Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1885-12-04

ASS iSAoto1C. LII LAO 1hCahbAAlOy IL -
hard to see what measures can be
adopted to induce the young men and
maiaens to be united in State where
such aprelimary catechism must be
gone through with.
OUTmITTING THE YANKEES.
Smart Tricks by which Street Ped.
dlers SwIndIe Unsuspecting CSun-
trymen.
New York Sun.
The doctor who has been selling
electric belts here for two weeks,
writes a Meriden Comm correspon-
dent, came here accompanied by two
minstrel performers and erected a
stage in a lot near one of the princi-
pal streets. In the evening the min
strels played banjo and cracked Jokes
for a few minutes, and then, a crowd
having been gathered by their really
good performance, the doctor would
lecture. What was most noticeable
was that he never repeated the lee
lures, but always had something en-
tirely new to say. He was at first
kept SO busy selling that he never
had any time to talk anything but
business; but when his allotted time
here had come to a close he became
quite sociable and made many friends
On the evening before he left party
gathered in the hotel parlor and dis
cussed the business he was engaged
in and the different ways which diff
erent people had of conducting it.
Among those present that evening
was man whose curiosity to know
how so many people could be induced
to buy electric belts elected these re-
marks from theidoctor:
The first and most in o3tsut ele-
ment of success in selling any such
thing is the ability to induce people
to have faith in the article sold. And
1t has been my experience that faith
on the part of the patient is the great
est possible hel p toward the efficacy
of any medicine. l have had people
come TO me with ali sorts of com
plants which they thought electricity
would cure, and have really effected
cures by merely telling them what l
give them would cure them, when if
they took what 1 gave without my
advice it never would have had the
slightest effect.
"All of you have probably seen or
heard Of people who pretend to ex-
tract teeth without pain. l do not be-
lieve it is possible to do this. NV
theory is that they only work on the
Imagination, and get the patient
thoroughly impressed with the idea
that it will not hurt, and pull the
tooth so suddenly that they do not
realize the pain, gave mesneric ex
hlbitions in Saratoga once, instead of
such performances as we had here,
and advertised that would extract
teeth free of charge. The first day I
drew sixty teeth, and only one child
made the least sign of feeling pain.
The next day people came in shoals
to have teeth drawn. l could not
give my whole time for nothing, and
could not charge for extracting
teeth, SO restricted this business to
one hour. Of course I hurt those
who had teeth drawn, but they did
not realize it as they were mesmer-
lied.
You wonder what kind of people
buy electric belts. Well, l have found
that the majority of sales are made to
the most intelligent people. 1t is a
fact that have heard of cases where
the wearer of one did not think he had
been benefited by it after fair trial,
but even in those few have been able
to convince the people that they
should try it little longer. When
man tries such a thing, and is, or
thinks he is, benefited by it, he rec
ommends it TO others. / attribute
most OF my success to my having
been able to convince intelligent peo-
pie that it did them good. And, of
course, that ability lies principally in
being able to talk so as to meet any
argument and answer it convincingIy.
A certain amount of what you call
cheek is necessary"
Speaking of cheek, /" said the land
lord, ''the checklist thing l ever
heard of in that line happened here
lately. A man cane here and took
out 81 license to sell in the street.
He then hired buggy Tor short
time and stationed himself at one of
our principal street crossings. He
toak out 50 bill. Gentlemen said
he, holding up the bill, I am here to
advertise the goods of a company
which advertises in very novel way
as you will recognize shortly. Now,
to begin, I am going to sell this 81 for
81 co. He sold it very readily. Then
he sold the 81. 80 for 81 80, and SO On,
till he had only 10 cents. Now said
he, I will throw this dime among you
and the one who gets it may keep it.
Then he bought the dime for 20 cents
and SO en-, till his purchase cost him
81 10.
Then he took out some rings. Now
he said, I am just going to sell one
dozen OF these rings. am not going
to tell you anything about what they
are, or what l am going to do afterward
and Twill not sell the thirteenth ring
for any price, no matter how high. /
will sell the twelve for 81 each. The
rings we're boughtinstantly. he next
asked those who kad bought them to
hold them up so that he coulo see
where they were Now said he you
don't expect me to buy them back, do
your All said they did not.
Next he sold twelve watch-chains
for 81 each in TIE same way: and
twelve scarf-pins for IS each. He
made no claim that they were worth
anything, and apparently the people
all thought this was merely prelimin-
airy to his real object. Now he closed
his bag and said something like this:
That Is all I shall sell now. You
don't any of you expect me to buy
these things back, do youi Well, l
am not going to do so. But, will
be here tonight and want all who
have bought any thing of me to be
here as near their present positions as
possible, and will tell all / have left
untold now; Please make way for me
TO drive through, And he drove to
the stable and returned the buggy.
he had given ava, four dollars, pad
81 for license, and 81 foF the buggy,
and had taken in 500 for stuff that
every body knew was worthless. The
rail road depot was quite near. and q |
train was Just about to start No sus-
Picion of foul play on his part was
manifested by any of the people until
they saw him board the train. Then
they realized that they had been taken
in They wanted a policeman who
had heard and seen It all to arrest the |