The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1899-10-28
HE WAS ONCE KING OF FAKERs.
Noted Confidence Man Who Has
Played Many Tricks.

takers was In Washington for a couple
OF days last week. on his way TO his
Philadelphia home. after a pleasure tour
OF the West. Lowndes having become
rich. quit travelling six years ago. on his
hftieth birthday. married a young wife.
ard settled down in Philadelphia. where
he was born. For nearly thirty years
TICK" circumnavigating the globe elev-
Ell times. beamed upon the world through
his luxurious whiskers, and. In his own
words. 'ioshed EN- all. white, black, red.
brown and yellow into providing for
his eventual wealth He got his nick
name Of Tick for the solid Is-karat gold
watches he used to sell 10 countrymen for
the nominal sum OF two-bi,s, otherwise
ii quarter.
Maybe you think they won't CO. he
would bawi. holding up one OF his
watches. when purchasers were back
ward That's whore you're away Off;
listen 10 this one tick" And he would
initiate the ticking Of watch with his
mouth. SO that the sound could easily be-
heard by the jays the outer limits Of
the crowd around his torch illuminated
carriage. Success and seniority gave him
the title King OF the Takers" b. which
he was known until his retirement.
THE worst jays l ever struck in the
world" said Tick tn a Washington
Post man, were the Russians. l think
! sold them about five tons of axle grease
corn salve. for ruble an ounce box, on
one trip through Southern Russia All
the men In Russia have got corns. They
all wear heavy cowhide boots-the ordi
nary people. / mean-which probably ac
counts for It, l felt almost ashamed Of
the way those Russian folks fell over
each other 10 buy my ordinary axle
grease OF commerce for their eorns, and
the worst OF II was that in the larger
towns, where | stayed for three or four
days, the yaps that had bought the stuff
on the first day of my arrival came 10
me before left and gratefully told me
that the grease had entirely cured their
corns. Why. | was looked upon as "A
public henefactor throughout the whole
Russian ennire.
Il found the French pretty easy ones.
too. especially in the smaller towns. The
arst time | hill France | was selling West
Indian periumed beans. They were the
ordinary American beans of tho Boston
beloved variety. l dyed the beans blue
and soaked EN- overnight IN bum coll
ogne I uset! a Mexican vaQueros make
III on this trip and sold the beans
dozen for a franc, with a spelibind about
the perfume lasting go years and so on.
II was like getting money in a letter. this
bean fake In France.
"All az the South Americans. from Pan
anna 20 Patagonia. are pretty easy to
go}i~briCk Ali over South America
sold thousands az gallons Of whitening
tonic 10 make the half breeds white.
made Il q nights as went along out OF
any old thing that wasn't harmful--dan-
delion roots Wild cherry bark and such
stuff. The governments got after me
finally for IL. though. and that's the rea-
son the haif-breads If South America are
still reddish IN color Their governments
wouldn't let en- buy enough ~ my whit
erinr tonic yoI see
The Mexicanx'n buy any old thing
Yea may not believe T.. but ! sold thou
@ards Of dollars worth OF common bay
soap for removing grease spots OF owe
trip down there. notwithsa3ding he tact
that ire attire won By the people who
bought the soap was as much on the
tS-strirr order as the Ia Il the land
would permit. / sold EN- safety ra.o~s
that cost r,e - cents each wholesale for
s. which MS as low-69wn "a ever
PLAYED g. "a any man Who hos ever used
& safety razor Will admit.
- would have n1ade s. s9o.sso out of the
natives 81 the F{u islands II the Jealous
white residents down :here hadn't rhokei
re - As & WAS ! cleaned ~ goNd
biz ~ Fucrey ~ tie heTs traded -
h'u~ spectsc'as wifh the .js for cochi-
real Cn10inezl st that tins ~as worth
- weight In silver The Fsas went era
~ trRFr HlfHS 20 %'hS anu EHt-
sicvss - tia islanders gathering cocni-
neal far RE until tha cnnsG's hunted ne
cot ssrt sh> cnchtr esl ~ g tire states
81 ~ Australian steamers ard {; was "A
pretty 60 raae-1ry-
J was cooking Ut q scheme ~ sell the
ka~arz s1rae 500 20 stralxhtsr o.t Ihelv
k..kr ~a~f aa5 make q lock axe re
whf,e mans ha,Y. ~ he white people
-o~n :here wouldn't stand FOR Il, al
though ;hey4 wss millions In X