Year: 1865

Not six months ago I was the innocent vic- tim of trap which has seldom been equalled for cleverness. In reply to one of my usual weekly advertisements, received letter dated from Cheltenham. stating that the wri- ter was an Indian civil servant at home on leave that his income and allowance was about thousand year; but that he had been extravagant since his return to England, and was in want of ready money until his next quarters salary became due. He wanted an advance of five hundred pounds, upon bill drawn by himself and accepted by an Indian military friend, who had retired from the ser vice, and taken up his residence in England The writer ended short, business-like letter by giving me, as reference for himself, first rate India house in the city, and as reference for his friend, an equally respectable army agent in the West End. called at both these references and found that MT. So-and-so and Col. Blank were both we'll known and highly respectable gentlemen, and both men of means Determined to be cautious, and feeling certain that neither of these gentlemen would be likely to meet me in the set I moved in, I wrote offering them personal interview for certain day. They both came to my office, and appeared to be gentlemanly men, of de- cidedly Indian appearance. After some con versation, in which the intended borrower bar gained very hard for lower rate of interest than had proposed, and at the same time said that week or two did not signify for the money being paid, got the one to draw and the other to accept bill for six hundred pounds at three months, for which one hun dred pounds was to be deducted by way of in- terest This was lone, and taking the draft to one of the chief West End money lenders, got the money for it, and paid it over to the borrower. In course of time the bill became due and not being paid, an attorneys letter was written to each party, requesting an i'm mediate remittence. To my dismay, replies were received from both drawer and acceptor, denying any knowledge whatever of the bill. then wrote requesting them to give me an interview, which they did, but two strangers presented themselves. To make 8 long story sh ort, found after a vast deal of inquiry, we had been victimized by two clever sharpers, who had by some means or ether obtained a knowledge of these two gentlemen's referen- oes, and of other particulars concerning them

 My fault had been, that had never identified one or the other of the part ies whom had seen. The commercial firm and the army agent that had answered for these gentlemen s responsibility, had done so in perfect good faith, believing that had satisfied myself as to their being the persons they had represented themselves to be. The trick was cleverly ca ried out; for during the interview had with the swindlers before they got the money, one of them, as if by chance, pulled out of his breast pocket number of old letters on one of which he began to make some calculations with pencil. These letters were addressed to the person whose name their owner assumed

 The calling cards of both impostors also bore the names of the gentlemen whom they pre- tended to be. But clever or otherwise, noth- ing wes ever seen or heard again of these men, and their swindle cost the money-lender five hundred pounds, whilst it cut me out from ever doing business again with him.