The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1920-12-18

Child Prodisies Of Fraud.

I New York City. Dec. 1.-The
child prodigy & now ! familiar ils-
urs among Is. Nearly every week
The pictorial supplements Of the
newspapers contain the photograph
|of It least one child genius Who il
early blossoming into fame. Last
.year one Of the greatest sensations
Of the season vas = child pianist
Of IL, and this year It ID . S-year-
old chess champion. Columbia uni
versity has Just matriculsted : IL
year-0ld boy. who 10 said to &C.
Quire his high marks without stu
dious effort, and Harvard, Of course,
has had . child mathematic genius
for two or three years.
| But the development Of child
| prodigies has not been confined to
the arts and sciences. They are
also springing up in amazing num-
, bers in criminal circles. New York
is witnessing Q rush season Of
small artful dodgers who are sur
prisingly skilled in relieving peo-
pie OF their watches and pocket
books under the very noses Of ro-
tund cops. Still others are evil
dencing amazing ability in the usu-
Ally mature business Of fraud.
There is Shiffski, fer instance,
aged s, . product Of Greenwich vii
lage, who Is q master mind in his
own line. Snifski was not born
with silver spoon in. his mouth.
but with . great talent for acQuir-
ing something Of the kind for him
self. He is one Of q large family
of ill-clad children Who look very
much alike, with the exception that
Sniffski has an unusual pair Of
large. expressive, somber eyes,
which he has learned to use to
good advantage.
Just when Sniffski began to rec
ognize their value is not known,
but beginning with this fall the
people living in Sniffsli's neigh
forhood were touched by their ap-
peal. A young woman artist was
one of the first victims Of their
magic power. She was entering
the corner drug store to buy a sun
dae when she beheld a small boy
with tousled head and ragged
clothes staring in the window. The
whole little figure seemed to ex-
press a tremendous longing, and
she thought vaguely that the child
would make . good sketch, but for
got about him in ordering her sun
dae. As she took the first bite
however, Il she happened to turn to
the window, and encountered the
eyes-large brown eyes, swimming
the artist told q friend later, ''in q
perfect sea of wistfulness." Well
the immediate result was that
Sniffski was brought into the drug
store and treated to q sundae.
| The Sniffski System.
| A few nights later, the same art,
list entering the corner drug store
found SnifYski seated on stool be.
| side an elderly lady. drinking ar
ice cream soda, and the night aftel
that he was doing the same thing
! in company with genial old man
But ON the next night the Gilman
came AS the young woman ap
preached the drug store, she saw
Sniffski in the clutches OF thu
neighborhOod cop.
Nov Just you run home as fast
as you can. if you can run at al
after drinking all that muck. " Thu
cop was admonishing the boy in {
stern voice, which became les:
stern as he encountered the dark
! somber eyes. The little rascal.
had five sodas tonight" he explain
ed to the interested onlookers. ''ant
There's a limit to his stomick, bu
There's limit to his stomick, bu
there amt any limit to the numbe
OF people who are willing to bu.
drinks for him"
This put an end to Sniffski's ic
cream soda game for a while. bu
he soon discovered another equal.
as good. 1t did not work SO quick
ly. but it provided fair amour
OF small change, whereas the othe
.. had secured merely food. He be
gan to study the people Of hi
neighborhood and to pick out thos
with kindly. good-natured faces
Working one street at a time. h
would wait for those individuals il
.. the morning and turn upon Their
the full power OF his dark, wistfu
eyes, and tiny smile. The kindl
souls. entirely unsuspicious Of
, plot, we're greatly fattered by thi
attention from q child. They wer
just in the right frame of mind 10
Sniffski's final stroke OF geniu:
which usually came about the thir
: morning. This time the neighbo
) was rapidly approached by Sniffsk
his large eyes shining, and greete
with. Say. mister. today's m
, birthday"
Invariably. the ne:ghbor inquire
! concerning Sniffski's age. and in
vsriabily Sniffski promptly an
swered, Ten" And always tn
: same result was one or more dim
In Sniffsk1's small pocket.
4 In another section of New Yor
an equally clever child prodigy ha
been working an even more CON
, plicated scheme, for separatin
, trustful persons from small pol
; tons Of their cash. This enterprii