The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1892-03-02
FUN WITH A CIRCUS.
PLAYFUL RETALIATION or AN IN
JuREO CoUNTRYMAN.
The Ticket Seller Had Worked the ssFfin-
nam" Game Him and When the
Visitor Objected Firearms Were Called
Into Use Great Sport for Some.

[ nave seen you fellows Since was In
Maricopas" asked Mccormick as he lighted
a cigar. Mccormick sells firearms in Arr
zona, New Mexico and Colorado.
/ IL got to ella City. and heard there was
! circus at Maricopa, and thought I'd take
! it in, for wanted TO sell bill at Stanwix.
and might do something in Maricopa too.
| don't KNOW as you fellows ever saw 2
| circus in the southwest. You wouldn',
| know it. Every man in the shows a walk
| ing arsenal-has to be in that country.
| And the man in the ticket wagon has guns
| on ali sides of him. It's merely a matter
/ Of preponderance of shooting weapons
which survives after circus time-the show
| or the populace. This show had been in
Maricopa ten days, and there hadn't been
any trouble to speak of. One man from the
! hills had been killed 1t the ticket wagon In
| a dispute over the right change but he'd
| been warned if he asked for that flyer again
| he'd get plugged. He did ask. with his
| gun but he missed somehow. and ne was
| plugged Then they carried the corpse
around the ring on the back of the elephant
| in the grand procession, AZ solemn warn
| ing to other disputatious hayseeds
THE fact was they had CRATER in their
wagon. Maybe you never saw a CRATER
work."
Never did" said James.
HOW THE "GRAFTER" WORKS
well, you see there's always a mob
around the ticket wagon. and holding up
their hands, fiourishing bills and gold
pieces, and bowling for tickets-greasers,
lnjuns. cowboys, miners, ranchers, gam
blers. every kind you can think of. The
ticket seller-the grafter-has a few one
dollar bills wound around his middle fin
ger, SO that the ends come together and It
looks rs though he had twice as many bills
as he has. a granger comes up for ticket,
hands over five dollar bill, the CRATER
slaps down the ticket, thumbs over the
ends of four bills. in plain sight of the
farmer, whips them out from under his
finger rolls them and hands them down
Nine times out o. ten the hayseed grabs the
money, stuffs it in his pocket, and elbows
out of the crowd before trying TO count the
change. Then he finds out that he has
only two one dollar bills, when he thought
he saw the ticket seller count him out
four. Well, he goes back with fire in his
eye but it doesn't do him any good. Any
how. it didn't seem to the day was up to
Maricopa / was just getting near the
ticket wagon myself, when one o these
rustics that'd had the himham game
played on him came rushing up and
squeezed through the gang. You tarnal
thief he says TO the CRATER, 'gi'me my
money, will you?'
THE ticket man just looked at him out
o the corner of his eye and went on sell
ing until the sucker began to yell rob
bersP and things, when he shouted: Get
out O. here! You can't play that game
with this succus.'
But, blast your carcass, gave you
tenner, and here's only four dollars back.
Cuss me ii I'll pay more'n dollar for any
succus-'
You're crazy, old man; move along
now out O. the crowd or you'll get hurt
THE FARMER WoRsTED.
THAT seemed to annoy the farmer, for
quicker'n scat he put three bullets through
the wagon window to ease his mind, and
the CRATER began to pepper back, rather
regardless of the promiscuous crowd. /
skipped off to the gold chariot at one side,
got behind big wooden angel on one
corner of it, and staid there where ! could
look out with little danger of getting a
pellet. But they stopped shooting pretty
soon. You see, the CRATER had two men in
=
minute the fuss began, and blazed away at
the old man, while the CRATER had settled
down to selling tickets again. The rustic
saw the odds were against him and he lit
out, swearing vengeance. He had only a
scratch on the shoulder, but a stout copper
coiored old lady from over the border mad
vertently got between him and one of the
slugs from the ticket wagon, and didn't
h., -t. kfrek
disposed 10 find fault but the CRATER apollo
gized and passed him in free so he made
up MS mind TO let bygones be bygones.
Il think it was just after the big bare
back act that everybody in the tent sud-
denly heard guns popping outside. But
the clown was just coming into the ring,
and we didn't pay much attention to the
matter until casual bullets began 20 inter
fere with the comfort of the audience; and
when the clown himself was bowled over
and had to be carried out OF banner,
good many people became so interested IN
the proceedings outside that they paid
little attention to the performance. Then
ali at once there was "a connection near the
dressing tent entrance and pack of thirty
mounted cowboys ganoped into the ring.
The old hayseed was at the head of them,
and every man had his fireworks out and
ready for business.
GETTING EVEN WITH THE TICKET SELLER.
As you fellows know I've travelled for a
firearms house for twenty years and have
handled weapons by the thousands. but
when it comes TO a front view of shooting
machines in the paws of crowd of earnest
citizens, I'm disposed to retire from bust
ness
Il was afraid the visitors meant mis-
chief. and | was about TO drop down be-
tween the seats and crawl out under the
edge of the tent, when they began crack
ing away at the trapeze ropes, and IN five
minutes they were ali down This reas-
sured me. They were evidently in play
ful mood and wouldn't kill any one in the
audience without serious pTovocation-
After this preliminary sport they forced
every performer TO come IN and entertain
them with n special act. To wind up they
brought IN the CRATER. He was bound
hand and foot and was looking dismal, for
somebody had shot hole through his ear,
and IL hurt. They unbound him and made
him rig up in the toys of the dead clown,
after which they requested him 70 shin up
the center pole He rather objected 70
this bat the rustic and one Or two more
fellows full of fan began 10 shoot into the
sawdust around his feet, and ae started 10
climb
lie spent good deal OF his strength IN
swearing and stopped TO rest once or twice,
baJ belng urged on By the popping Of -
voivers be managed 10 reach the top Of the
pole. He wore one Of these high clowns
hats, and the cowboys ordered him TO hold
II out in his hand They then amused
themselves for a few moments shooting at
Al IL TIE eIeDnzut was next ordered IN