Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1882-02-28

Fortune Telling by Birds and the
Automatic Writer-The Strength
Tester and watch Repairing shop
on Wheeln.

Every winter Savannah Is visited by peri
patetic adventures attracted by our genial
climate and balmy breezes and the hope Of
raking harvest of dimes and nickels from
the curious, the speculative and the credu-
lous. 1t would be impossible almost to
enumerate the many devices that are ex-
hibited to the crowds that block the street
corners day and night, and the merits OF
which are so eloquently and volubly de-
scribed by the GLIB tongued managers.
At present there are quite a number Of
these parties in the city, and from the fact
that they will remain here some time, it
would seem that they fBd it very profitable,
and are unwilling to leave rich field ike
Savannah.
Among these peregrinating showmen or
exhibitors may be mentioned the foreign
Count in disguise, who totes around g cage
of trained canary birds, very pretty and in
telligent, and whose msueuvres are watched
by the old as well as the juveniles with in
terest and pleasure. The proprietor of this
show announces that for the small
sum Of five cents party
can have his fortune told by
their evolutions take place are arranged a
number of slips of paper, on which is
printed a "planet of the future" AS an
evidence of the satisfaction to be derived by
having your fortune told by these birds we
may mention that we are informed of a col
ored servant who, tempted by curiosity,
paid the required nickel, and asked to know
what the future had in store for Der. The
manager of the trained feathered songsters
chirruped 10 one Of the little fellows and
uttered some unintelligible word, when the
bird hoped across the stand, picked up the
printed slip in his bill, and presented it to
the gaping female. It read thus:
"YOu will be contested by many admirers
for your rare beauty and virtue, and by 1t
you will be put in convent, but your sub
mission will gain the good will of your
parents, who will take you out Of it, and
you will be the bride Of one Of the richest
merchants OF this city, who will form your
happiness. Before marriage you will I'M
dergo a serious sickness, which will bring
you nearly to your grave, but you will re-
cover soon, and, while convalescent, you
will. to amuse yourself, play at the lottery
6, Is, TO-"
This is only a sample of the other slips,
and about as appropriate. Hundreds Of
persons, particularly of the colored persua-
son, have patronized these feathered for
tune tellers,. and the enterprising Count
| aforesaid is raking in the nickels and is
| happy. As'the exhibition OF the trained birds
is worth more than a nickel, however, the
parties investing have no cause to complain
at the fortunes" they receive.
Another street attraction. aud one which
seems to be particularly favored by muscu
| lar colored individuals, is the strength
| gauge, or the tester to show the force of
| blow. The proprietor of this machine pro-
vides his customer with heavy maui, and
| for the small sum of ten cents gives him
the privilege of three ticks on the block,
the force of the blows being registered on
| the upright scale which is sprung at each
| blow. This individual also appears to do
| thriving business, and always manages to
collect crowd, many of whom are per-
| suaded, after listening to his eloquence for
a few minutes, to step forward spay their
dime, and obtain the valuable information
as to chow strong they are"
The lung-tester man and the serious in
dividual with the big telescope after
brief but profitable season have departed.
The ''blowers" failed in wind, and the ex-
perience of one party In nearly bursting
a blood vessel, in bis laudable attempt to
run the scale up, caused customers to drop
off. The students of the siderial heavens
were few and far between, and the tele
scope man folded uD his ponderous instru-
ment and glided off to more appreciative
fields.
Their places have, however, been sup
pl6O, tutf6 OellS TWO new dTTlFhis 16sIeE-
day. One Of these is person Of practical
and useful turn of mind, and is sole pro-
prietor of watch repairing shop on wheels.
His shop, a neat little two-wheel wagon
drawn by fine pony, is decorated with
sign announcing that watches and 1ewelrY
will be repaired at once in the wagon. He
drives from place to place In search Of jobs,
aud has the prospect of making a good
thing of it.
The other arrival is a "silver-tongued
orator" in the humorous line, who is run
ming an automatic letter writer" a peculiar
looking machine, which will kindly write
out a good fortune for any anxious
soul who is willing to toss ten cents into
the Golfers of the "silver tougued orator.
aforesaid. The rapidity with which this is
done eXcites attention, and the managers
first appearance last night was quite a sue
cess, and created a sensation. He proposes
to tarry with US until the field is exhausted.
What viii be along next we cannot say,
but something new and novel may be an
ticipated, as the devices for making money
without labor are Increasing in number, and
the happy pOssessors Of them have pen
chant for the Sunny South, ]" in winter.