The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1886-03-29
GOUGING GREENIES.
TRICKS AND Do0GEs OF THE CIRCUS
HANGERS ON.
The WeII-Known PaIming Trick-CheAt-
ing In the Change" Ends
Against the NIiddIe''-"FIip" and
"Push-Back"-AvoIdin a Fuss.


| "Why, bless your soul, the innocence
| of the average hay-seed granger would
knock spots out of a 5-year child. City
| people are easy enough to get away with
at times, but your country jakey takes to
being robbed as natural as a mutton chop
to the grid-iron. Just you travel with a
circus as have. and you'll find the pig
cons flock around faster than you can
pluck em.
In the way-back time the scooping was
done with thimble-rig, three-card monte,
sweat-cloth and such like games. but
they've all got played out, and nowadays
they don't even give a fellow a little ex-
citement for his money, but just rake it
in without his knowing he's lost
it There's no end of ways for
doing this, just as chance offers,
but there are several regular standbys
that are played day after day and don't
fail once in twenty times. One of these
is the palming trick, which can be done
by anybody after a little practice The
sucker hands you bill for 50, say. and
you count the change all right into your
left hand. taking pains to have him sec
you count it Then you turn your hand
over and empty the change into his hand
and he naturally puts it into his pocket
without second counting. while the fact
is he's half-dollar short, as you have
captured that half-dollar in the palm of
your left hand
SIDE-sHOW TRICKS.
There's another way of making q
small squeeze that's all the time being
used at the box Office or the doors of the
side-shows A man calls for two tickets
at so cents each, we'll say, and pass up a
So bill The ticket-man says hold out
your hand. sir; tickets, $1.2O; chicken
man has got his tickets and So in silver or
notes, but the chicken-feed amounts to
only 30 or 80 cents in nickles and dimes.
The crowd pushes him on; he sees the
tickets and dollars are all right, and in
his hurry to get into the tent never thinks
to count the SMALL change. This is about
the only trick the door-men or wagon box
chaps of snide management can afford
to play, but when the crowd is big they
often make more than $25 on it per day
for each ticket seller.
Every man in the gouge-racket gang
is pretty good judge of human nature
and from long practice is able to pick out
a green-horn at sight With such fell
low they try the dodge that seems best
suited to his case, and the three methods
most usually adopted are as follows: One
is called both ends against the middle,
and Is only worked on greeny who is in
big rush, and who is so Hurried that he |
don't know what he is doing He passes |
over So bill and the scalper hands him |
the ticket, which costs 81 say, and three |
81 bills and says quite sharp, as though |
he has no time fooling: here you are, sir, |
your check, two, three, four dollars, and |
your ticket FIVE On that deal the
scalper makes 81, for in nine cases out of |
ten. having sized their man right, the
sucker jams the change into his pocket,
and slides off without an idea but that
it's all square.
CLIP" AND ''PUsH-BACK."
when chap looks more cautious
they give him the double or flip. This
is pretty game, and if played right will
capture most anybody. In return for
50 bill the scalper hands over the ticket
and the right amount of small change,
and says. Let's see. l still owe you 81
Here they are-one. two, three, four
counting the money under the mans eyes,
and then folding up the notes and hand.
ing them to him. The man really only
gets So, for the scalper has folded one Of
The notes between his fingers so that when
ne counts both ends of that note repre-
'ents dollar, while the man, having seen
he counting, puts the roll into his pocket
without opening it
THE boss game, however, is known to
The trade as push-back, and is only
played by men who have practiced it till
hey are slick as eels. The sucker comes
Up to scalPer. who is standing around
With tickets in his hand for sale, AID
forks over a 50. $40. or $50 bill, as the
'ase may be. The scalper takes the bill
n hi his right hand, in which the tickets
for change ibH rMfRnaiiBntto hi his left pocket
enough. Take this back. saws he eios
can change it. Haven't you something
sma!lerY The sucker puts the bill back
IN MS pocket, all crumpled up as it was
handed to him, and either brings out
enough silver to pay. for the ticket or
says he hasn't anything smaller. In the
latter case the scalper says all right. YOU
look like an honest man and In trust Won
with the tickets. I'll have some change
! before you come out and you can pay me
Ihen; OH goes the sucker, tickled to
death, and that's the last of him. Now,
the beauty of the business is that the
sscalper had 81 bill crumpled up in his
nano under the tickets, and he made that
change places with the big bill while he |
was apparently looking for change.
Once in while man finds he's been
sWindled and begins to make kick about |
II, but 1t never results in a row nowadays.
LOT the scalper is always ready to square
his man rather than have fuss. This
ast don pay, for it attracts too much at
-entlon and spoils the further working of
he little games. F."
a water-coIor painter, Mr.. W. W.
Fem, who has recently become totally
blind, writes: The difference between
the sleeping and the waking state is not
80 marked as might at first be expected,
Tor, unless by an effort l remind myself
hat | am blind, see my friend, after
/ fashion, while | am awake and talk
ng TO hi.n nearly as wildly as | should
10 at times Il a dream, the fact that
n reality can not see him in either
tate being scarcely more present to me
q one than in the other ,,