Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1889-08-04
Changing a Tweny-Dollar Bill and Making the
Operation Pay. 0nly One Man IN Thous-
and Who Will Count his
Change Three Times.
Chicano 1falL.

A number of years ago ran across one
of the most accomplished shOrt-chaDge
workers in the country aud got well ac-
uuainted with him. he didn't suspect me
of being a newspaper man, and II three
months that l knew him didn't enlight-
en- him. He grew very confident and
chatty, and gave away TO me the inner
most secrets of his craft. h was little,
slim fellow, OF Irish extraction, and as
bright and as sharp as needle. He had
way of fitting his head back and looking
at folks with half closed eyes, while he
smiled slightly, that was clever enough
to make a great hit in q dramantic crea-
ton. It was perfectly fetching, but for
the fire contempt he had for the suck
ers" whom mis- kind bled, and the way he
had of speaking of them was much more
so. 1t was in the winter time when l
knew him and he was resting until the
season opened up l approached him
dozen times to get him to tell me all about
the short-change act before be became
pliable Hs would take coin and palm
it 90 oleverly as Mr.. Herman and laugh
and turn away. But one evening he open
ed his heart to me.
I had been talking about the 'tele-
graph method of making short change, and
he spoke up and said, quite scOrnfully;
That's no good! There's no money in
that. There's lots of ways stronger than
thatw
I asked him what they were.
"Wen." he said, taking roll Of
small bills, mostly ones and twos, out Of
his pocket, they're worked this way;
You do it with long green
He smoothed the bills straight and ca
ressed them affsctionately.
Sab! When these new ones were first
issued" he said, ''the boys worked all the
banks for them. They were the best graft
the hoYs ever struck. You see they look
Just like five or ten if you don't show the
figure. Well, this is the way the boys
take the money from the suckers You've
noticed lot of hustlers in the crowd sell
ing tickets and saving people the trouble
of getting in the Jam at the ticket wagon,
haven't you? Well, you naturally think
they are hired by the proprietor OF the
show, because they sell tickets at the reg
ular price. But they are not. They pay
100 cents on the dollar for every ticket
they sell, and they depend upon their
ability to swindle the buyers out of few
dollars now and then for their profit
A Young man with his best girl comes
aloug-or an old man alone, or solid bus
mess man with two or three of his family;
il doesn't matter who il is they're all VIC
tims-aud he sees a great crush around the
ticket wagon. There isn't much chance
of getting a ticket there less than 10 min
utes. and here at his elbow is young man
with. Choice reserved seats at regular
prices! How many? We're here to re-
lieve the rush at the wagon! No extra
charge, sir How many" And he says,
Two, please, which, assuming that the
man buys reserved seats would be 81 He
gives the young man $40 bill, maybe so
if there's anyplace on earth man will
! flash big bill, and where be hadn't ought
to, it's at circus. Wen say he offers
him O $40 bill this time for the sake Of the
better illustration of the story. The
young man takes it, puts it in his pocket,
draws out a handful of bills, takes ten,
two and five ones, and hands the lump
to the buyer of seats. 1t is 81 short, but
the man has handled it so quickly and
counted SIS out of it 20 easily that often
times the nan taxes il and goes, but the
fskir is sore if he does. If he is a cautious
and knowing party who is dead onto the
tricks of these circus sharps,' it suits the
'short.change man. exactly, for then he
will carefully count hIs change end ssy:
Here young mani YJu'r re 81 short
here Only SIT here.
That's beautiful, and just as the fakir
wants it. So he Gays:
Sure of that. Just count 1t again,
please
80 he counts it sgain, while the fakir
watches, and when he has turned over toe
last bill he says, with theai of man who
knows too much to be cheated by these
flip circus folks.
"'That;s all-17.'
'But the fakir is little doubtful, so he
SAYS. as though wishing to make sure:
"'Just let nae count it, pleased
"S.rene IN the belief that he has corner
ed his man, the buyer hands it over, and
the fakir takes the bills in his left hand,
with the $40 bill underneath, straightens
them out, and thea bends the whole bunch
back over his lef. thumb. Then lie turns
them over, one by one, and they lie
9tTal0nE6u6u Oul-lul2 ACuElLs W HNA -
reaches the last one be says, chesrfhlly;
q" You're rieht-my mistake and your
treat or come such amisble che. tnut,
hands the bills back to the man still at
fall length, goes down in his trousers
rocket with his right hand and gets ell
yer dollar, which be shOves into the strang-
er's hand, laughs, says something about
old Ia
the shoulder with q laugh, and is gone IN
the crowd, while the ticket buyer jams
his money into his pocket and hurries in-
to the tent where the elephants are below
ing.
"But the fskir has got the $40 bill, be-
cause when he doubled that over in count
ing the ST. he tipped it clear over, and his
agile little finger crushed it into a very
small wad and held it there unnoticed,
while the other fingers were free to use.
And inasmuch as the sucker has himself
twice counted the bills, and has seen the
fakir count them he will swear that be has
got all that belongs TO him when he has
compelled the fakir to 90 down into his
pocket and fork out the silver dollar. He
doubles up the bills without further ex-
animation and is gone.
But the fine work doesn't end there.
When the fskir laughiDgly claps his man
on the back he puts a chalk mark on him
which keeps all other fakirs away from
him. He may try to buy red lemonade or
peanuts, or prize packages, or concert tick
cts, but he can't do it. The man be balls
aud beckons refuse to HIM and pass him
by. The reaeon is this: If they sell him
something they might cause him to bring
forth the roll of bills, in which case ne
would notice that the SO was missing, and
would be apt to raise row. But II one
Of them should overlook the signal and be
instrumental in spprising the man OF his
loss he is compelled by rule among the
fakirs to stand the loss and return the
$40. or, Whatever sum it may be. In case