28 CONFESSIONS OF A HORSE DEALER. 



trouble and annoyance of a prosecution, and consequent 

 exposure of their ignorance of horseflesh. 



The common mode of offering glandered horses for 

 sale is to show them when in harness, or riding them as 

 hacks in the vicinity of the fair ground ; for if offered 

 in a fair, the regular dealer would instantly detect and 

 destroy them. But the snitch coper knows better than 

 to run any such risk ; his favourite ruse is to send one 

 of the gang, as his "agent in advance," who contrives 

 to worm himself into the company of a higgler or green- 

 grocer, residing in the neighbourhood where the fair 

 is held, and states that if he (the higgler) requires any 

 carting performed, he will lend him a horse, having one 

 coming to the fair which he wants to show in harness 

 to a customer. This very often succeeds ; if not, a cart 

 is hired, the name board on which bears the address of 

 some one who is in business at the place where the fair 

 is held ; this is an admirable blind, as the flat never 

 suspects the actors in this shameful affair to be copers. 



The horse is left the night before a short distance 

 from the town, with the confederate agent. The coper 

 bustles about the fair looking out for a victim, and being 

 a good judge in physiognomy, he soon selects one from 

 those who are inspecting the strings of horses which be- 

 long to that class which he has for sale (barring the 

 glanders) ; he watches him from gang to gang, until 

 certain that he is really a buyer. He then walks boldly 

 up, and accosts him with 



" Are you searching for a useful harness horse ?" 



