The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1899-10-23
MEN WHO SWAP RAZORS
Il TRADE OF BARBERS VINO ARE
FOND or WANDERING.
Some of Them Have Wonderful Ability
I'm Judging RazOrs-Others Have 'he
Art of Disposing of what They Get

''That razor hurt?' asked the NIUE
man back of the end chair in the par
Der shop as he started to scrape the
beard from the chin of the man in the
chair. The customer paused to wipe the
lather from his mouth with corner OIL
the towel before answering, and TINS
preliminary satisfactorily completed ne
said: "All right: | guess.
JJndaunted by the apparent disincll-
nation of the man in the chair to carry
on a conversation the barber went on,
81 thought it was, for it's one of a new
lot l just got. 1t has swatty edge
and for a time at least will be better
than the ordinary run of razors.
BY this time the man in the chair rad
about made up his mind that there was
so much talking to be endured, ana
with. view to doing something besides
listen. he asked "a sWatty edge?
What's that and where did you get it?'
From fellow who was in here few
minutes before you came in was the
answer. Hes one of class of men
who make their living by travelling
about the country trading razors.
There is always an opportunity to pick
UP bit of money in any good-sized
more barber shops, and some of these
tonsorial tourists, as they call them
selves, make twice as much money as
a man who puts in twelve hours day
back of chair.
Eat that many of them are clever
men with a razor, and If put to it could
do a bit of work that would compare
favorabIy with that of any man IN the
shop here Once in a while one Will
strike a town and put in a Saturday
evening back of a chair but this is only
as a last resort. They much prefer
their rowing life, and it usually pays
better than steady job, although there
is an element of uncertainty about it.
Most of these tourists have been bar
bers, and clever ones at that. But it is
as a Judge of razors these tourists ex-
eel. Their ability to tell good razor
even at a glance is something wonder
full.
"But you don't want to think for
minute that a tourist cares anything
about good razor. Not in the slightest
degree. All he is after is the COIN and
if he can get it for poor razor he's
just as well satisfied. Good, bad or in
different as the case may be, he never
disposes of razor without getting at
least small amount of money in addi-
ton to the razor he swaps. 1t may be
ten cents or it may be a quarter Once
in a great while he will manage to
make half a dollar on a single transact
ton, but that is an exception. He is
perfectly satisfied with ten cents, but
in no case will he make an exchange
without something to boot ."
Stopping long Enough to slap on lit
tie lather where the soap had become
dry and incidentally push some into
the customers mouth, the barber was
going on to tell more about the tourists
when he was interrupted by his victim,
who asked how the tourists managed to
get hold of razors to start business
with.
ooh, that's no great amount of trou-
BILE. It's an easy matter for man
with a dollar or two to get a few old
razors to start off with, and under his
system of doing business he will double
his stock in trade and have money in
addition In very short time after be-
ginning operations. If man is very
hard up, he will perhaps beg an old ra-
Zor or two from some friend. This
gives him a start, and then it is his
fault If he can't increase his capital.
Hooks are one pretty profitable source
of income for the tourists.
whats hook? Why, here" and
opening a drawer he drew out hand
full of razors In various stages of use
fulness. You see they're all nicked
and apparently worn out. Fit for cut
ting corns or sharpening lead pencils,
perhaps, but If one spoke of using them
for shaving people would laugh at him
That's all right, but the tourist Is the
real wise guy, and hooks are his meat
This is especially the case if they hap
pen to be those old-timers of razors that
were in use say twenty-five or fifty
years ago. At that time there was no
lack of steal and iron, and it wasn't so
necessary to ecOnomZe on material
AS a result, there was just about twice
the amount of stee! in a razor blade
that there is at the present time, and it
was generally of first-cass quality.
Taking one of these old-timers. discard
ed because of a nick or something of
that sort, the tourist VIII grind it down
to the size of modern razor, and will
have no difficulty in disposing of it.
another graft for the tourist is the
police auction OF course, you know
that in every city of any size the police
authorities have miscellaneous colec-
ton of things that accumulate during
the year. Revolvers and razors are two
of the most common things left in this
manner, and when the date of the po-
lice auction Is announced there is sure !
to be one or more of the tourists on
hand to bid on the raZors. Here again |
the old-time, heavy, broad bladed ra-
zors are most frequent and man often |
has a chance to buy a dozen good !
blades for the price of an ordinary one |,
BY keeping track of the time of these |
police auctions, the foxy tourist can
manage to strike the cities in circuit, |
thus insuring a good supply of material |
for his business, which is sure to pay
him first-class returns for the money
he puts into it.
THE swatty plays a most important |
part in all the tourists operations.
Without it, he would be completely at
a loss, or practically so, as he would be
compelled to have his razors sharpened
by some one, thus doing away with |
large share of his profits. What is |
swatty? It's a sort of composition
stone with which an edge can be put on