, 1889-12-14
HUNTING THE NICKEL IN THE SLOT.
A Peculiarly Honest Tramp Who Lives
by Suction. Yet Is No "sucksr."

A Peculiarly Honest Tramp Who Lives
by Suction, Yet Is No Sucker"
While sitting in the Fulton ferry
house about 3 o'clock yesterday morn
ing, my attention was attracted 10 a
seedy individual who had just entered.
/ had no difficulty in establishing his
status in life. He was a member of
that profession who looks upon the
world as its "oyster, r" and unceremoni-
ously opens it upon the slightest OPP
p~ortunity. BE was a tramp. His
clothes were cut-or rather torn-to
his calling. Hard times hung from
every angle of his body. His nose
was the only bright spot about him.
That had been FURNISHED by whisky
until it looked like "a gilded halo how
ering round decay"
Watch that man" said an official
to me. He has got some way of get
ting nickels and pennies out ofthose
nickel in = the slot machines over
there. You see, the machines are often
out of order and the money dropped
in sticks in the slot. That man comes
here regularly every morning and
sucks them out. 1t is o of INV bust
ness, so / never interfere with him"
l watched. The man approached
a lhNlAlIulll lhh hlltt blOODtu uOWl
and placed his mouth over one of the
slots. A long-drawn-out suction fol-
lowed, as if the machine was a delic-
ious lemon on Katzenjammer day, and
then he Strengthened up with a penny
between his teeth. Down he went
again as a kingfsher goes for a smelt,
and back again with his prey in his
mouth. This was repeated until the
slots had yielded up thirteen cents
one nickel and eight pennies.
When the tramp went away / fol-
lowed him outside and engaged him in
conversation. l found him 10 have
more than his share of the grim humor
that characterizes the tramp brother
hood. He drew himself up with a lu-
gubrious dignity and said:
THE suction idea came to me about
three months ago. l first had to sat
isfy myself that it was a legitimate
business. The nickel, l reasoned, does
not belong TO the person who puts it in
the slot, as he took chances with the
machine and got left. 1t did not be-
long to the machine, because it had
rendered nothing for the money re-
ceived. Having thus satisfied my con-
science / commenced operations. The
business has developed beyond my
greatest expectations. The interest on
the capital invested is enormous. No
expenditures; all receipts. l make
from 81 TO 81 per day. My hours are
long, it is true, and most of my bust
ness engagements are at night. But
it's way ahead of being on the road. l
don't like the country. The haystacks
are too far apart, and the careless
handling Of shotguns by farmers has
always shocked me.
81 am glad TO have a metropolitan
occupation" he continued. Here
there is a field for ingenuity. The
man with an idea cannot be kept
down. My business isalmost too much
for one man TO control. 1t takes me
a long time TO get around to all the
ferries and depots, and l am thinking
of letting out part of my territory"
After a pause, he said rehectively:
II hope this won't get into the papers.
The slot machine companies might I'M
dertake to shut me off. If they do, it
will be n severe blow to the trade and
commerce of the country. am the
inventor of the snap and as such l
am entitled to the profits. Recollect,
though l make my living by suction,
l am no sucker And he faded away
in the gloom WILLIAMSBURG ferry
ward.-New York Herald.