A MUG A MINUTE.

Auckland Star, Volume LII, Issue 25, 29 January 1921, Page 13

A MUG A MINUTE.

FOOD FOR THE SHREWD. THICK OP BOGUS PURSES, When one swings out of the region of sober respectability and gains the confidence of those among us who, by reason of divera misdeeds keep gaol warders in their jobs, the first and 'to them) essentially important aphorism impressed upon you is that there is a mug born every minute, writes a correspondent in tk? Sydney "Sun." You easily see eye to eye with the promulgators of this dictum when you give thought to how long the Rich Uncle from Fiji has thrived in our midst despite the interference of the police who have time and again lumbered the nephew as residuary legatee of the deceased Fijian planter; and despite the numerous publicity given the mug' 6 importunate investment.

The susceptibility of the confiding ones is exploited in many directions, but in none more clever nor more audacious than the fraud carried out by a couple of crook 3 some years ago on board an out-ward bound steamer for New Zealand. She lay at her wharf at Sydney. Half an hour before the advertised time of sailing, whilst the passengers were saying final good-byes to Sydney friends, a pleasant spoken man approached each little group in turn and whispered the disquieting news that it was unsafe to keep any money in the cabins as it was widely rumoured that there were some clever Sydney thieves hanging about the ship.

THE PILOT. '"1 only mention it, gentlemen, -, he explained, "to put you oa your guard, i was taken down myself some two years back when in this port. Leave nothing valuable in your cabins. Keep your money in your pockets, or better still, hand it orer to the parser and get his receipt. Then on the other side you collect your cash, and the purser and the company are responsible for it."' At the moment coming along the deck, was a smart looking officer in a square out navy blue jacket, with the regulation quantity of brass buttons. 11- , wore a peaked cap with an imprest" badge, indicative of navigation, and plete and absolute confidence. "Ah," naid the ooniidinj friend. •Here he. comes, here i- Mr. Purser. Take mv ad v ic*e. boy?, do a? I have dom\ hand him over your sugar and have no more worry." The obliging one went on to another group, and the smart looking purser, with receipt book in hand, and with a cheery word on either side, came along and took the vacant place. "Any of you gentlemen want to give your valuables over to the ship:" Many didn't, but some did. Constituted authority and its apparently accredited representative even 0:1 ship board properly carry weight. Money was passed over. The receipt form was pencilled in and handed over, and within half an hour the ship was away from the wharf and heading for the op*en sea. FIFTY-FIFTY CUT. The genial purser, however, remained in Sydney. He quite unostentatiously slipped off, and before the <hip had rounded Miller's Point, he was engager! cutting up his gains on a fifty-fifty basis with his harness companion—the ;roorl friend who had given the kindly v. or.t of warning to the outward bound pilgrims. Fortunately, however, when word of the fraud came to the ears 0: the Sydney police, an observant plain-clothe* officer recalled having seen t«o wellknown operators in the region of the N.Z. Company's wharf, and the two werp arrested and compulsorily look a

shore job on a skilly ration for two years. A simple but none the less effective trick work by confidence men on intending passengers on shipboard is the striking up of acquaintance with one of the outward bound. A few minutes' conversation suffices to implant in the passenger an implicit confidence in the bona fides of the oily confidence man. Ho. too, is bound for parts beyond the sea*. He knows no one on the ship, and he yearns for the congenial companionship of an honest fellow passenger. A tHp up town is suggested, and a plea«nnr conversational stroll is interrupted by ihe sudden appearance of a perspiring man carrying a parcel. H? accost? the confidence man. raying that the parcel is his, but that he cannot part with it without getting cash on delivery. The confidence man is nonplussed, because, as he explains, his cash is in his trunk in the ship's cabin. The parcel contains bh new suit, and £10. its cost, is wanted br the -waiting messenger. It would be a nuisance to spoil their stroll by going back to the ship for th? wretched money, but possibly my friend here will not mind lending m= , a tenner until we get back to the ship." The mug rarely refuse*. The money is counted over to thp tailorV messenger and the parcel changes hands. EXIT THE -SHREWDIr:.-' The flat and the sharp then continue their promenade until one of those extremely handy city buildings wite an entrance in one street and an exiP in another comes into view. "Oh, look here, old chap, just excuse mc for a moment, hang on to my parcel while I rush in here and say good-bye to one of my oldest and d"ar*-=t friends." In goes the confidence man. whilst thp poor mug waiting on wearily, and seeing that sailing time is getting perilously near, goes into thp building to inquire. He finds there numerous offices, no trace of his friend, but significant of aii. an exit door into a side street. The mug tells the nearest policeman. The policeman gives him the distressing information that lie has been stung, but takes in his note book a full description of the offenders, and say? that he will do hi 3 best. The parcel is then opened and turns out to be poor <-nl"!atrra! for the loan. It contains mainly out-of-date newspa.per?. and stands'out a= unspoken corroborative testimony of unblushing fraud and chicanery. i I—.1—. ■