Democratic Northwest and Henry County news. [volume] (Napoleon, O. [Ohio]) 1894-1905, 1894-05-31

LnoUnous uru rrequeur1y Jne sources or
supply are identically the same. In
the busy thoro lghfares OF New York,
and particularly in the vicinity OF the
postoftice and city hall, the sidewalks
are crowded with fakirs, whose push
carts obstruct the streets, while the
stentorian voices of the statesmen drown
out the roar of street cars and the
rumble of passing vehicles. Cheap
novels, selling for less than the cost OF
the white paper: cheap toilet articles,
cheap pocketknives, handkerchiefs,
vases, lacquer ware, soap, backing,
jewelry, music, magnifying glasses and
novelties in the shape of toys, puzzles,
portable hatracks, tack hammers, nail
pullers, pencil sharpeners and so on ex-
cite the interest and open the pocket
books OF the passers by.
"The first requisite of an article for
street sale," said his majesty, sis that
It shall be easily portable; the second,
that it shall be cheap, and the third
that it shall be useful or be Of char
acter to induce the purchaser to be-
lieve that it is i"
The stock articles in the way of cut
lery, handkerchiefs and toilet articles
sold by the fakirs are, according to Mr..
Stivers, bought from the importers or
wholesale dealers who get large
stock of certain line of goods that 1t
Is necessary to get rid Of and turn sud-
denly into cash. On such occasions
Mr.. Stivers is sent for; he examines the
goods, and if they are of character that
his men can handle in their chosen
field he buys them and puts them on
the market; and while he does not
make an invariable hit, In nine cases
out OF ten he makes by the contract.
The king OF the afakirs counts his
subjects all over the United States and
in many foreign lands, and at times he
has had an army of from 500 to 800
men employed in the sale of one arti-
Gle, though his standing force, twice as
large as that of the monarch of Hawaii,
is usually about $50 regulars, with an
indefinite number of volunteers ready
to be called out in an emergency.
One of the greatest successes was a
folding chair, which his majesty sold,
here and abroad, in the neighborhood
of 100000. The fifteen puzzle, in
vented by deaf and dumb man in
Boston, would have made the man q
fortune had he not neglected to patent
it before it got on the market. The
return ball and the pencil with rubber
on the tip have made snug fortunes for
their patentees, but one of the greatest
successes for the inventor and the
fakirs was the celebrated puzzle of
"pigs in clover" The inventor was
an Old farmer over near Millville, N.
j., and out of the millions sold in two
years he netted over $150,OoO and ct
one time had three factories and over
5oopeople employed injthe manufacture.
According to his majesty nearly all
the things offered for sale by the ia
kris are ''good goods" and are dis
posed of for less than the cost of manu-
facture. Many of the fakirs have made
snug fortunes, but according to Mr..
Stivers the Polish Jews, who live on
nothing and wear no clothes, are ruin
ing the business. The most successful
fakirs are Americans or Irishmen.
They must be clean, we'll dressed and
possess "about enough brass to get
along" ain addition to these quail
fications the successful fakir must
have the gift of gab,'" said his ma
jesty. IA good man must be able to
talk better than the worst lawyer and
II he can make the folks laugh or tell
good story, all the better"
The goods bought from insurance
companies after fire, bankrupt sales
and goods sold out by the sheriff, are
always attended to by his majesty.
'For more than year." said the
monarch of Ann street, 1--WE have not
had novelty on the market. There's
a big fortune ready for the man who'll
invent some little article than can be
ssold at low price and which is either
useful or curious. The wonder to me
is that with such profits in sight an
inventive genius doesn't go into this
field. It means cash from the word 90,
and no bother or law suits or infringe
ments and bother of that kind"
His majesty's throne will not be left
vacant, for he has ten children-fve
princes and as many princesses-and
each one. like the father. has throne
ready. CASPER EDISON.