The morning news., 1892-03-14
FAKING AS A FINE ART.
TRICKS OF TIE TRADE TOLD By
AN EXPERT.

ingenious SWinoleS or FaktrS-Give-
away Jeweiry-Molasses and Vine
gar for Rheumstism-Fakirs and
Small Boys.
From the Washington Star.
mo, sir; I'm not fakir,n said the man
on the step ladder to Star reporter, in an
interval Of repose from active industry. "I
am what is properly called street man.
The difference is very important one. inS
aslnuch as a fakir is a vender who practices
dishonest methods. sell honest goods and
employ no deception You will observe
that my stock in trade, which Garry about
with me in this valise. is composed ex-
clusively Of medicines. They are more
difficult to dispose of than any other wares,
and you will never see them sold except
from a high pitch.
| what do mean by high pitchl Why,
| an elevated position for speaking from, like
this step ladder. This is the rostrum of the
orator. Roughly speaking, our profession
may be divided into two classes-those who
talk from the high pitch aud those who en-
ploy the low pitch. The low pitch may be
a little table on the sidewalk, or a barrel, on
which the goods are displayed. Whereas
the high pitch man depends upon his ora
tory chiefly for the sale of his goods, the
fellow who does the low pitch relies on the
attractiveness Of his stock to a great ex-
tent.
"You will understand from what have
said that the high pitch street men repre-
sent the cream of the profession. The best
Of US would doubtless have made dis
| tiD Dguished lawyers or preachers bad suitable
opportunities offered Persons who do the
low pitch are commonly referred to as
grinders, because they work all the time.
| y fla lab IT,. A..
utes of oratorical effort is about as much as
one cares to expend during each hour. In
this occupation a natural gift of the CAB is
most important, but of course practice does
a great deal. Some of us have our remarks
memorized, so that one oration of a quarter
Of an hours length is repeated over and
over again; but the most effective method
Is to make up the jabber as one goes along.
HOW TO ATTRACT A CROWD.
"The first thing necessary is to attract
crowd. Nothing is easier. One way of do
ing this is to start talking rapidly until the
people begin to gather, when more will flock
around, merely for the purpose of finding
out what is exciting the attention of the
other. Human beings are wonderfully like
the lower animals in respect to curiosity.
But a better method is to perform some
slight-of-hand trick. usually transform
silver half dollar by little deft manipula-
tion into $50 gold piece By the time
have performed that interesting operation
three or four times there is sure to be an
audience. and, while promising the some-
thing more Of an interesting nature to come,
l direct their attention TO my wares.
What one actually says from the high
pitch is not so important as the rapidity of
utterance. The thing is to talk so fast that
the audience shall not be given chance to
think. This medicine l am selling now IS a
liniment, prepared from a formula which
obtained from a physician. The remedies
we street men sell are excellent, because 10
pays better to sell good thing than a poor
one the cost not being any more. Usually
we put them up ourselves. Very few OF US
are in this business all the year around. As
rule we have other occupations, profess
slonal, depending upon curb-stone oratory to
tide US over during the idle times.
"A fair sample Of the business methods
OF the fakir is the give-away jewelry racket
1t usually works with great success. The
Vender sells three or four rings or breast
pins for 10 cents each. After asking the
buyers II they are satisfied with their pur-
chases, and, receiving an affirmative assur-
ance, he gives them their money back,
allowing them to retain the articles bought,
which he says he only wishes to advertise.
Next he disposes of number of gold chains
for 25 cents apiece. Having been informed,
in response to inquiry, that all tine buyers
are contented, he again gives them back
their money, permitting them to retain the
chains BY this time the crowd is worked up
to great excitement. the novelty of buying
jewelry and getting the purchase money
back being extremely attractive. So the
orator offers other objects of ornament for
81 each. and the buying is very eager in
deed. As before, he asks il every one is
satisfied, and those who have bought re-
Epond in enthusiastic chorus, expecting the
return OF what they have paid. But the
fakir merely replies. Well, il you are en-
tirely satisfied will say good day to you ,
And with that he closes his valise and de-
parts for another locality, leaving a dis
appointed crowd behind him.
SOME OF THE DoDGEs EMPLOYED.
"This sort OF cheap jewelry is manufaot-
ured on a large scale by firms In Chicago
and New York. Another dodge of the fakir
is to wrap up IS bill in one of half-dozen
packages, each of which contains cake Of
soap. That is to say, he appears to do so,
but IN reality he retains in his hand the
parcel containing the money, while he sells
for 81 or 81 the six cakes to some hood
winked individual You are familiar, of
course. with the shell game played with
English walnut shells and a little rubber
ball. When the customer guesses the shell
under which the ball is located, the opera
tor in lifting it deftly causes the ball to dis
appear by whisking it out between his ring
| uLRoE hnu htLlo IL ts OUT a VaEla-
ton on the ancient sport OF
'thimble-rigging." Then there is
the sympathetic religious worker.
usually negro. who goes about in the
colored quarter of the city. his equipment
being loud voice and lot Of hymns. The
latter he has printed at the rate of 600 for
81. He sings the hymns, which he declares
were written by Sister Susan Jackson on
her deathbed, or by the famous colored
evangelist, the Rev. Sias Brown of South
Carolina and they 60 off like hot cakes at
the rate Of two for cents have known
a Washington darky TO make as much as
$40 day in this way but in moment Of
weakness he stole some barrels and il af-
fected his religious reputation. He was put
away for six months and the suffering sim
ners were left without their usual supplies
OF hymns.
"Another colored fakir in this city used
TO sell rattlesDeke oil, which came from the
foot Of a mysterious mountain in South
Carolina. His remarks on the subject
always wound up with the statement that
'one bright moonlight night, when tbs oil
was being prepared, just as the last ingredi-
ent was being put In, it was noticed that
there were black spots on the moon Upon
this weird circumstance the speaker would
put such significant emphasis as to convey
convictions to the minds Of his hearers
respecting the virtues of his nostrum, and
they would buy eagerly.
When l say that a mixture of molasses
and vinegar is sOmeLirnaS sold an tha streata