AN OLD VIOLIN SWINDLE.

Waikato Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 2719, 14 December 1889, Page 2 (Supplement)

AN OLD VIOLIN SWINDLE.

An old violin swindle whioh used to be common enough in Eugland, and is still frequent abroad, has been seccessfully tried in Madrid. Tho fraud is so clever, and it so greatly depends for success upon the cupidity of the person swindled, that tho perpetrators would almost seem to deserve the " swag." Tho method iR this : Two young men, apparently travelling musicians, go into a cafe (this time tho Cafe Segovia), have something to eat and drink, and suddenly discover that they havo no money to pay for it. They go up to the proprietor and offer to deposit their violin for an hour or so while they return home to fetch the cash. As the amount of the bill raroly eicoeds a shilling', the laudlord usually agrees to the doposit of tho violin. A quarter of an hour afterward a richly dressed stranger enters, places on the counter a bank note to tho heavy amount of a bottle of champagne, aud is suddenly struck with the violin, which he sees at the other end of the counter. He declares ho is an amateur of fiddles, and asks permission to examine tho instrument. When the landlord hands it to him ho starts with surprise, and declares it to be a genuine Stradivarius; He offers to give £100 or £150 for the instrument, but tho landlord tells him that it is not his to sell, and explains tho circumstances under which it came temporarily into his possession. Tho stranger says it does not signify for the moment, but that if the landlord can secure the instrument lie will give hira the £100 or £150 when tho fiddle is brought to hirn at such-and-such an hotel. Half an hour afterwards the young men return, pay thoir bill, and tako their violin. The landlord quite (inconsequentially observes that his wife is fond of music, 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, strango to relato, ho finds the opulent violin fancier not known, and himself the possessor, at tho price of £00, of a fiddle worth about half as many shillings.