Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1883-04-12
REFORMED "FAKIR"
Who Gires Aicay Some of the Alleged Secrets
of the ShOIc Business.
TCleyeland Leader

OF the SfS0tc business.
[Cleveland Leader
"I am reformed fakir," said a sleek
looking young man, as he drew the re-
porter over into a corner, "and l s'pose it
won't kill me if I give away some of the
secrets Of the business. Do you know, sir,
that the smallest show on the road has to
carry eighteen thieves along? Yes, sir!
and the bigger the show the more numerous
the workers. know of one big show last
season that had sixty men at
work and received $4,000 al
week in privileges. OF course the
proprietors of the show disclaim
all relationship with the fakirs, but every
Monday morning the poor thieves have to
come down with the dust. It IS wonderful
how many privileges there are with big
show, aside from the legitimate. One man
contracts to work the big joint, and pays
from $3.50 to $1,000 week for the priyi-
lege.
Don't know what big joint is? Why,
it is where fat guy drops his Doodle on a
represent. You never hear about it unless
he makes kick, and as the chances are he
is a deacon in a church, or model man in
the community, he keeps quiet, bearing his
loss in silence. The big joint is only
worked for big money, and only once a
day. A wealthy granger, q greedy lawyer,
or whoever is spotted, is induced
to 90 over to the show grounds
by two finely dressed, moral look
ing men, whom he had met on the street,
while watching the procession. As they
side around the side show tent talking
about the weather, or the crops, or some
thing, No. 3 is given the signal, and he
comes up and begs the strangers(?) TO
come in and see his line of curiosities-no
charge wants to advertise his
show, ETC., and the victim goes in. He
runs against 'brace." His new acquaint-
ances tell him how to win. If he has the
money in his clothes he lays it down; if he
hasn't he goes to the bank and gets il, No.
accompanying him. OF course, the poor
man sees the show before he comes out.
These fat guys are worked for from 5000
to $4,000, according to the amount of
credit they have IN the bank, and you can
bet your life that the big joint has it all
sized up before the meat is tackled.
'If the gilly makes kick then the
square has to work. A square is Que of
| the most important men on the point. It
is his business if he sees a kick made TO
square the authorities, and then if the
victim attempts to have anybody arrested
he cannot succeed. In some pla ces we
were in the square would go around in the
morning and square the town, that is, he
| would fix the mayor, police, and justices,
| and then the boys could work all day and
! night, and if any one threatened they
| would laugh at him. l remember in an
Indiana town the square had fixed the
place, and the very first man roped in was
| the high sheriff of the county. The lads
got $4,000 off him and he kicked. By
paying back $1,000 they got it settled. /
know a man who had the big joint with a
show last season who cleared $4,000. As
soon as the season was over he went to
Chicago and bought out clothing store.
He says he'll never go on the road again,
but then we all say that"
"Weli, there's the little joint the drop
case the .go-out, and dozens of other priv
ileges for theiving in a smaller way, and
| the show gets a big share of the plum
| der. The reason they rent these privileges
is this: These thieves would go right
| along anyway, and the proprietors might
as we'll have q benefit. You have seen the
man who sells tickets away from the wag-
| on? Well, that fellow pays so cents apiece
| for every ticket he's got, and he sells them
for just the same, and besides, pays SO to
| $50 week for the privilege of doing it.
How does he make any money? In max
| ing change. The man who sells tickets
for the side-show works in the same way
Lots of the butchers work without au7
salary whatever. One man pays from 800
to 5000 q week for the privilege of work.
ing the 'go-out'-picking pockets n the
| jam after the show"
'But L thought the large shows carried
detectives alOng?"
''Ha, he, ha-aw! So they do, and those
| detectives are paid their salaries by the
other thieves. All they have to do is to
keep outside thieves from working on the
ground. If an outsider is detected he /:
handed over to the police. The privileged
men are never detected. was a detective
part of last season, and the big shows are
glad to bill the detective feature largely AS
it shuts up the eye of the masses. Bui
Eve quit the bushes. l do think thai
some men are so green they ought to bt
knocked down and their. money taker
from them, but somebody else may do i
hereafter"
"What is the reason so many apparently
well-informed men bite at the big and lit
tie joint?"
because everything is done on repre-.
sent. You make man believe that h'
can get something for nothing and he's