Los Angeles herald., 1892-03-11

1uerc IL new game on Cn0 BOWcry,
says the New York World.
1t is called California Grip" and it
is being very extensively played in a
shop at the northwest corner of Broome
street and the Bowery. j. H. Johnston
& Co., a firm Of jewellers, have occupied
the store until very recently, but as they
were about to move up town they auc-
toned off their goods to the highest
bidder. The sale came to an end about
two weeks ago.
Two fakirs then conceived the idea of
putting a lot of cheap jewelry and sill
verware in the vacant cases and carry
ing on the sale as if it were q continual
ton OF the Johnston auction. Their
auction, however, is only used as ruse
to get the crowd in from the street. The
money is made in the rear of the store,
behind two dirty red curtains stretched
across the room. The game is very old
one, and has been played frequently at
county fairs.
Behind the red curtains there is long
wooden counter; back of this is a long
board on which are hung several hun
uiCu CuOaP PuOIO6iapuc VI UIlCuy Cldu
actresses and men of more or less politi-
cal or pugilstic Importance. Two men
stand behind the counter and ask the
the privilege of choosinga picture. They
are not, however. gambling for the pic.
ture, but certain sum of money which
is written on the back.
After man has put up his 30 cents
and chosen q picture. he is offered half q
dollar by the gentleman who runs the
game before the amount on the back is
announced. II the victim refuses the
fakir generally raises his price, but then
assures the man that he has won IS
picture. Suddenly the fakir stops bid
ding and shows the photograph to the
purchaser. In nine cases out of ten it
has nothing on the back.
The Bowery was very crowded last
night, 80 the jewelry end of the enter
tainment was abandoned. The auc-
tioneer put on his overcoat and high silk
hat, and perched on q high desk watched
the dollars roll into the "California
Grip" money-drawer. The two men be-
hind the counter who conducted the en-
tertainment were ordinary types of the
Bowery fakir.
''Come up, walk up, roll up, any way to
get up" said one of the two, "here is q
chance to make S. bill for 80 cents,
with the chance of getting the 30 cents
returned" r.
Then the other fakir handed out sew
eral fiahing-rods to six gentlemen who
paid their 50.cent pieces. Each of the
six men pointed with his fishing-rod to
one of the photographs and the gam
bling began. The six men were cap
pers" for the game. One of them
pointed his fshing-rod at picture of
Miss Glover doing one OF her high kicks.
II will give you 30 cents for that be-
fore you look at the back of it," said one
of the men behind the counter. The
capper, who was got up to look like a
farmer, demurred. The fakir ran up his
bid from so cents to 50. The farmer"
weakened and accepted the money.
Then the picture was turned toward the
crowd. 1t was marked $5. Still the
farmef was $1.5O ahead of his original
investment, and the crowd thought it
was pretty good game.
The same thing occurred in the case
OF the other five cappers, except that
the dialogue and the amount offered and
the value of the ''prize" varied in each
case.
"All up for the next round" called
one of the men behind the counter.
Luck seemed to have suddenly changed.
Every man who chose picture drew a
blank. The cappers, however, contin-
ued to make money, and the game was
keptup until late at night, for there are
plenty of victime on the Bowery.