CANTERBURY CREDULITY.

Feilding Star, Volume III, Issue 44, 18 November 1882, Page 3

CANTERBURY CREDULITY.

An extraordinary impudent and barefaced imposture is thus referred to liv the C.'hristchurch 1 e'e^rnph as having- bemi practised at the Canterbury Agricultural Show :— " A loudvoiced individual gathered a crowd roun A him by announcing that he had made a wager with two well-kuuwn publicans that lie would sell a certain number of £1 notes for 18s. In order to win his bet he proposed to <;ive every purchaser a present to boot. Ihe bait took immi d.at'lv, and he (|uickly disj)osed of a number oi genuine :.otes at the price s-tat'-d. W hen he received iSs he placed it, together with half-a-crown of Ins own money ;u a hat held by :t partner, thus leading the bystanders to believe tli.it vvlu'ii hi*? side was completed he would return their moi:ev with :2s 1.5 d added When this had gone, on for some time he pri'duC'-d a number, which he also .-old ior ill lach. and in this way 'jiiickly gi t rid of :Ji.) or -iO of them. ! In- |;urclu.S'-i> suon discovered that rhey ue.e almost worthless, ami j i uui'iliiiiis aiose. '1 he chevalier, rinding he ci-uld m-iI more, proceeded io redeem his pro:ui>e it. regard to the presents. He distributed a lurg t number of envelopes which were eagerly snapped up They were found to contain — pins. The erowil was in tensely disgusted, ami they made every show of their intention of going ior the smart auctioneer. ]iut that iieiitleina:) produced a revolver, which he nourished ostentatiously; the crowd tell back, and he left the ground happy in the posses-ion (if v wellliued purse, while his victims mourned iv Cuucert over their own gullibility.