The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1890-09-15
STREET FAKIRS.
How Some Familiar Vendors
Make Coed Living.
San Francisco the curbstcne salesman's
Paradise-Pr, fits in Selling Their
Wares-The Medicine Man.

weary oil nearing Tie NOlluefIul ultiItS VI llie
fakir's {. DDS eXtoled.
And vet the streets would seem lonely
without lis voice, for the industrious curb
stone salesman adds his share to the city'S
noise and hustle. Citizens have grown TO
regard his business as one Of to-day's IN
dispensable institutions.
, How he ever got his name the faklr HIM
self rarely knows. Nor DO several persons
who understand that tile word is susceptible
of construction of many m aulngs. For
merly fakirs were religious beggars; later
on he sold goods by shady Schenlng; and
now he is a street vendor
The line is drawn egainst poddlers of mer-
chandise down on Montgomery street by
the stock and bond fakirs. who do their
work in the most uDassuming method ros-
sible, though still taking.
They sometimes give US trouble" said
a policeman on keaTny street last night,
in attracting crowds around them and OBJ
struclipg people But then they are not
like other fakiTs. Now, ltok at that fel-
low" pointing to a middle-aged man who
occupied an elevated position on step
ladder on the upper platform OF which was
a box containing his wares.
THE GREATEST DISCOVERY.
The fakir saw hat the officer Was regard
Ing nm too curlouSlY.
Il represent the greatest medical firm on
this coast" shouted the fakir, turning d
roliickiug eye upon the blue-CUated figure.
''Ye s, gentlemen, i do. My house is known
to all of you, but there Is no use in telling
you ii is so and so, you would doubt me.
All right Well here is what l have 10
show yuu-the greatest discovery Of the age
for cleaning grease off coats, curing head
aches, curns, etc, etc.-and TO sell 1t, the
Mayor and SUPERVISORS Of your city have
granted me a special permit 10 APPEAR on
your streets ana introduce 1t 10 suffering
mankind. Noble men! They know tile
value Of our great discovery. 1t Is only
% cents a bottle. Who'll bay
NOV look at him" the policeman eX-
claimed, as the fakir ratified numerous coins
in his hat. when / saw him take IN the
money lust like that one i.ht / went to
HIM. because, you know. there was big
crowd around him. Noble men, says /,
taking off his own ords, Mayors and Su-
perYlsOrS' special pprmItY That's true,
says he, and haven't l a right 10 sell as
much as | like On the street. y gu may
have that same says l. but you don't draw
no crowds While I'm here And with that
he got mad at NE because | ruined his bnsl-
ness, as he said. Wen | let him alone. Sure
it was none of my business if he did clear
SO or So a day on his wonderful dis
coyery."
TEMPTING POPCORN.
The popcorn man is not seen much until
after dark, and then his little glass-framed
gO-cart and its OIL lamp are not unfamiliar
around certain corners. lie pops Ills corn
over tile spreading blaze and serves the
foam-like white kernels hot from the fire.
Generally the corn-pupper watts from place
TO place with some uncOngenlal WIND, anu
without a settled idea of where lie viii
locate permanently. One of these fellows
has kept a stand at Suffer and kearny
streets, and at the intersection of Callfor-
MIA and Kearny for months. His way of
popping the tempting mOrselS before the
little people creates mutln0uS demands on
manmas, biz. sisters and auntieS, ana lii
consequence tie fakir does a rushing bust
ness with net income much better than
that Of many master mechanic In the iron
district.
"Uncle Jimmy" the famous pie " fakir,
reaps harvest nightly on kearny street,
between California and Pacific, by selling
his mutton pies from a travelling kitchen
which is drawn by a horse. He makes up
the pastry and meat with warm spices to
suit street sale and takes in dimes and
n ckels in return. His earnings net So 10 50
a day.
IN THE HANDS OF BoHEMIANs.
When business is not quite brisk on the
coast" as a portion If his favOTite district
is known, he drives out Market street and
maybe receives payment rather often In
trade from the saloons
Once he got into the hands Of jolly party
was quite early in the morning and Jimmy
decided TO finish work Ill saloon Oh the
avenue for that night. He introduced his
wares with the old bland smile and good
word for the purity of the pies. Jimmy him
self was well known to the party. They
bought his pies and some of the night-owls
eat them. OF course they insisted on Jimmy
joining them in the bowl that flowed in real
earnest and soon he lapsed into happy IN
consciousness When Jimmy awoke all
,,Ta haI rod nd
horse. His patrons had untitched the
animal and removed the wheels.
a pie-wagOn is never seen In that neigh
borhood now. Jimmy continues to make
his comfortable living downtown.
FROM THE PLAINS.
1t is worth while listening to the weird
yarns told by some faklrs, Particularly the
'corn-salve" fakir. MY friend" he will
cry in most assuring voice, have you got
corns? l am selling the world-renouned
snake-0il corn-salve made from rattlesnake
OIL buffalo talluw, lard and alkali! All
guaranteed! 1t is made only on the plains
by Indian doctors" The mixture offered is
as a matter of course wholly useless, yet it
sells quickly at % cents a thimbleful, and
several dollars are raked IN every night by
the veDder.
The latest novelty is the fakir who en-
larges photographs in cTayon on a little
table by means of mechanical continuance.
When nobody is watching him he rests, but
instantly he sees an eye cast toward his
table his hand is busy with the instrument.
Then there is the Yisiting-card writer,
who occupies a niche in the street-do rs,
and makes An average Of So a day clear of
the cost Of the cards.
An impression OF the streets is the voice
of the ballad-selier who rolls off Little
Annie Rooney Down on Farm, Ma
gees Back Yar1," Down Went McGinty,"
Sweet Vlolets" and ali the latest songs of
the day. He earns enough to keep him
comfortably, but drifts from place to place
as business changes.
THE TAMALE MAN.
The grave Mexican, who sits beside his
tamale-can through the long night, is a
species OF the fakir widely different from his
irrepressble American cousins. 1t will not
Tuffle his temper in the least to insinuate
that his tamales are not genuine, provided
the speaker purchases them-''las gallinasv
as he ADDS asSuringly. The profit Of this
Mexican is usually about 81 day, and he
buys his canful at tridng cost by the
dozen from tamale factory.
There is class Of peddler in town to be
avoided. He is known as ''hoosier beaten"
BY selling brass jewelry to countrymen on
representing that it is pure gold and had
been found on the street he has gained this
name. Frequently he carries on trade in
eyeglasses, textbooks, cutlery, steel
chains, etc, and he can supply you with a
necktle-pln IN jitfy from underneath his
coat. Real water that was. and here is
one which is not. just like onto a real dia-
mond, and it was not even an expert that
was able to tell them apart" The pin is
sold for % cents, and was bought at the
rate of 60 cents dozen.
BUSINESS THAT PAYS.
His assortmentof spectaces will be shown
to intending purchasers. They sell for %
cents, 30 cents. 81, 81, but seldom higher,
and cost the fakir not more than S. dozen.
Yet he will remark that he can sell so much
cheaper because he has no rent to pay.
Down about the banks and business Offices
lively little woman has done well as
fakir. Combining good business ability
with a knowledge of human nature she sue
ceeded in making nice living, and men
say "she must be young widow" Her eye
Is very keen 1t will detect grease spot on
mans coat or a button missing. With
scarcely word of explanation she will
wash out the stain with sponge and little
ammonia, or whip button from her bag
ana sttch 1t on the coat in remarkably
short space Of time.
Ten cents, please"
Her hand Is waiting the we'll n rnad dina