A SHARP THICK.

Auckland Star, Volume II, Issue 582, 21 November 1871, Page 2

A SHARP THICK.

A coekespondent of. the Echo sends toihat pacer an account of an impostor. Ihe-firsfe step is this.' An advertisement appears in one of the daily papers somewhat to sthe' following effect : —" Wanted, for three months/ the 'loan of £30, for which ten per cent interest will be paid,- and a bonus of £5 given. Valuable property, worth more thau three times the sum required, will be deposited with-the lender as security.—Address A.8.," &c. The baii appears rather a tempting one, and presently the hook is swallowed. The advertisement is answered and an interviewarraiiffed. At ibis interview A.B. -states that the loan is only required- for a temporary and purely exceptional emergency, and that he has preierreci raising the money-in this way to having recouiße to friends. He adds that the property-ho is prepared} to deposit as security is some family plate, worth nearly, if not .quite, £100. The plate is seen, the seeflrity considered satisfactory, and the loan effected, the lender congratulating himself,on having done a very good stroke of business. Fora few days his trauquility reaiaineqb-u.ndisturbed. At the expirafou ot that time———" Ah," exdaims.; tue lastutg reader}fVl> see it all now. !he plafce tufiis out to be rio;more silver than was the gross of spectacle rims bought by f Muses Primrose Jut the; fair." "i\"\ roug,;; uiy dear sir (or madam, as the case may be;. The plate is as good a silver as ever bore Hallmark. " Well, then, it has beeif stolen'gud'tuis means adopted of raising money on it." In error ugain. The plule has been come by iionestly enough. "la what; then, does the imposition consist?". You shai-l learn. .-A few-days after the transaction has been completed, a rather gentleman-like person calls upon thd lender of the monoy, and asks to see him in private. He then says, with a somewhat mysteiious air, " Youknt £30 the other day to an iadiriduai of the uamo of A J3., upon the*Becurity-ofsome pLue." " 1 did," replies Victim, "tfiveyou v ijawubroker's licence ?". is the next, aud, apparently, irrelevant question. "Certainly not," is the surprised answer. "Mj busiijesg is of such aud such a nature. But why do you inquire f" '"' You ure not, then, aware that yoiuliaye rendered yburseli' liable to^a penalty of £100 lor iendiug money on silver plate without a licence." "A hundred pounds!" gasps Dupe. "Yfes,:Va:v:hundre'a pounj|s," retorts the other coolly, taking from his pQcket, as he speaks, a copy of the Pawnbrokers Act, in which the clause referred to (with which not,one. in ten thousand is acquainted) duly appears. " The fact is," continues the stranger, ." ths_.i)late on wihkh. jou.ieioli,.theJE3o..i3 in reality mine, and was only deposited by me for saie Keeping with'(Uc^' jmifi visual who placed i.t.iu your lianas, l^s had no.uuthorityJrom •ink to do so'; but berng-a'cortnectioii of mj family I,«a4inot very welliusti^uteproceedingl Hgainst jjiajii .;.~Attj,tihd,aame«time I am not disposed tolose.the £30. You have, .aa you 'p^i'ceive,r:ndered .yotu'^elf liable toi a'pj>nj»lty ,(it*niofeiliaii thiiot' that^ainount. ] Eeturri'iao ,the p'tatey aiid the .business is settledr Jfjllo^ ■I nVuat.of course, let tlie ialv^take its,,course.' l shc yiC'tiui sees now the trap '.into' "which he h0.3 faileii:' Of two evils he cUbos'es the.least j he sun enders the "plate, and—'minus the J^3o -- rOureslroni:the tia-is-'acuon, '■'' '."V'...' V