Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1882-10-05
THE GIVE AWAY GAME.


was selling jewelry from dry goods
box, to reporter for the Atlanta
(Ga.) Constitution, "that the Ameri-
cans are the easiest humbugged of any
in the world? 1t is true, and I have
helped to humbug them about as much
as the average man."
"Can't you tell us some Of your
experience in that linep" asked 4 ilan
near.
Well, you would laugh to know
what fools people make of themselves
sometimes. About two years ago l
was down in Brunswick, where saw
q fellow running d perfectly square
game, but which was the most out
and out steal l ever heard Of. His
plan was simple, and hundreds
of the very best people Of the town
fiocked to give him a trial. He rented
q store and put show case across a
counter in the center: Tn the show
case he had, / know, my hat full
OF ten and twenty-dollar gold coins,
piled in a heap in one corner, and in
the other about the same sized pile of
silver dollars. A dice-box and six dice
completed his outfit. By paying half
a dollar man had one throw with the
dice. If he threw six skies he took
the entire pile Of gold; if he threw six
aces he was entitled to all the silver.
Of course, no one ever threw all the
skies, neither was it possible to get the
aces to come all in a bunch. A man
might as well expect to get struck by
lightning from cloudless sky at noou-
day as to throw six aces; it is almost
an impossibility, that's all. Well, the
fellow made several hundred dollars
and left.
"Did you ever hear of how easy it
is to fool a man with soap2' continued
the talker. We street men know
that as an old story, Of course. was
down at Troy, Ala, several months
ago, when fellow came along almost
strapped. He went to a grocery
store, bought few bars Of this trans
parent soap, cut it into small pieces
about the size of ones thumb, wrapped
it in colored tissue paper very neatly,
and then covered the package with
tinfoil, sprinkling the whole with
bottle of cologne to give it good
smell. Well, sir, the fellow got on a
box, and soon gathered crowd by
nice talking, and proposed to take out
all the grease from hats, coats, etc.;
that could be brought in. The
first case presented was the
city marshal, who walked up with
a great spot in his ccaG which he
wanted taken out. The fellow car
ried d sponge well saturated with ben
zine and arnica, which of itself will
take out almost anything, and by using
a bit Of soap, soon had the marshars
coat entirely free from grease. That
started the soap sales, and in two or
three hours, it being Saturday and a
crowd in town, the soap-man had cold
thirty-six dollars worth, nearly ali Of
which was clear profit"
Stopping to draw long breath, the
jewelry man continued his interesting
story. II tell you, you can humbug
anybody. I am not unlike the rest Of
the world. I believe I would bite at
my own tricks if could only get in
the crowd.
"While I was lat Brunswick, Ga,
some time ago, I took revenge on the
town by playing what we term the
.give-away racket It's mighty fine
thing to play, but very dangerous
one in some localities. 7 had been
using big umbrella, large enough to
cover fifty people, when one night on
the street crowd of sailors, led on by
some Of the town boys, threw Erotten
eggs at the umbrella and broke up the
crowd Then / resolved on the give
away racket A fellow has to be
mighty careful about working it, or
he will get caught out. 1t can only
be played once in town.
" The way to do it is this Get lot
of fine gold rings which cost about one
dollar dozen, and propose to be ad-
vertising some big gold concern in
New York. I called mine the great
brazed gold Of San Francisco, stated
that / would show the crowd thing
or two, and soon got them interested.
First, / made speech in which I
stated my business; then I commenced
to offer the rings at any price from two
cents up, telling them that they could
not be bought for less than four dol
lars apiece at a jewelers.. I let out
about twenty rings at two cents, and
then asked everybody who had bought
rings to hold them up. Instantly
every ring was in the air. Now, said
I, addressing the crowd, this is your
money, is it?' Yes said dozen.
And you give it freely for the
rings?' Yes came again in
chorus. Very well; here's twenty
cents for you, sir, and twenty cents for
you, sir; and SO on around the crowd.
They commenced to wonder what on
earth I meant, said was crazy and
lot of other things; but I only told