Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1867-01-24
Who .lsea,, the show.

FIrunn the show, and who have had some
Experience of the individuals described:
M If a man desires to find as many
''beatsn as possible, he should travel for a
time with a public entertainment, Men
will do more mean things for the purpose
of getting IN without paying than one
would believe who hadn't seen them oper-
ate. The foremost cheat" of all is the
hall proprietor He has a partner, gen.
orally, and each has a family that admits
Of being extended indefinitely by taking
within its embrace various relatives and
neighbors, who are to be "deadheaded."
If the Snowman murmurs over it | have
known the hall proprietor to assert his
right to 90 in free, taking whom he please
with him. "Ths is my hall, Mr., and
have a right to 90 in when | please
Sucl was the language of a hall pro-
prietor at BellefOntaine, the other night, to
an exhibitor who objected to his bringing
three people free. The exhibitor asked
hin if after renting a store to a merchant
to sell dry goods in, he would feel justified
in stepping into the store and carrying off
bale of goods without paying for it,
simply because he owns the store ? The
hall proprietor said the cases were not
similar, but thought they were,
After the nall men come the authorities
of the town, on the list of beats" Their
ordinances permit the Mayor to charge
about wha, he please for license, no
fixed standard Of rates being established
In one town an exhibition may only be re
CURED to pay one dollar license, and in
the very next town-smaller, perhaps
the Mayor will "stckn for ten dollars.
Then the trick (Which the "Counclp will
sometimes resort to free admission. They
will contrive to hold a session on the night
on which an entertainment Is advertised.
The City Marshals (this description per
talus to the smaller towns), a very COnse-
quential parsonage, whose breath generally
smells Of bad whisky, calls upon the ex-
hibitor, and informs HIM, with great sol
emnitv, that the Council is now in session,
and he is summoned to appear before
them and make answer as to whether or
not he has license.
lie conducts to the impatient "show-
man Everybody who takes money at
the door is rated as a Snowman nova
davs-into the Council chambsr, where he
finds the mighty magnates OF the burg
grayev discussing the question OF the re-
moyal OF a cobble stone from the corner Of
Bungtown road and Pig lane, or the pro-
prety OF putting up a guldeboard at the
forks Of the road west of the Judson
place His presence is unnotced until
they have completed their deliberations,
when the "Mavor" turns upon him with
great appearance of severity, and asks him
. if he has a license The solemn array of
CounclImen looks more solemn as the
question is asked, and the Snowman feels
yerv much as though he was culDrit or
criminal of the deepest dye if he is compel
led to say that he hasn't got a document OF
the kind required He is let Of with the
payment of such tax as the Mayor is lncn-
ed to iuilIct, who informs him that the tick
cts for the Mayor and Council, together
with their families, are expected He hasn't
time to discuss the justice Of such pro
ceedings, and so he yields, and-CouncL
adIourns, having accomplished the only
object in assembling /. e., beating the eX-
hibIor out of free ticket to his exhibi-
ton.
This sketch may appear overdrawn
but have actually seen it done, by men
too, who stand well among their nelghbOrs
at home and who would be ashamed to
do mean action except to a Snowman.
Then comes the landlord, at whose
hotel the Snowman stops. He is very
often a "beat, too He expects family
pass and sends over his hostler and bar
!, keeper with please pass" Then he
charges the Snowman little more thar
anybody else.
Besides the above distinct classes 0
Cheats" whom the Snowman encounters
there is the "beat" who wants to Gus
look in to see if DR.. So-and-so is there,
and who mingles with the audience, anC
don't come out until the entertainment il
over and the cheat" who says, "allov
my ladies to 20 in and | will go back Il
the ticket-otice and get my tickets, ant
who isn't seen any more, the doorkeepe
being distressed by the thought that somt
dlretul accident has happened to him--ir
horn, and the cheat" who had tickle
but lost it and the cheat" who whisper
'profession" in the doorkeeper's ear, as h'
passes in, who never had any p ofessioI
except the profession of loater and tn,
"beat "who says "presS," who never
wrote line for the press, and who neve
could and the cheat" who says h,
''handed around programmes" when h
didn't; and the Cheat" who says he'
been in once" when he hasn't; and tn
cheat" who says he's son Of the Mayor
{ when he's "son of gun"
All of these class of people the "show
man" encounters, and if he is prone t
look with some suspicion on his fellow
creatures, and exhibits tartness in hi
dealings with men, it is not to be wonder
ed at.
You always meet sanguine man a
every town you visit, if you are "show
ing" He knows you will have a goo