The sun., 1918-07-01
GOLD MESH BAGS
EXTRA HAZARDOUS
Who'd Have Thought That IL
Pawnbrokers Would Have
Fallen for Brass2
CLERK DISCOVERIES PLOT
The Dainty Little Lady Was
Smooth and No Grits APP
peared in Her Work.

Once In a blue moon pawnbrokers gel
stung-oompletefy buncoed with theiI
eyes wide open. II doesn't occur often
but when It does occur the results arr
painful and the victims become highly
emotional. Yesterday IN a dozen shops
walls were still echoing from the WOE
Of Friday and Saturday.
One may entitle the story Tho Epi'
sode OF tho Gold Mesh Bags" On Fri
day there went tripingly through the
dozen such shops a lady with a gold
mesh bag. She deposited the object 81
vanity upon the counter, fixed the pawn.
broker with a melting eye and babbled
her story. Her bank was in the country
She had no check book with her. She
did not want to motor out to her coun-
try estate. She needed $50. OF course
the bag was sufficient security for much
moro than the sum required.
Uncle went to work with an eye micro
scope, scales and testing acid and the
bag seemed to be all there and a yard
wide. 1t weighed 100 pennyweights. II
seemed as honest as Judge to the
squirting eye. and the acid applied to
the outer rim, the customary spot Sc
lected for testing such bags, gave the
proper reaction.
Even Lost on tho Break.
Habit spurred the banker to proffer
$40 instead Of $50. but the lady was ex-
cessively firm and stood her ground for
the whole amount This presently Uncle
counted out with loving fingers. then the
bag went into the big safe with impor-
tant valuables.
Not ten minutes later about the same
comedy was enacted In a shop q little
further south in Eighth avenue except
that In the second case the bargainer
was a man. the bag weighed so penny
weights and only $50 was asked. In a
third and fourth instance $50 and $50
were obtained, and in subsequent cases
the amounts received varied from $40
to SIS.
Now it just happened that on Saturday
evening. when one of the Eighth avenue
shops was locking up for the week end.
a clerk had a bunch that the bag
was not all that 1t seemed 10 be. It
had hornswoggled Uncle and science,
but he had his doubts. He suggested
casually that further acid test might
be worth while.
The bare suggestion made the pawn
broker google his eyes and gave him a
weak feeling at the pit of the stomach,
but he took the tip offered by his clerk
and again applied the acid. but to the
inside Of the rim. not the outside. this
time Instantly the drop of acid boiled
bright green and simultaneously the
whole world turned black for the pawn
broker Frantically he tested the bag
from spot to spot, but the results sick
ened him. 1t was all a sham. delu-
sion, snare.
IL Suckers-Count 'Em-12.
From this shop inquiries and warnings
were sent out to other shops. the owners
themselves OF that kind of
freemasonry which obtains in their call
ing. 1t was then learned that the
swindlers had victimized twelve pawn
brokers, getting away with perhaps $500
in cash. Nothing was ever more simply
accomplished. Perfectly aware OF the
habit that pawnbrokers have in the test
ing OF gold mesh bags-touching the
acid to the outside of the rim OF the
bag-the rascals had manufactured a
quantity of bags that contained good
gold. IS karat gold. along the narrow
outside rim. hut which were cheap.
plated stun elsewhere. The bags cost
about $40 apiece. It was estimated. and
the cunning Of the trick was enhanced
by building up the weight of each bag
to about what II would have been had
the bag been honest gold.