The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1889-12-10
A TICKET SwINDLER.

How th- Rascal surs,s-si-d in victimixinx
the Patrons of n M Cent Circus.
"About IL year ago. said a veteran of
the ring tn "a New York Sun man. ~ was
with II circus travelling through the west.
A more arrant set of thieves l have never
seen than those with this show. They
were all swindlers, and they seemed tn he
glad Of il.
ITO begin, one fellow paid $50 a month
for the privilege of selling tickets. For the
privilege, mind you, and as he had tn pay
his own expenses me had tn steal $50 from
the public before he commenced to make
any money. He had to make "a good many
mistakes i'm order to come out even. hut
he always managed tn I've SID or 500
ahead at the end Of GA . month. The
amount depended on the amount If busi-
nesc done by the show, for IL is hard to
make very many profitable mistakes cx-
cept in u rush.
"The show WINS a small affair. and staid
from two lays To u week i'm "a place, and
charged 10 cents for admission. You see
i is a great deal harder to make change
for % and SO cents. In the latter case the
ticket-seller never has to hand back more
while in the former he has to hand from
two to four coins back. and not SO many
people offer the exact change. This par
t;cular ticket-selicr was what the I,ro-
chainiightninx. He was "a smart
would sit i'm the ticket wagon and when
there was u rush he would make errors
with n precision and to- such purpose that
get the proper amount of change. Most
of the people who were swindled did not
notice the difference. Some of them who
did notice il would not create "a row for a
small amount i'm such "a crowd. But some
of them would kick, and i'm that case they
would receive the proper change. accom-
panied by such "a pleasant and hearty
smile and apology that they could not
feel aRHricved at the attempt to cheat
"Whenevcr a guy kicks up a rumpus,'
he would say, Il allus gives him the right
and sfIere never was u ,raishser man than
me. Tibet is ther hest way ter treat ther
bloke. fer IL yer tries ter argue and bluff
him he viii! raise such u song and dance
that every blamed guy i'm tllcr lot will tum-
ble ter yer game. aud will watch ter zee II
ger srie. ter hold out anything. See"
low. who had girls along. AS the tickle,
seller put it: They are jus. pie.' io.
arm and gloves ON his hands and Ire il a
lamb that n cir..'s man regards AS a
boIn%sn duty :. fleece and he perform; :
anxious to appear In the hest light before
the girls, and when he gets his tickets he
Thirty cents from "a twenty" says the
seller. "Ii,cre is your tickets and here il
yoar and d sigi.U is SarSinils
to the other and back again. II believe
that is all right" he says, as he counts /,
pours the change into the outstrctched
hand of IL swain. who is anxious to trea,
monetary matters AS of little importance
and he drops tlse silver into his pocket
He goss ON his way rejoicing. and feelinG
that no circus man can beat him. HUI
the tickht-seller is satisfied. as he is ::
amount when he pretended to pour whar
was the correct change into the hand al
the man with the girls.
"Another bold scheme is for n man t.
mount a box and begin selling concer
tickets at the close OF the performance
He sells tickets all right till some one