The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-08-29
PHASES OF THE SALOON BUSINESS.
How the Agreeable Proprietor Systematically
Turns His Pleasing Ways to Account.

The perpendicular saloon, of which there are
few in this city, has no ''sweat- boxes places
partitioned off and furnished with tables, at
which guzzlers may sit by the hour. Conse.
quently, the shrill voices of women, mandlin
with drink, are never heard in the perpendicular
saloon. In the sweat-box saloon large proper
ton of the business is done with abandoned men
and women who, by means of a convenient side
or back door, sneak into these places to indulge
in drunken orgies, often beginning early in the
evening, to be prolonged until midnight or later
Here they are secure from observation and do
not offend the counter customer, except, per-
haps, by occasional outbursts of laughter and
obscene language that would require careful dis
infection before being used even by the police
force
There is another style of saloon which, with
out sweat-boxes, does large table business
Nearly all their customers sit down to drink, and
card games and dominoes are encouraged, as
bling pays the saloon. There is fascination to
the customer in playing for even small stakes,
like drinks, that will often hold him to the table
for hours, no matter whether the game be one
at cards or time-killing dominoes. The amount
of beer drunk at one of these sittings and the
times makes the entertainment little less than
beastlY The writer recently saw a young me-
chanic rise from a saloon table, where he had
spent the greater part of working day, and reel
''twofers" and his diaphragm floating eighteen
glasses of beer
Some saloons make considerable money
through kind of amiable sponging known as
the Agreeable Proprietor" dodge The Agree
able Proprietor is seldom seen behind the bar
IN 10 wall n ccoH md 10 ha AMI ufpu
perennial holiday. His hat is upon his head, as
If, like any other customer. he had Just dropped
in for little drink. His good right hand is al
ways ready and he can outshake the most zeal
Gus candidate His alert eye is glued to the
green screen as he stands ready to welcome the
patron, shake his hand and escort him to the
counter In majority of cases this assumed
good-fellowship and condescension on the part of
the Agreeable Proprietor will procure for him an
invitation to s.ioin u.s." This he never fails to
accept usually taking ten cent cigar, which he
places in his vest ostensibly to smoke after fin
ishing the stump he is then engaged on, but
really to place back in the box after the customer
retires, to be sold over and oyer again. The
Agreeable Proprietor, when he does drink al
ways takes pony" that is very small one, so
that when it comes to profit he is the best Gus
toner the house has The Agreeable Proprietor
is great promoter of the ennobling diversion
of throwing dice for the drinks. He joins every
dice throwing party of customers he can squeeze
in among. With his winning ways nobody can
have the heart to exclude him, and he keeps up
the throwing as long ss possible, standing his
share of loss, but always making money for him
self in the long rum When the weary throwers
depart with sweet smile upon his lip he passes
over the handful of ten-cent cigars he has won
and waits, like spider, for the next fight of
flies There Is no colder fraud than the Agree
able Proprietor His exuberapt amiability rests
entirely upon sordid, pecuniary basis.
The Benevolent Chump" is in bright and
beautiful contrast with the Agreeable Proprie-
tor. The Benevolent Chump is usually young
man, occasionally Of middle age, seldom per-
mtted by an all-wise Providence to live to years
of discretion. He is the saloon sunbeam, and
though all hours are his he often comes in Just
as the electric light is at its last sputter glad
den the heart of the proprietor. There is an
curious roll IN his step and 10 his eye, and .