The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1882-12-01
HOW PEOPLE ARE HUMBUGGED
Games that Sharpers Play.

People love 10 be hum bugged, ard they
can be humbugged day after day on the
same games. The following exposure of
a sharper will bring real pistures 10 eve
~ 70 ader:
= t.bo you know, said n man who was
selling jewelry from dry goods box to
reporter for the Atlanta Constitution, chat
the Americans are the easiest humbugged
OF any in the world2 Ii is trne, and |
have helped to humbug them about as
much as the average mau." Some body
hat just been reading an account of the
Louisville lottery drawing, which brought
forth this speech.
Can you tell US some of your expert
ence Ia hat liner asked man near.
"wel, you woald laugh 10 know what
fools people make OF themselves sVmo
times. About two weeks ago | WAS down
in brunswick, where | saw fellow run
ming perfectly square game, but which
was the most cut and-out steal / ever
heard Of His plan was simple. and hun,
dreds of the very best people of the town
Hooked TO give him trial. He rented
store aud put show case across the eoun-
ter in the center. In the show case he
had L know, my hat full of S10 and so
gold coins, piled ia heap in one corner,
and ia the other about the same sized "A
pile of silver dollars. A dice box aud six
dice completed his outfit. By paying 81
cents a man had one throw with the dice
/ IL 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 he
/ knew 10 one ever threw all the skies,
/ neither WAS II possible to get the 10
to come all in a bunch. man might as
well expect to get struck by lightning
/ from eIoudless SKY AT nooiay to throw
/ six aces; it is almost an possibility,
( that's ali. Well, the fellow made several
] hundred dollars and left"
| Ibid you ever hear OF how easy il was
10 fool man with soap2' continued the
/ talker. I'VE street men know that as en-
old story, of course. / was down TO Troy
Ala, several months ago, when fellow
came along almost strapped. He went &c
a grocery store, bought few bars OF this
transparent soap, cut il into small pieces
about the size OF Que thumb wrapped
4 it in coiored tissue paper very neatly, and
then covered the package with tia foil
sprinkling the whole with bottle Of CO.
logne 10 give it good smell Well, sir,
! that fellow got on box aud soon gather
ed a crowd by some nice talking, and pro
posed 10 take out all the grease from hais,
coats, etc, that could be brought in. The
/ hrst case presented was she city marshal,
who walked up with great spot on his
coat which he wanted taken out. The fell
\ Sen Il aud arnfce, which of itself will
take out almost anything, and by using n
bit Of the soap soon had the marshals
coat entirely free from grease That start
ed the soap sales, and in two or three
hours, II being Saturday and crowd IN
town, the soap man had sold $50 worth,
nearly all of which was clear profit
Stopping TO draw a long breath the Jew
elry man continued his Interesting story
Il tell you you can humbug any body. 1
I'm not unlike the rest of the world | be-
leYe | would bite at my own tricks If
could get in the crowd
While | was at Brunswick, Ga, some
time ago, 1 took revenge on the town by 1
playing what we term the give away /
racket 1t is mighty 6ne hing 10 play, /
but very dangerous one in some local. I
lies had been using big umb rella, I
large enough to cover fifty people, when
one night on the street a crowd Of saii- +
ors, led on by some of the tewm boys, /
threw rotten eggs at the umbrella and
broke up the crowd. Then | resolved on
The 'give-away racket. A fellow hos 10
be mighty careful about working it, or be
will get caught out IL can only be played I
unce in town
''rhe way TO do it is this: Get a lot of
fine gold rings, which cost about one dol
lar dozen, and propose to be ndvertis
ing some big gold concern in New York
CALLED mine the braze1 gold of San
Francisco, stated tha, l would show the
crowd thing or two, aud soon got them
interested. First, made "a speech n
which ! stated my business, then l com
meneed TO offer the rings at any price
from cents up, telling them that they
could not be bought for less than 81 a
al al u q " o. I LAT (
twenty rings at cents, and then asked
every body who had bought rings 10 hold
them up. Instantly everything was ia
the air. Now, said ], addre ssing the
crowd this is your money, is itg' Yes,
said dozen. aud you give it up freely for
The rings. Yes, came again in chorus.
Very well. here's 20 cents for yon, sir.
the crowd. They mmenced to wonder
what In the world meant; said | was
crazy, and a lot of other things, but on
~ told them was advertising goods for
my house, anu plenty more things 10 give
away Next took up some of my hand
some diamond studs. which explained
we're Lake George diamonds, equal o any
on earth, ETC., and that | was going 10 sell
them from % cents up, the more one paid
the better 1t would be, of course, for him
Twenty studs were soon out and the Same
speech made Then | made the crowd
hold up the diamonds and each man got
so cents back who had bought.
'sThe thing began TO get very interest
ing. and the crowd mum be red BOO or 400
Then got out some bea ufifuI gold plated
sleeve buttons, which | explained could
NJ OF be bought for less than SI2 These
pro posed 10 sell for 80 cents each, giving
10 all who bought dollar additional As
before. each time doubling the money Gift.
The buttons soon went off, as had the oth-
err things, and | was ready for the 6nai
"bite' at the crowd The twenty pairs
of sleeve buttous had been sold for hs .
dollar. and had given back twenty silver
dollars. THAT fellows dErDed fool | ,
heaYd All around me, but replied to this ,
by saying ihsf last week, in aiacon, had .
given away 81 500 aud that 1 WAS ready :
10 do il again,
"The crowd was perfectly crazy TO see :
what came naxt. Ii was watch chains
rhe chains | was to sell at any price from i
81 50 to anything above that one wanted
20 give, | telling them the while that the q
more they paid the better it ould be for
hem. l kinted that the watches would I
come next, aud this let them of like q lot .
II madmen. The trick now was o sell as
many chains as possible Mt 81 80 had
devil of lot Of chains, and so l sent 4
hem out righI spd left. The dollars came Q
'ushing blindiy at me- and | raked them
n like chat Then got out OF chains
previously had prepared two big red n
ilk b sndk erchiefs. exactly alike, and a,
oon as the chains were all sold | took
he m.uey. and, in the presence of the a
rowd, tied il all up together, aud, after c
aking a speech, proposed to throw the J
'undle ii the crowd for the best man to {
H.. Ii t,ts I 7 D.