THE “FLY FLAT” MEDIUM.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXIII, Issue 1089, 4 January 1912, Page 4

THE “FLY FLAT” MEDIUM.

In an anonymous position, halfway between honesty and roguery, is the curious person known as a “ fly flat.’ - ' He is, shortly, a man with all the instincts of a rogue, but, without the brains necessary lor success, he is exploited .by cleverer rogues than himself. Under pretence of letting him stand in with them in some nefarious scheme, they strip him ot any money he may possess. Nor can he complain (or “squeal,” as the sharpers’ slang goes), as he must then confess to being a confederate ot rascals.

A very pretty scheme had as its object a “ fly flat,” with about a thousand pounds to lose, a year or two ago. . When he was invited by some professional sharpers to join in the fleecing of a certain “American millionaire,” he jumped at the chance, and consented with enthusiasm. It was explained to him that the prospective victim must be allowed to win a little at first, in order to give him confidence, and lead him on to heavier betting. In the American millionaire’s suite of rooms, at a colossal hotel much frequented by trans-Atlantic visitors, the game began. The flat’s money vanished like leaves iu autumn ; but he regarded the spectacle with equanimity, expecting to see it all come back to him, with some of the rich American’s dollars to keep it company. Presently, when it seemed time for him to begin to lose, the innocent American fell from the chair iu a fit. With many expressions of sympathy and distress, the card-players put the sufferer to bed, and sent for a doctor. There was no more gambling that night. It should be explained that the part of the American millionaire was enacted by a notorious “crook,” who had since become one of his Majesty’s guests for the part he played in connection with a big bank fraud. The one object of the gang was to obtain the “fly flat’s” remaining thousand pounds.