New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-06-19
c1OT-MACHINE SHARPERS
,r- propIE CONTRIVE TO BEAT THE
rNSTSPFCTING AUTOMATIC
MONEY GETTERS
MONEY -GETTERS.

i r, and exploiiation as a novelty II has de- |
; ,..a into a sober commercial proposition. and
i w :. -ocL ,nc6 with in the future as safely as
/ - rrcor T,rls, or the Standard Oil Company. |
4. almost startling 10 comprehend the wide |
i a., "a which the slot ma chine propaganda has |
| .,lad In the first place the original nickel |
/ - .,o.slot machines did rousing business and |
o6,s were So quick that the business was over |
Il 10 AFTER th4 novelty wore off the business |
,,npej Sharply The public was willing 10 IN
| &c, q MCKEE for amusement but when the new
/ -. wore away il ceased to contribute Then
Il =. ,ennv-in-the-slot ma hinc was evolved and
,oos a IA, business II takes little care. II
..ts cway iay and night while the owner
,..ns or is IF attending to something else
| ,rd in the end pays enough for the care. al
.,orqh the Profits arc mcaCro and do not rank
nth those II tAe old observation-disclosures machines
Amos, every POSSIBLE kind If mechanical de-
.,ce has been invented 10 capture the hayward
.,i, Tho most substantial and about the only
uscbinee placed and operated under a system
.;. h,sness arrane, ment are those for the
,,ie ~ gun and chocolate and the weighing
.aob,ras There are thousands upon thousands
II ,hese M. hines in the country ard the 5usi-
ACC done in h aggregate is considerable.
-,e,e are machines fcr telling fortunes for tell
,,g ons's age for cigarettes for cigars FOR music
hovos for rhonocrAYhs for MICROSCOPES for an
imitation horse rae FOR opera glasses for min
sp-e fountains. for starting the machinery OF
the mode - an ocean liner and SO on indcii-
ri,ely
The business ~ carrying on slo'-macnne
trade IS not IN uncvontful one as might 20 sup
posed. In tho first placr tho machines are *
pnsve 20 make. and il takes some time for the
earnings go Pay for them That is. 4 the ma
chimes ar, left alone. hut il seems as II the
America public had a mania for heating these
sutomatic sales.nen. Thousands upon thou
snds o., cad coins. car seals brass filings. tags
and ever, conceivable kind Of material are used
work ;hc mechanism and secure the results
his IS not So bad in the case 81 weighing
uarhne or a phcnocraph or any thing - tna'
hpi but il bears hard upon the machine-o"n"i
Who soils something material like gum. chocolate
or cigars He sustains a complete loss 81 all ne
material fl~hed from The machine As man
Interested in the business said:
81 don't think people d. il because they want
to steal the material. but just for the supreme
satisfaction - heating tho mechanism. ran
across one ~ our machines one day when IN
COMPANY with man whose check is worth n
nillon He 8 ,pped in front Of the machine and
after some searching pulled brass tag out OF
his pocket and said with a chuckle. watch mo
work this and work it he did He didn't care
4 rap abou, the material secured, and he only
vas happy over being smart"
The men who handle these boxes always keep
weather eye open for circus circus Is
htal 10 the slot machine trade. The path or
circus can always Doe traced by the disappear
ance OF the slot machines along the line. When
he slot rnachine man hears that a circus Is any
where within twenty miles Of one OF his boxes
be PUSHES or an order 10 take down the box
snc store & n a safe Whether IL Is the circus
men themselves or the crowd that follows the
circus Is undetermined. but the fact remains
Aat the box always disappears.
Another thing that Is bad for the slot ma
Aines Is soldiers firm that has n number
slot machines In the South received an inter
5tng report from its agent in town IN ZEN
bessee the other day about a machine there IL
vas the hrst report received. but many nke
followed from the agents, and by Keeping
tack OF the reports they were able 10 follo" on
NE map the route taken by a certain missouri
regiment going 20 the front When the reel-
nent reached this town II was held there for
about an hour The soldiers In casting around
nor something 10 do espied slot machine tha'
nld chewing gum. Immediately pennies were
n demand, and the machine licked away fc'
ny In a way that would have done the owners
heart good Finally the material in the machine
was exhausted Then the soldiers became re-
kntfu over the failure OF the supply, and PICK
ing up the machine they carried il of and broke
open TO &c, back their money. Al the next
Ration they reached a foraging party started
search Of slot machines. and a goodly numper
were raked in. Stealing slot machines became a