Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1889-08-08
THE SHORT CHANGE Man.
HIS WAY OF SWlNDLING THE UN-
SUSPICIOUS AT THE CIRCUS.


Craft-The Profitable Victim Is the Man
Who Knows Too Much to Be Cheated.
Nearly everybody knows more OF less about
all the attendant features Of crcus-ths
side show the horse tent, the cooking tent, the
dressing room, the red lemonade man and the
peanut f1end. But not many people, even
among the foxy old tiIne1s who have patron
lied circuses for forty years, know anything
about the short change" man. His victims
are many, but they prefer not to trumpet
their fishlike quality from the housetors.
They swallow their chagrin and keep silent,
while they economic in number of ways to
get even on the money that the short change
man has taken.
"a number of years ago ran across one OF
the most accomplished short change workers
in this country and got well acquainted with
him. He didn't suspect me of being news
paper man, and In the three months that
knew him didn't enlighten him. He grew
very confidential and chatty, and gave away
to me the innermost secrets OF his craft
''Well, this is the way the boys take the
money away from the suckers. You've
noticed lot of hustlers in the crowd selling
tickets and saving people the trouble Of get
ting in the jam at the ticket wagon, haven't
you2 Well you naturally think they are
hired by the proprietor of the show because
they sell tickets at the regular price. But
they are not. They pay one hundred cents
on the dollar for every ticket they sell, and
they depend on their ability to swindle the
buyers out of few dollars now and then
for their profit
ga young man with his best girl comes
along-or an old man alone, or solid bust
ness man with two or three Of his family; it
doesn't matter who it is, they're all victims
and he sees great crush around the ticket
wagon. There isn't much chance of getting
ticket there in less than ten minutes, and
here at his elbow is a young man with
Choice reserved seats atregular prices! How
manyg We're here to relieve the rush at the
wagoni No extra charge, sir! How manyF
and he says: Two, please which, assuming
that the man buys reserved seats, would be
81. He gives the young man $40 bill or
maybe S20-if there's any place on earth
where a man viii fash big bin and where
he hadn't ought to it, at a circus. Well say
he offers him $50 bill this time for the sake
Of the better illustration of the story. The
young man takes it, puts it into his pocket,
draws oat handful of bills, takes a ten. a
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 S1S
out of it SO easily that oftentimes the man
takes it and goes, but the fakir is sore if he
does. Ii he is cautious and knowing party
who is dead onto the tricks Of these circus
sharps' it suits the short change man exact
ly, for then he will carefully count his change
and say:
"'Here, young mani You're 81 short
here Only ST. here
CHATS beautiful. and just as the fakir
wants it. So be says:
Sure of that2 Just count it again, please
$50 he counts again, while the fakir
watches, and when he has turned over the
last bill he says with the air of man who
knows too much to be cheated by these flip
circus folks:
That's all-seventeen.'
''But the fakir is a little doubtful, so he
says, as though wishing to make sure:
"'Just let me count it, please
"Serene in the belief that he has cornered
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 then bends the whole bunch back over
his left thumb. Then he turns them over
one by one, and they lie straight out, full
length When he reaches the last one, he
says, cheerfully:
You're right-my mistake and your
treat or some such amiable chestnut, hands
the bills back to the man, still at full length,
goes down III his trousers pocket with his
right hand and gets a silver dollar, which he
shoves into the strangers hand, laughs, says
something about mistakes will happen, claps
the man on the shoulder with a laugh, and is
gone in the crowd, while the ticket buyer
jams his money into his pocket and hurries
into the tent where the elephants are below
Ing.
''But the fakir has got the $40 bill, because
when he doubled that over in counting the
seventeen 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 mas
much as the sucker has himself twice count
ed the bills, and has seen the fakir count
them, he will swear that he has got all that
belongs to him when he has compelled the
falir to 80 down into his pocket and fork out
the silver dollar. He doubles up the bills
without further examination aud is gone
But the fine work doesn't end there
When the fakir 1aughingly claps his man on
the back be puts chalk mark on him which
keeps all other fallrs away from him. He
may try to buy red lemonade, or peanuts, or
prize packages, or concert tickets, but he
can't do it. The men he halls and beckons
refuse TO see him and pass him by. The res
son is this: If they sell him something they
might cause him to bring forth the roll OF
bills, in which case he would notice that the
$40 was missing, and would be apt TO raise
a row But If one Of them should overlook
the signal and be Instrumental in apprising
the man of his loss, be is compelled by a rule
among the fakirs to stand the loss and re
store the $40, OF whatever sum it may be-
In case a man gives up ten instead Of a
twenty the fakfr only makes Ave, and if its
q five he probably only gets one. You see
there must be enough bills left in the wad SO
that the absence of one won't BE- noticed"
That's a good scheme" l remarked, but
suppose when the robbery is complete the
purchaser of tickets should take the notion &c
count his money againF'
There isn't one man in thousand who
win do it You see he has counted it twice
and hiss seen the other man verify bis count
Yes, know persisted, but suppose he
should count il: wouldn't the fakir be il
pretty bad boati"
Not in the least he replied If such .
crank should happen along, and they do oc-
casionally, the instant be starts in TO count
the money the fakIr drops the big bill from
his left hand to the ground and catches the
buyer by the arm with some such exclamation
aSs
Look out, thereI You're losing some
thing You'll get the worst OF it If you're