A Clever Swindle.

Manawatu Standard, Volume IV, Issue 246, 13 September 1884, Page 2

A Clever Swindle.

A very successful swindle, operated; by streel peddiars m Boston, is what is technically known as the "soap caper." For the purpose of the; swindle two fellows will buy a lot of cheap soap and cut ,it up into small pieces, which are daintily perfumed, and nicely wrapped m faucy coloured paper. This is all the stock m trade" needed, except a generous . allowance of cheek. One of the fellows dresses himself up like a" dude, and. generally conducts himself so that everybody to : whom he appeals makes fun ot Mm. 4 Perhaps he does soil a few pioces of the soitp, for it appears to do what is claimed for it ; but he purposely makes such an ass of himself that; nobody: wants to trade with him. Soon, when he i-* boasting ef how much soap he can sell m a day, a common-lookingi fellow m the crowd calls out, "Well, why dont yon sell it-, then 1 " and afc. once they get iuto a wrangle, whicli^ is ended by the plain fellow betting that he can sell more soap m. te.l4 ii)iauto3 than the proprietor qf thai stand can sell m half an hour. Th,e ; et is generally quite a large one, and as sympathy is entirely with the com-mon-looking fellow, the crowd comes to his support and he rapidly sells out his share of the soap, and finally also disposes of the greater part of the other's packages. It is ;,nee4le^ to say that tlje fallows are confederate^ and are playiug in^u eacft citljev's^ hands. Two good operators can inatar tremendous pvoSts by working thia game, and they run no risk of being arrested.