The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1891-06-04
WHERE FAKIRS MEET.
THEY HAVE AN EXCHANGE QUEER
ENOUGH IN IT'S ODD WAY.

When you visit the fakirs' exchange and
come to know II ron viii be able TO under
stand ar least one Circumstance that must
nave struck you SIS being tribe queer
Now, many persons have at some time
walked from the city hall through Park
row and down Broadway IS far as Wall
street, and have noticed that the streets
were strangely clear OF peddlers. Going
over that same ground 3 couple OF hours
later they have encountered horde Of
bowling, hoarse voiced men and boys, their
cries arising far above the noise Of the
streets as they fairly assaulted the passers-
by TO compel them TO buy the trinkets they
had for sale.
If you have noticed this you have per-
haps wondered whence all these fakirs have
so suddenly sprung. The key 60 this mys-
terry is not hard 10 find and Is not a greas
distance away. It Is 20 be found 50 the
fakirsi exchange.
Just strike down Ann street from Park
row and halt sc Theater alley. a short hall
block away. You viii see nothing there
that viii remind you Of the Produce ex-
change or the Cotton exchange or the Real
Estate exchange or anything OF that sort
You viii see on one side Of Theatsr alley a
liquor store, on the other another. The
Fakirs' exchange IS right about there.
In the windows of one of these saloons Is
a small crystal lake, in the center OF thst a
smaller island, and on that bullfrog al
most as large as the island He Is the
tutelary genius of the exchange When he
was first put into that aquarium he was
hrash sort of bullfrog. He started in TO
make things hum at once. In the same
place were several catfish II you have
ever attempted to toy in careless manner
with a catfish yeu probably know that be
has very decided way Of making himself
felt. This bullfrog ought to have known
this and perhaps he did, but as has been
said, he was brasil So he fooled with the
catfish and they fooled with him
THE EXCHANGE
Then one day he climbed on the island
before mentioned and began to wonder why
il was that catfish were allowed in a civil
lied country TO carry stilettos behind their
ears That was two years ago, and the bull
frog has spent about all his time on that
island ever since. This biographical hum
may seem Irrelevant. but it isn't The
members of the exchange treat him with
large consideration They call him Robin
son Cr1see, and they claim that his powers
of hard and persistent thinking entitle
him to respect. So if JOG want to get along
with them you will cast no reflection on
Crusoe, the freq.
The exchange is unique. There will %
days and days when it viii be to all IL
tents and purposes closed, when you Will
see scarcely a member about. On those
days they are scattered all over the city in
every place where men and women congre-
gate selling with greater or less success
such wares as they have TO offer. Then
you will see them drifting back TO head
quarters, and on another day when you go
through Ann street You win End handcart
after handcar5 about Theater alley and
men lounging about looking al Crusoe and
talking m groups 1t is an exchapg sc day.
1t Is not proper 20 class these men with
the small peddlers who sell sheestrings,
matches and tie like. These are but work
ing on what Is practically the system or
the Italian padrones, albeit in this case it
Is worked by Hebrews. These peddlers in
Ann street are usually either individual
merchants, SO to speak, or members OF
combination, and in general way with 50
much unanimity Of form that their head
quarters may really be termed an exchange.
or at the very least market
They have capital within certain limits.
and credit too They win not deal in things
that to their mind wiz not strike the pub
lie as either bargains or novelties The
class OF peddlers who dealin bargains buy
unsold stocks Of magazines, books or IL
Illustrated papers, hats just gone out OF sea
son, second hand articles that are easily
transferred By means Of handcart or with
the assistance OF an ancient horse
HOW FAKIRs WORK.
The dealers in novelties form the cream
Of the exchange. They work on combina-
tions. They watch every toy and novelty
manufacturing house in the business.
They have scheduled novelties that of
course change from year TO year for every
holiday, whether it be Christmas or Labor
Day 10 was mainly through the efforts Of
these men that the Fifteen Puzzle" be-
came popular. When they heard, and
they did speedily, that the ~BOulanger
March" was a good thing. it was bat day
or so when they were selling IL By the tens
Of thousands on the streets
They watch every theatrical hit, every
SUCCESS of public man, every great event,
and In fact stHdy the public taste much
more closely than mach greater men do
They are IN touch with all the wholesale
houses IN this city that deal with mechan-
zeal TOYS and novelties. and the managers
Of these houses have no hesitation in say
ing that 50 far as New York is concerned.
and that means a good deal these street
fzkirs are rare good judges Of y nat viii 20
and what VIII not
II you could SEE all the members Of this
exchange al their eAdquarters yea would
see an interesting throng. Bg: that -
hardly possible
They do Dot congTegate at any specified
time. Bat Il say new thing CONES ost
thas fs likely 70 sell ca the streets Of New
YORK the manufacturer has but 70 let i; be
known at Ann street and Theater alley. IL
Will be speedily tested, aud II Il is what .
IA claimed 70 Be o. ia inventor IL win in
tsenty-forr hours be on sz5s IN every I'M
portAnt point IL New YORK, and = Thousand
men AID BOYS viii DC shouting II lis praise
and selling IL
For this and other reasons the SPOT On
Ann street Is unique. and FOR ths sans rsa~
ssus II nay justly sooazh y c4lis1 al e.
enangs-New YORK Recorder
Developments IN ebs-1fcai sci>oce pro
mote oeilsf IN ne existSDcs e elementary
forns q naaS.er not y~t actually observed