Evening journal., 1890-09-24
Wall OF THE SLOT MACHINE.
-Four Hundred and Fifty Attempts TO
SwfndIe 1t.

Drop a cent in the slot and get piece
Of sweet chocolate, is the sign that has
made the mouths of many boys water,
and has set their brains working to
devise some means to get the chocolate
without the cent Many Of them succeed
and thereby hangs this tale
penny-in- the-slot machines were
recently introduced into this city and
are confined to tulu chewing gum and
sweet chocolate. Any one of them might,
il il could speak, unfold tale that
would harrow up the soul Of the virtuous
and law abiding citizen, at the tricky
doinps of his son, and make the pretty
Sunday school teacher lift her little
hands In horror at the evil devices OF her
pupils.
The machine at the drug store of E.
T. Dfworth, Tenth and Market streets,
received its share of the small boys
thoughts, and will tell the tale known TO
the entire family of slot machines.
IL was placed in my present position
on the twenty second day of last month,
and have had one dreadful time. Be
tween the heavy pull of the strong man
and the tricks Of the children | have
several times been very sick and forced
to stop work. Business has been very
brisk, but although / have taken in
nice pile OF money, would be richer II
people did not cheat me out of so much.
do all in my power to stop their steal
ing, but they succeed sometimes in spite
Of me.
"The slot is just large enough to re-
ceive cent and a good cent always
draws the chocolate. am very careful
about the bogus metal dropped in. The
first thing do is to take the metal be-
tween nv two springs and IL the coin Is
good It holds and the chocolate drops. II
the metal Is lead or tin. unless 1t is very
strong, my springs bend 1t and the would
be-thief is thwarted, for | will not work.
II dread the evening especially, be-
cause when the clerks are busy IN the
store the boys are busy trying to pass
bogus metal in me.
zone day received battered silver
piece. worth more than a cent, 50
delivered the chocolate Another time
it was brass beer cheek; then. Ger
man coin dated 1920 for drei kreuzar
and another for two pfenning Round
pieces Of yuloanized fibre, stolen | hear
| from the works down Tenth street, are
often tried. and / am sorry to say. with
success 1fONSeF DUBIOUS. gun Whua5 hih
tags, pieces Of brass, lead, copper and
iron, are among the things find when
reckon up at night Gun wads, tin tags,
lead and buttons never work when I'm
watching, but the others sometimes do.
"Since was placed here, little more
than month ago, have received, be
sides the genuine coin, 400 bogus pieces,
One third Of them draw the chocolate.
How does that strike you as an indica-
tion Of the evil state of morals among
young people2 Isn't 1t horrible2 I'd
like some of the people who give theil
children money to take to Sunday schoo
TO see them buy soda water with the
money and then try to get chocolate
out of me with gun wad or beel
check.
IF there is any law for the arrest O
such thieves, | wish those who passed
the 450 bogus pieces on me should b
captured and punished. Why, one o
them went to so far as TO stamp the i'm.
preston Of a cent on heavy piece 0
lead, and what is worse 1t worked. an
more guarded now than | was at FIRST, bu
it's awful trying on the system to keel
! alert all the time.