Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1886-08-02
A FAKIRS CONFESSION.
PROFITABLE TRADING ON THE WEAK
NESS OF HUMAN NATURE.

| PROFITABLE TRADING ON THE WEAK
NESS OF HUMAN NATURE.
Some OF the Wicked wiIes Of Men Who
Travel with shows-what Is Paid for
the Privileges of Cheating the ''Guy."-
Sly Games.
Il tell you now, il amt no use to talk
dey can't run a show widout fsain' any
more den You kin talk widout wind. You
hear me,n
The spea er formed one Of a group who
sat at a round taale in beer ,oint" mucn
fl, quent d by "showmen' They had been
relating their experience of last season
'ou the road with "Spangle q Sawdust's
Monster Shows and Triple Conglomerats
Aggregation" with which most of them had
Seon more or less associated One had re-
lated how he hal "downed an Old guy wot
was merchant in der toSn" by steering
him into a ~bunco game" Another hs
delighted his bearers by recounting how he
had laid out the jays with a ".ewelry
case" third gloried in tie way he
played the push back game on "one o dem
hy blo&es wot thinks he Lnows it all"
Ttey were all slangy! They called every
body of whom they spoke "Guys' Some
the more important persous-were desig-
mated as Main Guys Countrynen were
Jays, "Hayseeds," sBlokes," and Suck
ers" Money was called Blunt TIM or
Cases" Beer" or other drinks was spoken
Of as Lush, clothes as ~Togs" or Harness
food as Grub, con ersation as ~Weedings,"
the verb to see was rendered Stag" eyes
H. -, Al
"Cady," while ladies were sposen of as
"Dames,~ girls as "Molls," argum nts as
Cuff" clowns as "JoeyS" and bank bills
~Flimsies"
They sat for some time each vieing with
the rest in telling Of the smarteSt trick,
most cunning devi used in depicting the
wallets of the countrymen they had victim
led, unit at last the began to drop away
one by on to keep appointments with other
pals or to get their grub, until but one
was left He had been the most voluble
talker Of the lot, and the reporter, who had
listened to ali that was said with interest,
resolved 10 interview him
A few glasses of beer and a cigar or two,
with a sandwich, suiiiced 10 breaG the ire
and establi b confidence, when the pumping
process was begun
How long have you been in the show
business" the reporter asked after a short
prelimi ary conver alton leading up to the
inquiry.
We'll, about eight years this season.
began by helping around der menagerie,
fetching water and dom odd % $ about der
lot Den / got in wild der candy but hers,
was hired to peddle lemonade on de seats
by der man wot had der privileges"
What are the privileges
We'll, der privileges is wot dey pays
der money for &c run on der lot wild the big
show, such as de side shows, der concert der
andy stands, der sellin' o tickets outside
on der lot or in der town at a slight advance
on the price at the ticket wagon, jewelry
cases, weighing machines, and der fakin'
generally"
You say the pay for these privileges!r
"Pay! Well you kin Just bet your life
dey pay! How much Why, sometimes
$1,000. som, times Sl5,J0L Why, | know
one show wot gifts $4,000 year for der
privileges"
Which show gets that and who pays it,"
the reporter eagerly asked.
"Oh, l aih't go.n' to give any names
away. But what say goes You hear
me! Why, dere's lots o shows started that
way. A guy gets hold of lot O. old show
stock, a tent, some jacks and stringers and
seats, and den be goes 70 a privilege man
and gets him to put in enough money to
start der show for the right of der privil- !
eges Maybe its only a few hundred dol
lars, il it's small cross roads show, and
may be its sl5,C00 or $4,000 if it's big ag-
gregation
Here's an old fake" said the Snowman,
in the course of the conversation Every |
Lcdy plays it The outside ticket seller, the |
candy butcher, der boys wot sells lemonade |
on the seats, and concert tickets and pea
nuts, besides the men who is always asking /
the jays to give small bills for large ones -
they all does it ou see, when a jay goes |
TO der show he always takes his lest gal |
with him if be isn't married, and his whole |
family il he is He goes to the ticket seller |
to tuy his ticket and gives him a s., SO |
or $50 to pay for EN- Why, I've known |
the suckers TO hand in a SlUO bill Well, |
it is, the ticket faker gives him
bis ticket first-then he gives him his change |
but he turns over one or two bills in such |
a way that when be counts tie |
change before the lays very eyes he |
makes the bills he has turned hack count /
double Maybe he turns back g. or $40 or 1
0 ly 81 or g., but, whichever il is, he /
turns back. The jays change is short jist |
that much, and as he gifts pushed away by |
the crowd, or the cappers, he shoyes it into |
his pocket and hurrieS into the sh w to git |
a & cd place. When he giJs into the show /
lie hauls out his money and counts it ben |
be sees his change is short Another fakir |
wot has had his eye on him goes to him and |
ass him wots the matter. he tells Lis lit |
tie tale; tle fakir Is surprised Maybe the |
Jay is mistaken So he counts it over for |
him, turns another bill on him, but be does |
the trick by Ialming-so smart that e .ay /
thinks it is all right, after all, and puts his |
wad back into bis pocket The peanut and /
candy peldlers play the same racket when.
ever they get bill over e to change, and |
50 does the concert ticket-seler, and him wot |
sells the reserved seats It's very niCe /
game to play and never seems to be played |
out"
aAre there any more schemes for plu k.
ing the IaysN
Lots! There is the jewelry case and en-
velope game You know all about them,
and then there's the through ticket dodge" |
@What is that
The Snowman laughed low, confidential. |
laugh, fore he replied That's |
the biggest thing O. the whole lot for fun. |
The boys enjoys that, you bet! It's this |
way: A guy buys a ticket at the wagon |
and makes his way to the eptranca After
be gets there a fel.ers meets him and says: |
.Hev you got your ticketn Vas, says the
guy, and shows it 'Pshawr says the |
fakir, that's only a ticket of admission |
You want to get through ticket