The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-04-07
= REFORMED "FAKIR"
Who Gives Away Some of the Alleged
Secrets of the Show Business.

VINO Gives Away Some oil the Alleged
Secrets of the Show Business.
Cleveland Leader.
II am reformed fakir," said sleek-look-
ing young man, as he drew the reporter over
into corner, 'and / spose it won't kill me
II give away some OF the secrets of the
| business. Do you know, sir. that the small
est show on the road has to carry eighteen
thieves along? Yes, sir! and the bigger the
| show the more numerous the workers l
| know of one big show last season that
| had sixty men at work and received $1,000
week in privileges OF course the pro-
| prietors of the show discaim all relationship
| with the faSirs, but every Monday morning
| the poor thieves have to come down with
| the dust 1t is wonderful how many privi-
leges there are with big show, aside from
| the legitimate. One man contracts to work
the big joint and pays from S25 to 81 900 a
week for the privilege.
Don't know what big joint is? Why, it
| is where fat guy drops his Doodle on rep
resent. You never hear about it unless lie
makes kick, and as the chances are he is q
deacon in church, or a 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 day. wealthy
| granger, a greedy lawyer, or whoever is spot
| ted, is induced to go over to the show grounds
by two fnely-dressed, morai-looking men,
whom he has met on the street while watch
ing lle procession. AS tney sue around tne
side-show tent, talking about the weather or
tine crops. or something, No, 3 is given the
signal. and he comes up and begs the stran-
gers (?) to come in and see his line of curl
oSities-no charge-merely wants to adver-
tise his show etc., and the victim goes
| II. He runs against "a brace His new
acquaintance tell him how to win. Ii he has
the money in his clothes he lays it down. if
| he hasn't he goes to the bank and gets it, No.
8 accompanying him. OF course the poor
man sees the show before he comes out
| These fat guys are worked from 5000 to $1,000,
| 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 a kick then the square
| has to work. A square is one of the most
! important men on the joint 1t is his bust
ness, if he sees kick made, to square the
authorities, and then if the victim attempts
to have anybody arrested he can not succeed.
In some places we were in the square would
go around in the morning and square the
town, that is, he would fix the mayor po-
lice and justices, and then the boys could
work all day and night and ii anyone threat
ened, they would laugh at him. l remem-
Der 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 Sc 200 off him and he kicked By
know man who had the big joint with n
show last season who cleared $50 900. As
soon as the season was over he went to Chi
cago and bought out a clothing store. He
says he'll never go on the road again. but
then we all say that.
well, there's the little JOINT, the drop
case the 'go-out' and dozens of other priv
ileges for thieving in a smaller way, and the
show gets a big share of the plumber. The
reason they rent these privileges is this
These thieves would go right along anyway,
and the propretors might as well have a BEN
eft. You have seen the man who sells tickets
away from the wagon? Well that fellow pays
fifty cents apiece for every ticket he's got and
he sells them for just the same, and besides
pays $15 TO S35 a week for the privilege of
doing it, How does he make any money? In
making change. The man who sells tickets
for the side-show works in the same way
Lots of the butchers work without any sal
AIRY whatever. One man pays from 500 to
$500 week for the privilege of working the
accomplishing pockets in the jam after the
show"
"But thought the large shows carried de-
tectives along?'
'Ha ha, ha aw! So they do, and those de-
tectives are paid their salaries by the other
thieves. All they have to do is to keep out
side thieves from working on the ground.
Ii an outsider is detected he is handed over
to the police. The privilege men are never
detected. l was q detective part of last sea-
son, and the big shows are glad to bill the
detective feature LARGELY, as it shuts up the
eye of the masses. But I've quit the bust
ness. l do think that some men are so green
they ought to be knocked down and their
money taken from them, but somebody else
may do it hereafter"
"What is the reason so many appare nifty
well-informed men bite at the big and little
joint"
Because every thing is done on a repre-
sent. You make a man believe that he can
get something for nothing and he's pretty
sure to come in"