Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1889-12-28
CLEVER SWINDLERS.
How Soma Folks Are Worked at Cir
Gus Ticket Office.
Thieves and Robbers for Cashiers. Some of
the ways in which Ticket Sellers are Able
to Pay for Their Jobs Sleight Of Hand

to Pay for Their Jobs-Slelght Of Hand.
about year ago" said a veteran
of the ring, Il was with circus trav-
cling through the west. A more ar
rant set Of thieves | have never seen
than those with this show. They were
all swin6Iers, and they seemed to be
glad of it.
ITO begin, one fellow paid $50
month for the privilege of selling
tickets; for the privilege, mind you,
and as he had to pay his own expenses
he had to steal $50 from the public be-
fore he commenced to make any money.
He had to make Il good many mis-
takes in order to come out even, but
hesalways managed to be from 5000 to
$500 ahead at the end of each month
The amount depended on the amount
of business done by the show, for it is
hard TO make very MANY profitable
mistakes except in rush.
The great London Show was a
small affair, and stayed from two days
to week in place, and charged ten
cents for admission. You see it is
great deal harder to make change for
ten-cent tickets than for tickets selling
for twenty-five and fifty cents. In the
latter case the ticket-seller never has
to hand back more than two coins
when changing 81 or less, while in the
former he has to hand from two to four
coins back, and not SO many people
offer the exact change.
This particular ticket-seller was
what the proprietor Of the circus called
chain lightning. He was a smart fell
low, and he was aware of it. He
would sit in the ticket-wagOn, and
when there was a rush he would make
errors with a precision and to such
purpose that no one who handed him
over fifty cents would get the proper
amount of change. Most of the peo-
pie who were swindled did not notice
the difference. Some OF them who did
notice it would not create a row for Il
small amount in such Il crowd. But
some of them would kick, and in that
case they would receive the proper
change, accompanied by such a pleas
ant and hearty smile and apology that
they could not feel aggrieved at the at
tempt to cheat them.
''But the easiest victims were young
fellows who had girls along, As the
ticket-seler put it, They are just
pie You take young fellow with a
girl on each arm and gloves on his
hands and he is lamb that circus
man regards as bounden duty to
fleece. and he performs that duty
cneerfully.
another holder scheme is for man
to mount box and begin to sell con-
cert tickets at the close of the perform
ance lie sells tickets all right till
some one hands him Il twenty-dOllar
bill to change There is always
crowd as the people are being hurried
out so the concert can begin, and the
young fellow jumps of tie stool and
disappears in the crowd. In a mo
ment he has jerked off false mus
tache and walks into the dressing
room, where he changes his clothes,
OF course the man who has been swim
died creates disturbance, but that is
all the good it does him.
with the show | was with there
was one shrewd tinancicr who sold
tickets for the reserved seats. He had
a benevolent look that would seem TO
indicate him as a nice victim for a con-
fidence man, but there were no insects
perceivable in his immediate neighbor-
hood. When we reached new town
he went to all the candy, cigar and
toy stores. and to the news-stands and
the Post-Olicc, and secured all of the
nickel three-cent pieces that he could.
These he would pass for dimes very
readily, especially at night and on old
people and children. On, yes, these
fellows would swindle a ve-year-oId
or a centenarian with equal delight
They did not seem to have particle
of honor when penny was in cOnsid-
Grafton.
White pennies would also be
brought into play to pass for nickels,
but it seemed that they could be used
with profit only when dealing with
ladies, children, and old folks The
bows all lamented that there was not
more of the detestable twenty cent
pieces in circulation, rs all OF them
that could be secured would go for
quarters without any trouble ut all.
One OF the fellows said once that he
believed it was circus man who sug-
gested the twenty-cent piece.
Then when half dollar was given
it would be dropped into the pocket or
the mouth, and quarter made to take
its place between the thumb and finger
by a dextcrous turn of the wrist. This
was evidence that a quarter and not a
half had been rendered in the first
place This could be worked only by
persons who could do straightforward
trick There was not much money in
any OF these schemes, but by playing
them often enough the circus folks
were able to keep the wolf at a COM
Portable distance from the door"
PFALSGRAFF.
An Indtscreet Speech Comes Near
Making Trouble.
A World repOrter drODD6d into MIR.