The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1895-07-25
A GRAND FIZZLE.
The Big Railway Collision
Didn't Take Place Saturday
Afternoon,
GAMBLERS OUT In FORCE.

The "capper" For Shell Game Was
Sworn in as Deputy Sheriff, in Order
to Protect the Crooks-CIaimed to be
Johnson Sherrick.
The "great" railway collision adver-
tised to take place Saturday afternoon,
under the auspices of A. i. Streeter, was
a grand flzzle The engines didn't col.
lide, the simple reason being that Mr..
Streeter didn't own any engines. 1t is
true there were two locomotives on the
grounds, but they were the property of the
Q. @. &. 5. railway, and that corporation
didn't care to have the smash-up simply
for the fun of the thing. Mr.. Streeter
could have secured the engines by paying
80, 400, but he didn't have that amount of
change in his inside vest pocket.
There was crowd of about 3, 900 peo-
pie in the immediate vicinity, but only
100 persons purchased tickets at the gate.
Most of these had their money returned
at the gate, but after the cash gave out
n few were told they would have to get
their money from Streeter. The grounds
were only partially enclosed by fence,
and the woods of the Sherrick heirs were
well patronized. The G. G. &. S. did a
big business in hauling people to the
scene, at 10 cents head.
WILL LOSE BIG MONEY.
Mr. Steerter claims that the scheme cost
him $500 of his own money. About 5000
was collected from the merchants and
hotels of Canton. The merchants are of
course losers to the extent Of the money
paid over, as very few strangers were in
the city. Fiala's military band has "a
promise to pay, for their services. The
deputy sheriffs are wondering who Is to
settle with them, and there are others
who would like their money. The affair
was grand humbug from beginning to
end.
The @. c. &. S. people feel pretty sore
over the affair. The passenger depart
ment of the road advertised the same un
der the impression that Streeter owned
or had paid for the engines, and the whole
truth was not known until 1t was too late
TO back out. People took an interest in
the affair on Streeter's representation that
he had the engines arranged for but he
hadn't and as a result, "flzzle" was
painted on the engines instead of Protec-
tion and Free Trade. Streeter had no
right to arrange for such an affair in such
way. number Of people came from
the country, having travelled many miles,
bringing their families. OF course they
were sore and mad and had a right to be.
When man gets up such an exhibition
he ought to have funds enough at hand
to carry the thing through, whether there
are ten or 10000 people there.
GAMBLERS WERE THERE. :,
The feature of the afternoon was the
n hot
grounds, and In the vicinity. Fakirs and
crooks were here In droves, but their har-
vest was not very rich one, as suckers
were rather scarce Two games of chance,
that Is, chance for the specultors to lose
were conducted on the grounds under the
sanction of Mr.. Streeter and Sheriff Doll.
No attempt was made to interfer with
these games.
Sheriff Doll swore in large number of
deputy sheriffs, and most of them were
good men, who would have done their
duty had they been permitted Others
were not such good men; in fact, some of
them were fakirs who had come here
from other places. They were given the
power of deputy sheriffs, simply to
PROTECT THE SKIN GAMES.
That were run In the woods owned by the
Sherrick heirs. One of the deputy sher-
ifs belonged to n Pittsburg gang that
was running shell game, and acted as
"capper" for the game
Some of the people who were running
skin games claim that a man who said
his name was johnson Sherrick went
through the woods and collected from So
to So from each of them, for the privilege
of operating
johnson Sherriok, the we'll known
hardware man, was seen this morning by
a News-Demoorat reporter, and denied
that he had taken money from any of the
gamblers, saying he had simply ordered
them out of the woods, and that If any
money had been paid some one else had
collected 1t, and represented himself as
johnson Sherriok.