Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1886-05-09
CIRCUS FAKES.
Profitable and Persistent Trading on the
Weakness of Human
Nature.
Same of the wicked WiIes Of Men who
Travel with shows hat is fhid Tor
the Privilege Of Cheating the Jays
The Games and GHgs Sprung
on the Unwary.

speaking of the circus. There's some
thing in the arrival of the tentmg season
that makes my blood circulate a heap bet
ter than usual. 1t thrills me. guess meboe
its because get little slic" out of the
thing 10y sticking up bills
You know considerable about the bus
mess. don't you?" insinuatrd our young
man.
Well anSwcd the major, as he tipped
his hat oyer his eye with an expression of
deep piety. Il should hesitate To emerge
that | know considerable on that topic"
Can you be induced to give up few
pointers on circus fakes in general"
Il don't know melbe was just talk
ing 10 one of the attaches of the Okey,
Freeman SMiller show about little game
that's mighty common. You know that
one of the fixtures of every show Is red
lemonade-the sweetened rosy infusion Of
the cochineal bug. the gentle murlatic acid,
the redundant water and the absent lemon
Well. YOU know. its always cUld-it makes
up for absence of flavor by excessive tric-
idity and eNuberant redness. Usually
there's 4 great big cake of clear
ice i'm the center. which about
twC-thirdS fills the vessel. Ever
notice that? Well, Jamesy, it isn't ice at
aIl-its glass, Yessir. glass. A big trans
lucent lump of thick glass, manufactured
for the purpose. There il hangs. looking
a. cool and nice a. you please, and seeming
actually to throw out cOldnsSS. Slick, ism I
ito Fakirs use as little as is consistent
with the proper temper of the juice. But
there goes fellow that belongs to the show
that's coming tomorrow. He can give you
more tips than |.
Five minutes later the new friend was
pouring his innocent heart into the report
er'S ears. His dress was striking, his Ian
guage characteristics, his manners positively
sawdustv. After a dissertation Oh priv
leges' in general, the Snowman was asked:
Ever hea~ of the 'turn-back game,
.'Oh. that's an old fake. Everybody
plays il. The outside ticket-Seller, the
candy butcher, der boy wot sells lemonade
on the seats and concert tickets and pea
nuts, besides the men who is alwauS aSkin'
the iays TO give small bills for large ones
they all does il. You see. when jay goes
TO der show he always takes his best gal
wild him if he isn't married, and his
whole family if he Is. He goes
10 the ticket seller to buy his
ticket and gives him a five, ten or
twenty 10 pay for 'em. Why. I've known
the ID suckers to hand in hundred dol
lar bill Well. whatever it is. the ticket
fakir gives him his ticket hrSt II he
gives him his change but he turns over one
or Two bills in such a way that when lac
count the change before the jays very eyes
ht. makes the bills he has turned back count
double Maybe he turns back a i've or ten,
or only a one or two but wliicheher il is. he
turns BACK. The jays change l. short just
that much, and A. he gets pushed away
10y the crowd. or the capprr> he
ShOyeS it into his pocket and hmreS
into the show t" gIt a good place. When
he gifts into the show he haulS out his
money and counts il Den he Se,'S hi
change i short. Another fakir wut has
had his eye uu him goes tO him and asks
him wuts the matter. lie tells his little
tale; the takir i surprised. Maybe the jay
is mistaken. 80 he counts il over for him,
turns another bill on him, but ne does the
trick by palmlug-SO smart that the jay
thinks ii is all right, after all, and puts his
wad back into his pocket The peanut and
candy peddlers play the same racket when
ever they get bill of over 81 TO change.
and 10 does the concert ticket seller and
him wot sells the reserved seats. Its
very nice game 10 play and never seems To
be played out"
Are there any more schemes for pluck
ing the jays"
Lots, There's the jewelry case and en-
velope game. You know all about them.
and then there's the through ticket dodge"
"Wha. is that"
The Snowman laughed. a low. confiden- |
tial. chuckling laugh, before he replied .
That the biggest thing o the whole lot for
fun. The boys enjoys that, you bet, Its
this way 4 guy buys ticket at the wagon
and makes his way to the entrance. After
he gets there feller meets him and says:
'Hev ycu got your ticket? 'Ia-aS.' says
the guy. and shows it. 'PShawr says the
fakir, that's only ticket of admission .
You want Ia git a through ticket
What's that?' why, one 10 take
you everywhere - menagerie, reserved
seats, dressing -rOom-any place about the
tent It's quarter extra, or half or a
dollar. jiSt a. he cipherS the Jay up. If the
jay bites he hands him the money. and if
there Is any change. gets the turn back
played On him sure. Then the fakir takes
a slip Of cardboard and sticks it in the jays
hat-just like conductor on a train-and
Slaps the jay on the shoulder, telling him,
Now you're all right, and gets away. to .
wait for the next sucker. Well. the ticket !
in the jays hat Is steer for any one else
in the Job. Ii marks him down one. and
every feller drops onto him for a sucker.
and if he gets home with the clothes on his .
back or the socks on his feet he's lucky !
He's everybody's sucker after that"
Did you ever see a country dude?" the !
Snowman asked.
The reporter acknowledged that he had |
not
swell, dere'S lots of 'em. and them'S the |
fellers the boys play the photograph game
on. That's lots - fun, too. You SEE most
all shows has got handsome lady rider
wOt the bills call A Dashing Equestrian,
or The Sprite o the Silver Shower or
some other fancy name. If the big show
hasn't got one the side show has. She is |
mostly 'CircaSSian, with bleached hair, or
a 'TatOoed LADY. or some Freak or other
Well country dude gets mashed on her and /
then the PHOTOGRAPH tiend goes for him. He .
gets him somewhere OH the quiet and tells
him what splendid gal she is. A heap
purifier out of the show den she is in it, and
takes out a photograph of her, which lie
shows 10 the dude in sly sort o way. The .
dude is stuck on il, and wants to buy it. !
How much? Well, sometimes the price is .
s.. sometimes sic, sometimes S25-juSt as
the fakir stocks the dude up. The dude
says. Why, kin buy her photo for %
cents see EN- in der show Not like
these says the fakir This is an introduc 1
ton photograph, 'Wot's that, says the .
dude WHY if you buy this. all you hev .
TO do is TO 90 and see her in her dress
ing room. This little ticket will let you .
in and he gives him slip of cardboard. /
Then all You hPv TO do is to show her this
photo and this number on the back. See ?
It's marked number one. That puts YOU
ahead of all the rest and you and her are