among
them. but there are certainly not very
many, and the best of them can show
You nothing" that YOU cannot find fol
yourself. All the shows in Paris ad.
vertisc in the newspapers and on the
round columns on the boulcvartls. And
You can get all necessary information
a sto where to 60 from five Paris cab
men out Of six.
Even if the guide does not rob yor
by picking your pocket (and this he
does comparatively rarcly), he is nc
real value to you. And, as he is