An Old Violin Swindle.

Te Aroha News, Volume VII, Issue 420, 16 November 1889, Page 6

An Old Violin Swindle.

An old violin swindle which used to be common enough in England, and is still frequent abroad, has been successfully tried in Madrid. The fraud is so clever, and it so greatly depends for success upon the cupidity ot the person swindled, that its perpetrators would almost seem to deserve the 'swag.' The method is this. Two young men, apparently travelling musicians, go into a cafe (this time the Cafe Sesrovia), have something co eat and drink, and suddenly discover that they have no money to pa}for it. They go up to the proprietor and ofl'er to deposit their violin ior an hour or so while they return home to fetch the cash. As the amount of the bill rarely exceeds a shilling, the landlord usually agrees to the deposit of the violin. A quarter of an hour afterwards a richly diessed stranger enters, places on thdcountena bank note to the heavy amount of a bottle of champagne, and is 'suddenly struck with the violin, which he &ees at the other end of the counter. He declares he is an amateur of fiddles, and asks permission to examine the instrument. When the landlord hands it to him he starts with surprise, and declares it to be a genuine Stvadivarius. He offers to give £100 or £150 for the instrument, but the landlord tells him that it is not his to sell, and explains the circuit! stances under which it came temporarily into his possession. The stranger says it does not signify for the moment, but that if the landlord can secui'e the instrument he will give him the £100 or £150 when the fiddle ia brought to him at such-and-such au hotel. Half- an -hour afterwards the young men return, pay their bill, and take their violin. The landlord quite unconst-quentially observes that his wife is fond of musio, and offers to buy the instrument for a sovereign. The young men refuse, but after some haggling they agree to part with it for £50. The landlord forthwith takes the valuable instrument to the hotel, where, strange to relate, he finds the opulent violin fancier not known, and himself the possessor, at the price of £50, of a fiddle worth about half as many shillings.