Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1899-05-10

some OF Inc people VINO went 10 Inc
circus yesterday had amusements out
side of those narrated upon the official
programme, and they paid correspond
ingly dear for their fun.
In fact, it generally cost these seek
ers after recreation all they had with
them, and there were a great many
mourners during the middle and latter
part of the afternoon.
This phase of the circus business was
confined to the side-show tents, and
certain blonde lady who was conspic-
uous in the parade, driving a chariot,
is alleged by the police to have acted
as sort of capper and steerer for the
proceedings. She was extremely yolu-
BILE, it was quite easy to make her ac-
quaintance, and she was not averse to
putting newly made friends onto a
good tnlng-for some of the show peo-
pie.
The game which resulted so disas-
trously for a good many was started
very early in the afternoon. A quiet
and unassuming gentleman opened up
a little stand in one of the side show
tents, and displayed lot of envelopes
marked with letters of the alphabet.
You picked your letter, and it generally
won, but you had to display as much
money as the winning envelope called
for, and then you lost that money
through the wiles of the operator to
take another chance.
Police Lieutenant Supler arrived on
the ground early, as he thought,
but he was not quite early enough.
Many people had already been robbed,
and he was met by one Wetzel county
farmer, who had gone to the show with
nearly three hundred dollars and had
taken an interest in the envelope game
from the start
When met him. said the Lieuten-
ant, "he was out all his money. 1
asked him if he knew who took it, and
he said he knew the place and the man.
1t was in one of the side shows
took him there, but the operator had
skipped out. While this man was tell
ing me of his loss, another young man,
about nineteen or twenty years of age,
also said he had been victimized to the
extent of over forty dollars He was
either Greek or an Italian. While
they were talking a semi-circle formed
about us, and l wondered what interest
the people all had in the cases. 1t
finally came out that they had all been
playing the game, and all had lost I
took hold of the matter and as a result
the Wetzel county man got good deal
of his money back. Others were not so
lucky. No one can tell just how much
money was dropped at the game, but it
must have amounted to quite large
sum-"
The police also reported that num-
Der of houses within several squares of
the show grounds were entered by
thieves, but there appeared to be no
definite information last night as to
losses. Orders were sent out to the
might force on the Island, however, to
keep a bright lookout for suspicious
persons, and several extra officers were
on duty over there during the evening.
The following special to the Register
from Parkersburg fits right into this
article:
Special to the Register.
Parkersburg, w. Va, May 9.-J. S.
Smith, of st. Marys. drew one of the
ticlnts from a fakir's outfit who was
doing business in the side-show with
Wallace's circus last night. The fakir
said it was worth $3.50, but required
Smith to produce that much money,
which he grabbed and skipped out.
Smith held the number, but got no
cash. Other victims of the fakirs are
being heard from to-day.