The Rutland daily globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1873-05-16
Che 8atland Daily 6lohe.
FRIDAY MORNING, MAY 10, 1873.


quite large crowd, 10y announcing Nv
flaming hand bills that at a certain time a
certain person named (real or fictitious)
would ride on velocipele in front of the
Lake Bomosecn House. and he invited the
public to come anl witness the wonderful
feats he performc l. At or near the time
set for the vclJcipc lie performance. this
bped. instead OF Selocpede. put in his
appearance and commenced To- halangue the
crowd, and offered to sell certain kind of
pen, worth at retail say fifteen cents per
dozen, and put one pen in box at one dol
lar per box, or per pen, and promised in
certain boxes the purchasers would find
five dollars, and in other boxes less sums of
money, all the way down to very small
sums, and in certain boxes there would no
money be found, but simply one pen. In
doing this business he assured the crowd
that he would not take but ten per cent. of
their money, and that the ninety per cent
should be honestly and fairly paid back to
the crowd, in very unequal proportions,
after the manner of prize candy but all
should have an equal chance for the prizes
and told the crowd that this was Just the
chance, and he the very man they long had
sought to lead them on to fame and for
tune, and invited the crowd to step in and
try their luck and his integrity. He then
announced the nonappearance of the vcloc-
ipede man, and gave some very plausible
reasons therefor.
The crowd not not seeing any chance for
fun in this velocipedestriansm business.
turned their attention to this man of words
and wind, who was now in wagon stand
ing upright, having kerosene trident
flame, casting dull, red glare, smoking
like tar kiln, having in his hands a large
number of greenbacks, which he proposed
to put into boxes and sell to the crowd be-
fore detailed, with the pens While naunt-
ing this money in the face of the crowd,
the wind blew the flame and smoke into his
face, giving him wild, weird and plutonic
appearance, and when first saw him with
his fire, greenbacks and boxes, which in
the night time looked at first like piece of
pasteboard, and not knowing what the fel-
low was driving at it appeared to me he
was selling tickets for Tophet.
All this time he was furousy lying, tell
ing one lie a minute, and perhaps seventy
five to the hour He told the crowd that
this was IA fair and legitimate business,
and he had practiced it at Rutland and all
the principal towns in the United States
and Canada, with the approval of the bet
ter class of people therein, and that this
was rare chance to make large sum of
money at very small risk, and in which
they could not lose but ten per cent. in any
event.
He made it condition precedent that
each person who bought box should open
it at the wagon, that all might witness
that everything was fair and just as repre-
sented.
This suggestion ''tooll' with some of the
crowd having "faith without knowledge"
who began to invest, and as might be ex-
pected the first who bought, drew prizes
on which part Of the crowd gazed, admired
and wondered. This prize money they
reinvested and lost, and bought again and
continued to buy to ascertain whether it
was luck and chance or trick, and thus
continued until they were satisfied that
something else was ''sold" besides pens and
boxes or green backs.
do not know of single person who
drew any money and kept it-therc may
have been such but think not.
When the evening entertainment was
over the performer showed the landlord the
nett proceeds of the play to be $4350, and
said this was the sum he took, and what he
realized. Now if this business had been
conducted as represented lie would have
taken in about $4,000, and would have
paid back $301.50 retaining as his COM
mission the snug little sum $43.50, for
handling this money one evening. Instead
of this result, do not believe all the crowd
carried away five dollars or even S1.00
taken from this professor. | except in this
estimate the first purchases of boxes and
pens which drew prizes and which the pur-
chasers reinvested-and this was not car
ried away but so much was drawn once
and reinvested
There was some curious features in this
business Those who lost most were told
before purchasing that the whole thing was
a cheat, and it was fully explained to them
and they are of class of men who think
they arc sharp and able to take care of
themselves, and do not, AS "A general thing,
place much confidence in what any man
will tell them, and have not much faith in
human integrity, and they know that every
thing they could know and reason from
that this man was lying at a fearful rate,
and no one of all this bitten crowd would
have sold this mana sheep worth five dol
lars and taken his note therefor payable in
ten days, well knowing if he did he would
loose his mutton.
Yet they gaped, stared, wondered, and
admired this fellows incoherency and volu-
bility, and swallowed his lies and stories,
and were amazed that so smart man
could have lived so long, and they not have
heard of him before, and they kept their
months open so long that their jaws be
came rigid and and one could see their
''back teeth" long distance by the light
of the professors lamp.
1t always has seemed amazing strange to
me that men who think they are smart,
and are really sharp in some things, and
cautious in most matters will indulge in
gambling, betting and buying ''saw dust
packages and in ways that are devious
and in tricks that are dark, and who while
so doing, have good reason to believe they
will be beaten and cheated at every turn.
Horace Greeley in his life time was al