- "But me no buts, sir, and none of your tricks upon
travellers."
Here again is a very clever diddle, of which the simplicity is not
its least recommendation. A purse, or pocket-book, being really
lost, the loser inserts in one of the daily papers of a large city a
fully descriptive advertisement.
Whereupon our diddler copies the facts of this advertisement, with a
change of heading, of general phraseology and address. The original,
for instance, is long, and verbose, is headed "A Pocket-Book Lost!"
and requires the treasure, when found, to be left at No. 1 Tom Street.
The copy is brief, and being headed with "Lost" only, indicates No.
2 Dick, or No. 3 Harry Street, as the locality at which the owner
may be seen. Moreover, it is inserted in at least five or six of the
daily papers of the day, while in point of time, it makes its
appearance only a few hours after the original. Should it be read by
the loser of the purse, he would hardly suspect it to have any
reference to his own misfortune. But, of course, the chances are
five or six to one, that the finder will repair to the address given
by the diddler, rather than to that pointed out by the rightful
proprietor. The former pays the reward, pockets the treasure and
decamps.
Quite an analogous diddle is this. A lady of ton has dropped, some
where in the street, a diamond ring of very unusual value. For its
recovery, she offers some forty or fifty dollars reward- giving, in
her advertisement, a very minute description of the gem, and of its
settings, and declaring that, on its restoration at No.
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