Idaho news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1887-1891, 1888-11-24
TRIALS OF BOX OFFICE MEN.

Petty Thieves.
'sIhe great and glorious public ar,
trying to beet The box Office of thea.
ire all the time.
The man who made this interesting
statement was standing in box office
at the time when he made il, with the
box Office window framing his head
and the upper part of his figure. and
his countenance was lit up by savage
smile. which. translated into Engl SD.
ment that the public might continue Ia
try to get the best of him, but the pub.
! llc would not succeed. As the speaker
j. at present the treasurer of we'll.
known playhouse. and has had a wide
experience in the box offices of the
theatres OF the country, from San
francisco to Boston, his statement
naturally attracted the attention of a
writer for the Mail and Express, to
| whom 1t was made. and he was asked
for an explanation and an application
OF his assertion.
The treasurer proceeded to explain.
he said his meaning was simply this:
That all day long the procession of
men, women and children who file up
to the box Office window contains an
alarming percentage of persons who
deliberately attempt to swindle the
man from whom they are buying tick
cts or pretending to buy them. The
ordinary mode of proceeding is for
them TO put down a bill on the box
Office Sheet presumably as a guarantee
OF good faith and Indication that they
have money 10 pay for what they want.
Then the following conversation en-.
sues:
Il want two good seats"
'ffhere they are Aud the treas.
urer points out two seats in the middle
of the house.
Have you got ANYTHING else?'
es. there arc two excellent seats
on the side aisle"
What have you got theref'' The
applicant points 10 two seats in the
front OF the balcony.
Nothing"
The treasurer is tired now and wants
TO bring matters to crisis
"NothlngP" This in accents of
astonishmenk.
Nothing" repeats the treasurer.
with solemn emphasis that would
have carried conviction TO any one.
well. then I'll take tile first ones
you showed me-
The coupons are handed out and
with the coupons the change of The
bill which the wouldbe purchaser had
put down before he or she started in.
Then the dialogue flows on somewhat
after the following style:
''What is this?''
"Your change"
But gave you 80.
mot me"
I'm sure did. Just look in The
drawer"
The treasurer opens his right hand
and spreads out, the bill which has
never gone into the drawer at ali bnt
which he has palmed Immediately on
receiving il.
This is the identical bill. It's five.
isn't il?"
The man or woman, and Ii Is not
infrequently woman. Acknowledged
that it is, recognizes the fact that the
man in the box office is shrewder than
they thought for, takes the change for
the five and the tickets and leaves the
theatre.
The treasurer declares that in mos. |
eases he can spot these people, and if |
business - dull and he wants to divert |
himseii nothing pleases him better than
20 set traps anu have them fall into |
them. He related one experience he
bad in a box office in San Francisco
theatre, where the money received is
Tor the most part gold aud silver coin.
fellow whom he suspected of swind-
ling propensities came up to the win.
dow one day. He prepared for him bv
putting fifty-cent piece on the edge
ot the shelf Immediately above his cash
box. When the man handed in q ten.
iollar gold piece aud said be wanted
'wo coupons the treasurer paImed tho
en-dollar gold piece. and. showing tho
liver haif-dollar of the shelf. il clink-
ID in with tho other coins. The fellow
outside of the box Office frightened I'M
rs he heard it. He imagined, of course
hat his gold piece was now lost in a
,ile OF other coins. and as between him
md the treasurer il was wholly ones.
ion of veracity whether that gold piece
vas ten-dollar gold piece or n TWEEN.
y-dollar one. After good deal of
'Sh"CA AhN eSiaNs % us 10 BLOW timp |
0 elapse during which the treasurer
imself might become uncertain of the
money he had originally got, the pur-
base of the seats was concluded and
he treasurer laid down the change for
10 Then followed the slereotyped {
ialogue outlined above. except that
be man in this case was unusually '
ersistent. The ten-dollar gold piece |
'hich had been palmed was pulled out
n him. but he still refused to accent /
and went away to make a complaint '
the manager. The manager came
ack with the irate customer; tho treas {
rer said that he hadn't gone into the
Ok office for the first time the dav be- c
re; that the man had given him ten II
ollar gold piece; had got change for a
ten.dollar gold piece, and he could
ever get ANYTHING else. He kept up d
Q sham to the last however; insisted u
being around when the cash was
ade mp for the day, and declared
at he would not be satisfied until the
Ssh balance showed an extra $40.
The treasurer said that he never on y