The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-10-14
WHEAT BELTFLUSH OFCASH
AM EVERY KIND or SCHEMER rs
FLOCkING THERE FOR A SHARE.

Book Agents. Atlas Men. street Fakirs,
Gamblers and Pickpockets All After the
Farmers Harvest Money, and They're
Having o Highly Successful Campaign.
SAl!NA. Kan, oct. To- The big wheat crop
In Kansas has brought thousands into the wheat
belt in the last few weeks. Some have come 10
settle and to raise wheat crops of their own
but Others have come to persuade the farmers
To divide their wheat money with them, and
all sorts Of schemes, some legitimate and most
of them otherwise, are offered to bring about
this result. Among the latter class are thou
sands Of men popularity known as -grafters."
A Who'll" army of graiters has invaded Kansas
from all sides in the last two months. They
have heard that the wheat farmers have
abundance Of money, and according TO their
theory the farmer ANA his money are soon
parted If proper inducements are held forth.
Every conceivable sort of a graft" Is being
offered To Kansas farmers at present, Agents
Of all kinds visit him ut his home and in the
fields, aud when he goes TO town the street
takir ias,iuates him on every street corner.
Book agents are reaping a harvest. They
hIudl" everything from the lives OF the Prcsi-
dental candidates 10 a dictionary. Within tho
last two week dozens Of agents have appeared
In the wheat region with even a history Of the
Galveston Hood. Then there are the atlas men,
Nearly every county in the wheat belt is being
worked by atlas agents for tho first time for
twelve ycars-sinCe the days Of the boom.
Map makers are going over the entire region
preparing drawings. and at the same time
canva-sing the farmers for advance orders.
Sewing-machiue agents and oTLJn agents
are very common. and now and then u plano
I agent attacks the farmers. Agents for dla-
monds have appeared in some localities. but the
| farmers sons are wary of the diamonds offered
! them by strangers. one SET Of diamond agents
| offers $50 diamonds for 500, on the pretence
that they have been selling on the iustalIment
plan and so many purchasers hav" defaulted
In their payments that they ar" able TO sell
at "a great reduction to others who would keep
their payments up.
But il Is At the street fairs, fall festivals
and c~arnival- that are being held In Kansas
this fan that the CRATER nourishes most The
recent wheat carnival In Salina was also a
g%raftcrS' carnival There wa, everything from
Buffalo Bins Wild West down through Midway
shows and common street fakes, 10 street
| gambling outfits, and every one secured a share
of the wheat money The morning that the
Wild West show reached Salina the streets
were several inches deep In mud. 4 cold rain
had been falling for twenty-four hours. The
| 'sll liNIl hlllN WV NV
show grounds were a swamp and there was no
way 10 reach them except through mud to the
shoe tor. Col cody early in the day docidcd
TO charge up the day expenses 10 profit and
loss. but he did not know the wheat farmers.
Salina IS the principal city of the entire north
eru part Of the wheat belt and all the railroads
centre there The farmers came IT, on eNCur-
sion trains for 80 miles A. the afternoon
performance of Buffalo Blls show le,pH peo-
pie waded through the sea Of mud, and in the
evening more than 1000 followed them II
was the biggest day. business IA" show had
| done during the season. and Col Cody got
approximately $500 ~ his share Of the wheat
| money in a single day Other enterprises
Jared proportioua'ely. The badge man got
500 for the exclusive privilege Of selling the
badges and ho rcaped a profit Of several hum
| dred dollars on his weeks work.
The streets were lined with every kind Of
CRATER Almost every foot Of available space
along tho walks frcluonted 10y N" crowds was
occupied hy some street fak.r, seeking his -hare
of the wheat money. Two young fellows
landed i'm Sllna The DAY the carnival began.
They mad less than SO between them when
the contents ur their purses was Syndicated.
but they possessed an uulinitod amount of nerve
and "A limited experience in the show business.
They borrowed 4 tent and an animal eng" from
n Snowman purchased a helr~kIn rug and a
pair of Buffalo horns, hired a man with a grll
voice TO wear the rug and the horns, secured a
concession ON the Midway 10y pledging a part
of their gate receipts, and then hung ont
a sign announcing the arrival OF Hi II, the
Wild Man" The deception was 50 amusing
10 those who were taken In by II that they
sent others 10 see II. and Have you seen hi HI"
became u by-word. As a result the two
grafters gathered in 500 Of wheat money.
The amount Of loot rescued by the pick
pockets will never be known, but It amounted
10 thousands 81 dollars. There might hav"
been a pickpockets' convection with prizes
offered TO the one who could do the most
work. and the farmers suffered accordingly.
The g~raiters are one Of the curses Of prosper
itv. The wheat crop il only about one-thlrd
| marketed thus far, So the field i still FIRE" for
considerable work on the Part Of the indus
trious CRATER. and there will probably be plenty
Of the species 70 work u. One kind Of CRATER
made only a single descent upon this part ot
the wheat belt. but he made that visit pay.
| Bank robbers visited the little town ~ Bush
ton. forty miles southwest Of this place, and
carried away with them over S2j."n. Bushton
is a town Of only 2o inhabitants, but the sur
rounding country Is rich in wheat, and the bank
Is corr,spundiurly long on deposits. It Is
not unusual for small banks In the wheat belt
To have six and eight times the amount Of their
capital stock in deposits, and often their cash
in hand will also exceed their capital. THIS
was the case with the Bushton bank when il
wa looted. II was capitalized for $500, and
the burglars 80 cured more than this amount
and besides carried of all the banks securi-
ties. amounting TO $1,000 more. All of the
money in the bank waS taken except about
slo in ulckcls and pcnuie-, which we're too
bulk 10 be carried away.