Gold Watch, The

DESCRIPTION: A con man allows a farmer to embarass him into making a foolish bet: that his fancy gold watch chain is not attached to a watch. Other farmers take part of the bet. The con man wins by revealing a hidden watch.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: before 1886 (broadside, Bodleian Harding B 11(4308))
LONG DESCRIPTION: A well dressed out-of-town con man walked into an inn parlor and feigned sleeping. A farmer found that the stranger's gold watch chain was attached to a piece of wood in his watch pocket, rather than to a watch. The farmer bet the stranger that he had no watch attached to the chain [which, I assume, would be an embarassment to the stranger], and other farmers joined in the bet. The con man opened the piece of wood, revealed a gold watch hidden inside, and won the bets.
KEYWORDS: wager trick
FOUND IN: Britain(England(South))
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Williams-FolkSongsOfTheUpperThames, pp. 257-258, "The Gold Watch" (1 text) (also Williams-Wiltshire-WSRO Ox 234)
Roud #1311
BROADSIDES:
Bodleian, Harding B 11(4308), "The Wooden Watch" ("A stranger once in Worcestershire") , W.S Fortey. (London), 1858-1885
File: WT257

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