Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-01-19
TRADES IN TICKETS.
LithOgraph Distributors Who Worked
a Slick Game by Selling
WINDOW PASSES FOB BIG MONEY.
A Coterie of Sharps Broken Up by Col.
Dawson, of the Bijou, Who
SENDS A COUPLE OF THEM OUT OF TOWN

There were couple of men in the city
Saturday who acted on suggestion. This
was that they leave the town at once, or take
chances on the result of an enforced inter-
view with magistrate.
1t was Colonel Sam Dawson, of the Bijou
Theater, who played the part of Mentor, and
two of his lithograph distributors, who were
glad to act on his advice.
There is always section Of society which
chaies at treading the narrow but straight
forward path which leads to competency,
and steps aside at every opportunity which
promises more rapidly to acquire riches, be
the the result of methods howsoever devil
Gus. The latest illustration of this tendency
of corrupt human nature is afforded in
nicely laid scheme whereby a small but
select ring OF lithograph distributors at
tached to local theaters, proposed to
become wealthy at the expense OF their em-
ployers.
Colonel Dawson is popularity credited
with being pretty we'll experienced in mat
ters theatrical, and in this case, wherein he
exposed the plot of the schemers without the
aid of the Department Of Public Safety, he
shows thai his reputation for keenness is
we'll founded.
The Scheme of Some Sharpers Exposed.
For some time past he had reasons, with
out, as he says, well knowing why, to sus-
pect that he was the victim of treachery on
the part of his distributors. Aud accord
ingly he was not unprepared for the tale
unfolded to him by one OF his men who had
Ind 70 rnIn hn 1arlt
employs five distributors, whose dutyit is
to place Autographs in places where they
will best catch the public eye. Each man
receives weekly about 30 tickets, which he is
supposed to issue to storekeepers and others
whose windows are used. But it transpired
that certain of the distributors were doing
ANYTHING but this.
A couple of New Yorkers proposed to
them way of making money without the
trouble of working for it. This was to put
off the storekeepers by excuses and sell the
tickets for such prices as they would bring.
An Intermediary was employed, in the per-
son of curbstone broker, who sold the
tickets and then divided the proceeds among
the ring. An auxiliary plan was to repre-
! sent to the window owner that the show was
no good, and then to buy the tickets from
him at 25 cents each.
The ring had been working the little
scheme for about four or five weeks, and
making anywhere from $50 to $50 week,
when the matter came to Colonel Dawson s
ears. He promptly Investigated and found
that not alone were some of his own men en-
gagged in the enterprise, but that q regular
ring, including the employees of other
theaters, was in operation, aided and abetted
by the assistant treasurer of one of the show
houses. The latter was sent for by Colonel
loo Safu nd no.
ing confronted with evidence OF his crooked
ness, confessed his completely and unbosomed
himself of the story, at the same time pray
ing Tor mercy at the hands of the Colonel.
Honesty Receives Pecuniary Reward.
The outcome of the disclosure was that
two of the Bjou distributors were permitted
to make themselves ;the treasurer prom
| ised that his name would be withheld if he
would keep straight in the future, and the
salaries OF the other three Bl jou distributors
| ct once increased, as an acknowledgment of
! their loyalty to Gulick & Co. 40.
Colonel Dawson said last night that such
| scheming was common in New York, but
practically unknown here. He believed
that there was an organized gang which
made the rounds Of the large cities, playing
the game just as long as they could with
safety and then skipping. One or two OF
them hau coIne mere anu succeeueu IN COT
rupting some of the distributors. He
knew the names OF distributors en-
ployed by other houses, but he was
strictly attending to his own business, and
not seeking to run that of others. He says
he did not spend five years In distributing
Autographs without learning thing or two,
and if any of the trade desired to catch him
asleep they would require to be up pretty
early. He was an early riser himself.
In this instance some of the distrib-
utors had the nerve to take tickets from the
| box Office, trusting to the new treasurer to
! accept the affair as a matter of course. AS
| another matter Of course the rascal ought to
feel grateful for escaping the law.