Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1881-01-22
A STREET FAIRS STORY.

FOR BLsOTRIC oL-ABoCT ''RBD SYM "DR
FLAGG," AND THE OTHER STREET DOCrORS
"Can you give me lodgings tonight. ?" In
| quired rather rough looking customer of Sta
tion.keeper Hume, at the 9Th precinct police sta.
tionhouse,the other night, II have been meeting
with hard lines lately, and have run completely
out OF the wherewith." Mr.. Hume answered:
ton, place OF nativity9" "My name on such
occasions as this Is Roger Williams; my age IA
th1rty.one, and my occupation that or street
made matter Of record, whereupon the station q.
keeper asked him to "come on back to the
lodgers cell" "Give me chance to warm up
little by this stove" said the fakir, before
piece OF frozen steel" He was allowed to warm
up. After sitting at the stove awhile he became
Father talkatfve, which talk The STAR reporter
encouraged. This has been terrible winter
for street fakirs,' said he; 1.-The worst that |
have ever experienced. The weather has wound
up our business completely, ana as none OF the
pIOfesh had provided for tt-IoOked out for
the rainy or cold day as iI were-they are hav.
Ing hard time o herwlse you can bet would
never have been forced 10 come TO police sta.
aioa ior lodging II is fascinating bu s,ness,
and once man gets into 1t he rarely ever gives
up the road. BarDum. the Snowman, told me
last summer that II man
ONCE GOT TIKI SMRLI OF sAw.pUsT
well up his nose; he seldom ever gave up the
circus business, 1T matters not how hard he
tried to do so. 1t is the same way with street
taking a Come easy, go easy. That explains
chapter OF words. It's not hard thing, IL you
have an article that the people want, 10 make
from ten to forty dollars In day or a night.
I've done so, On hundreds OF occasions and ex-
pect 10 be able TO do so when the weather
opens again OF course when money comes In,
IN piles like that. 1t goes out just as easy. Not
carry him through the winter There Is no
vermin so small but what has another though
smaller velmin on him. The fakir's weakness
ia flash dress, cards and whisky. more tribute
being paid to the latter. however, than to the
Others In other words. whisky takes on an
average tWo-thirds OF what fakirs make-and
still they are not happy"
Have you roamed much7' asked THB STAR
''Wen should observe. 1 have worked almost
every city from Portland, Maine, to Jackson
Vile, Florida. have worked the west all the
way to Frisco. The west Is the heaven for
1ak1rs though In the south larger price can
be obtained for the same thing. though the
goo .eI don't 60 of SO rapidly. Just came In
october last. nthe way back l gave Cincin-
natl work for three or four days, just to raise
some pocket change. did very we'll, and am
here for a fakir now, for the police won't let
you sell In the street. Still, this place is no
t worse than 1t Is In some other cities, where
5ney aG %uso to s IL put
fakir hasn't over few cents left for himself
after working hard all day. have frequently
PAID as high as ten dollars per day for the priv
liege OF selling, though generally the permit
doesn't cost over TWO dollars per day."
TEE RIRCTRIC OIL STORY.
"IIave you ever sold In this city?" asked the
STAR man.
ION yes, quite a number OF times but
not since last fall l can tell you q rather
funny story about my experience here in the
Iall OF 1879 l think it was the most amusing
ever had. was out to the Rockville fair
helping fellow who ran shit me hard" ma
chlne. two strikes for five cents and cigar
every time the jumper went up to one hundred
business was pretty good, my dvy being eleven
was closing l: noticed that fellow who had
kept lemonade stand had nearly bucket full
OF the red looking fluid on hand / asked him
what ne intended to do with it and he said he
SnoulQ throw IL away. Give 1t to me asked
and he consented. Well brought the stun
mere, and purchasing gross OF small Walls at
S s drug store. bottled it. You can believe
nVe cents bottle stood at the space corner
sth street and Pennsylvania avenue and the
stun mad a run. l announced that 1 was
| have used whenever selling medicine, and
called the red lemonade the Electric Oi' l
wasn't much surprised at selling the stuff for
nave good lecture on pain and how to prevent
IT, a thing that sounds pretty we'll, and always
goes with street crowd, but Was taken back
little when the man came back the next day
ana Dought another bottle. He said 1t had
cured a bad attack OF neuralgia which had
given his wife great deal OF trouble. ASH
TOOK In his money / could hardly keep from
laughing. A single thought saved me and 1t
has been satisfaction to me many times. II
1sthis: We are born to do benefits OH that
man a benefit, and under the circumstances
the re was no wrong in taking his money. The
Electric on had one advantage over larger
pOfllOn OF the nOStrumS that are sold In the
street. and that Is like Homeopathic prepare.
tons, 1t wouldn't do any harm even If IL did no
gooo. That bucket of red lemonade brought
In to me in all s.2. 1t brought relier-from pain,
tried it,
Washington is regarded as a good city for
medicine fak1rs, Is 1t not:" tbs STAR man
1T has been; but is no good now, as no one
Is allowed to sell on the streets. Red Syn, not
the man Douglass, who bought out the right TO
sell his medicines here, but the original Red Syn,
otherwise known as Sny der. told me in Bait
more, several days since, that Washington pro-
duced better In proportion than any City he ever
were SO many colored people here. These
are sick, and If they have money they are
corner fakir knows this and talks directly to
them; or what catches them better sometimes.
plays tune or two on banjo for them. They
s q goed and
half OF the electric Oil l was just talking about
was bought by the colored brothers. DO you
!SmcLuOtI LII. FldSg, C66g man VINO put I'D
Flagg's relief? He sold here several times some
years ago. He expressed the same opinion as
Red Syn. Old Flagg Is now in Baltimore He
has made several fortunes but hasn't got much
left. He Is now about sixty years of age, but
Is yet active. He has but one WAGON on the
road now and that Is IN the south. He is
now engaged in selling liver pads, which is
THE LATEST RACKET
In the way OF curing diseases"
Have you confined yourself to the realm of
phySlc?" observed the STARS hired man. who
by this time, like the others sitting around, had
got much Interested In the concessions OF the
fakir.
by no means. l have handled almost
everything that can be sold on the streets from
shoe blacktDg to razor straps, though prefer to
work medicine. Ihave about closed
AN ENGAGEMENT TO INTRODUCE TELEPHONES
In the small cities In Canada, but guess I'll
get back on the road before long, There is an
excitement about taxing that does not attach
Itself TO many other occupations. It's kind OF
gypsy life that has its pleasures as we'll as its
regrets, and gives man chance to study
human nature that is not afforded by any other
Who was 1t that 8 aid TO be popular In the to-
day is but to be forgotten In the tomorrow
WHAT'S the use OF popularity then? i want to
ENJOY life and In my own way, and
l prefer the road to anything I nave
YET found. A man offered me work
In Baltimore when'I was there but didn't
want to work, and was honest enough to tell
MIN So can't see the Use or the ahVantapa nf