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

ant interview with Mr.. George Wash
ington Stivers, the head and acknowl-
edged "king Of the fakirs," and he is
as ignorant of the origin of the term as
applied to himself and his associates as
the rest of the world. When name,
no matter how Objectionable, sticks
and cannot be avoided, it is the part of
wisdom to accept it, and no matter its
history or its associations, to have it
honored by making it respectable. At
the beginning of the war the name
"rebeP stung our Southern fellow
countrymen to the quick, and their pa
pers and orators were inclined to re-
sent it, but after q time they not only
yielded to the inevitable, but proudly
applied the name to themselves and
boasted that they were ''rebels." I do
not think the acquiescence of street
peddlers has had xactly the same
genesis as the name rebel, for they are
not sensitive or foolishly chivalric
class of men, but certain it is that they
have not only ceased to object to the
term, but they have proudly adopted it,
as the Dutch did the epithet "beg-
gars," applied to them by the Span
iards.
George Washington Stivers, king of
the fakirs, has his armory on the north
side OF Ann street, near Nassau, in
New York City. He is a man of medi-
um height, blue-eyed, with q blonde
mustache, an active, erect form. man
ner OF speech that is forceful and de-
FAINT of grammar, and he says he is
forty years OF age, though he might
easily pass for thirty.
81 see that there's some others that
has been claiming that they're king of
the fakirs," said Mr.. Stivers, with the
fine contempt of legitimate monarch
to the throne, "but tell you, sir, they
amt NO good and they don't know the
least little bit about the biz"
Having known of Mr.. Stivers as the
undisputed monarch of the ''streetmen"
that is the name they apply to them
selves ON ceremonious oceasions-I was
quite ready to indorse his declaration.
and, in recognition to my amity and
lealty. he was equally ready to give me
the secrets of this widespread and i'm
portant calling.
Among the great mass of facts pre-
sented by his majesty are many of gen.
eral interest and few that are applica-
BILE only to New York City. Twenty
seven years ago, when MIR. Stivers, as
a boy OF thirteen, entered the business,
all 'street statesmen" sold goods from a
tray push carts and wagons being un-
know to the fraternity. "Away back
in 1867" said his majesty, "when took
up the business, began by selling
pocketknives from a tray; that was
down in front of the old postoffice on
Nassau street. used always to make
from $5 to So a day by few hours
work at noon; but them DAYS are gone
and won't never come back" The men
who sell from push carts in New York
City pay license of SIS year, or rather
they pay that for the first year and q
for each succeeding year. The peddlers
who sell from trays or baskets pay 81
the first year and so cents thereafter.
Mr.. Stivers has scores of men in his
employ and he keeps them supplied
with Licenses as protection against
the police, who have not little to do
with the happiness OF the street fakirs.
There is an ordinance that no street
salesman shall remain in one place
more than ten minutes at time, but
it the seller stands in we'll with the
'cop" on that beat he may remain for
hours without being disturbed, and it
has been whispered, though not by his
majesty, that the fakirs find ii to their
advantage to conciliate the blue clad
representatives Of the law by means
that are not entirely unknown In the
New York board OF aldermen, and
which, it has been whispered, have
been used 10 Albany and even in Wash
ington to facilitate legislation. Be-
tween Spruce and Wall streets, on
Nassau, fakirs are not permitted to sell
goods between a. m. and 6 D. M, and
as the street is deserted at other hours,
sales there would be worth nothing il
the law was enforced-but it is not
and fakirs can be found in the prohib-
tied quarters when they are most
crowded, and good nature or some
other reason blinds the police to the
infraction OF the law.
What follows as to the street sass VI
goods in New York will apply equal.y
we'll to our other large cities. for th.