The enquirer southerner., 1874-09-04
Lottery.

MIR. EDIroR:-HaVe you seen the indi-
viduai calling himself 'EThe Candy Man ?'
This small swindler has located in the store
on Main Street, under Mr.. Rowe's Billiard
Saloon, and performs nightly. | suppose
his operations are more attractive by candle
light, as he closes during the day. Last
night believe was his "second appear
ance in Tarboro," and happening to stroll
by l dropped in not to ''Invest but to
witness his performances and see what was
to be seen. [ found the room full of
mongrel set of whites and blacks, most of
them busily engaged in buying and exam
ining small rods of white candy wrapped
In bits Of brown paper. | soon ascertained
they did not buy the candy, but the sup
posed contents of each wrapper, viz: tick
cts calling for prize. 1t seems the "can-
dy man represented that these parcels
contained tickets representing 1Oc., 25c
and 50c., and ''capital prize for each
evening. The "capital prize" on this oc-
casion was "twenty silver half dollars. -
A "customer has to pay five cents each
for the parcels which he would eagerly un-
wrap expecting or hoping to find ''prize"
ticket. Small operators would usually buy
two to five, while large operators would
buy from twenty to forty, one to two dol
lars worth. If the purchaser should draw
ten cent tickets, he was required to reinvest
it in two parcels, but if he should draw
twenty-five or fifty cent ticket he could at
his option demand 25 or 80 cent silver
coin or the performer would pay him as
premium for his silver, one stick of candy
extra, making the purchasing power of his
20 cent piece sticks, and that of his 80
cent piece y, a small inducement one would
think to make the holder part with his
shining money, but it was generally suffi-
Gent. The "candy man" has himself
fenced off from the vulgar crowd by rough
board partition through which a square hole
is cut about IS inches in diameter, and
through which he communicates with his
customers, handing out the candy, prizes,
&c. This boxing up is intended for a
double purpose, VIZ: to enable him to op-
crate unseen, and to produce the impression
on the fortune-seelers that he has thus
fenced off from them mint of silver mon
ey, too precious to be dealt out in the ordi-
nary way over the county. The crowd
is only permitted to see the face and
hands of this beauty through the said ap-
perture. Once in a while if "trade !"
slackens the performer jerks a sort of jar
| ing bell, perfect sumner to a nervous man,
| almost as musical as Mr. Adams appetizer,
| intended to stir up his customers, and lend
an additional charm to his proceedings.
Of course the performer, being concealed in
his operations, gives out only such prizes
as he wishes to, and the necessary cOnse-
quence is his poor dupes are sold. re-
manned about one hour, and he continued
to announce ga ticket here for twenty sill
yer half dollars, nearly all the candy sold,
somebody will get it presently" thus
holding the eager crowd together each one
hoping to get this "ticket" presently, and
of course the performer did not give out
this ticket until the evenings performance
was about to close, and then only as an
advertisement for the night following. |
observed one of our merchants patronizng
extensively. This individual invested in
variably IN one dollar lots, buying twenty
parcels at time, and it was amusing to
watch him as his friends unrolled the par
GELS and announced to him the character of
his prizes. do not think an ordinary
trade, in his regular business, of $500. .00
would have produced on him as much ex-
citemeEt and anxiety. | was on the street
|
withstanding / could hear nothing he said
his face told the tale. When he drew a
ticket emitting him to piece of silver he
would give a chuckle and shove it in his
pocket (he would not part with his shining
money! but when he drew ten cent ticket
he would reinvest it until his dollar invest
ment was exhausted. He would then rein
vest and go through with the same thing
watched him until he had disposed of 81
and his net proceeds consisted of S1.25 il
"silver money"
This, Mr. Editor. is, think, the thines
swindling process l have ever witnessed
and why people of ordinary intelligence t.
say nothing of the impropricty of gambling
should encourage such small scamps, is
mystery. l observed the negroes were hi
smallest customers, seeming to have more
discretion, or less money, than the whites
I calculated that the "candy man" receiv
: ed about S75, and gave away silver, say
to the value of $25 Thus giving him
net profit on one nights performance 0
about $50, as the candy, so called, wa
worth next to nothing, costing at most no
more than Ito of a cent parcel. | un
derstand this man has numerous confeder
ates operating simultaneously at differen
points in this State, and as | said before
although it is small swindle, on its face
it aggregates largely, and should be pu
down.
Is there no law to drive such swindlin
humbugs out of the land? If not it is hig
time legislation was had on this and kin
5 dred matters.
f have written lengthily, not in spirit G
fun making, but because think the sub
ject demands public denunciation.
Respectfully, c. B. A.