The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1900-04-14

/ practically the entire male population
| Of the town. But the man In the bug
gy seemed oblivious % any attention.
He rearranEed his packages for fifteen
minutes more without looking up. Then
suddenly he stood erect pushed his SILK
hat back on his head, and held up sill
| yer dollar.
States silver dollar What gentleman
in the crowd will give me Atty cents for
TT
after silver dollars at fifty cents
"Tt's perfectly good silver dollar,
| urged the man in the buggy. II any
gentleman wishes to examine 1t let him
step right up, Besides, how long do
you suppose I'd be outside of state pris-
on IL / went about selling counterfeit
money In the public streetsY
Just then his eye lighted on the
proprietor OF the hotel, who was in the
~ put up at your house last night.
didn't II
"'pid ! pay you with good money
this morning.
did.
/" Wen. step up here, then, and risk
fifty cents to start the bali a-r0lling.
You may take my word for it, it's 100
per cent investment.
THE hotel man laughed and finally
come forward and gave him fifty cents
for the dollar. The man in the buggy
Immediately held up the fifty cents.
"'NoNv,' he said. who'll give me a
quarter for this half-d0llar"
This time 1t wasn't dffhcult to get a
taker. and the man in the buggy there
upon sold the quarter for fifteen cents.
the fifteen cents for a dirne, and the
dime for a nickel. These last bargains
went like hot cakes. Then he held up
the nickel.
Gentlemen, he said I want to buy
six matches for this Ave cents
HE got a dozen or two offers. The
crowd seemed to be grssping the idea
that they were trading on n bull mar
ket. The man in the, buggy secured his
matches and held one up.
what gentleman he said, VIII give
me n dollar for this match?'
This was q new phase and the Dull
market took on conservative tone.
"'Oh, I know as well as you do, said
the man, that that's a high price to
nav for a match You can buy fifty
boxes for the money. But. gentlemen.
these don't happen to be ordinary
matches. and somebody's going TO give
me a dollar for each one Of these six
and it's going to be the best bargain
he's made In a long time
There was nothing OF the salesman
about the man in the buggy. lie was
the prophet sure and simple. He stated
his case calmly ana e-relessly like a
man who was not concerned with the
result.
There was a pause for few mo-
ments; then somebody handed UP a
dollar. The man in the buggy folded
the match in a bit OF paper and made
the buyer step up to the wheel. Then
he poked It into his vest pocket and
| said:
Now you button your coat up over
that. and stay right there, so I'll Know
where you are when l want YOU
"Then he held up second match,
and sold one after another Of the six at
81 apiece in less than three minutes.
After that he pulled out a s. bill and
said he wanted to buy three more
| matches with It. and the crowd tum-
bled over itself: He broke these
matches in halves, and began TO sell
| the halves at 81 apiece. He disposed OF
three, and then the market sngged
again. But the man in the buggy was
mot in the least Disconnected. He broke
! the remaining halves into quarters and
| offered the quarters at 81 apiece. The
crowd began to laugh. Then they stop
ped laughing. The man In the buggy
| said little or nothing, bW somehow he
! was hung as thick With promises as II
Christmas tree. The next thing me
crowd knew he had sold four of the
FThnn tho market
halted again.
Ian. right, gentlemen, just as you
saw said the man In the buggy. i've
got lust two more duarter-matches, and
| I'm going to sell them at IS each. Two
| little bits OF matches at s. apiece!
Funny. isn't it,
ut was funny. but he sold them.
| And every match, or half or quarter. he
sold he wrapped up in bit of paper,
pokcd II into the buyers vest pocket
and made him button his coat over 1t
and stand close so he could be got at
when wanted.
Now, I've got something little
different. said the man IN the buggy
''He took out Of an inside pocket a
roll Of bills the size of small cahbnge,
| and laid It down on the seat before
him Then he opened one OF his pack
ages and held up brass watch case
without the works.
Here. gentlemen, he said Us an
empty brass watch case-hrass, under
stand, no gid about 1t. And here Is
something you can all sec for your
selves--good money, too
''It was a, two-dollHr bill. and AFTER
| folding II Up In plain sight OF every
body he stuffed II into the watch case
and shut down the lid.
"'who wants the combination for n
| dollar?' he asked.
.;He got his dollar on the run, put the
| cnss with his own hands into the buy
| er's rocket, and made him button his
! cont up over II aud stand close. Just MS
no had done with the matches, Then he
picked a five dollar bill out Of his wad,
mt II in another brass case. and sold
| Inc outfit for 81: then n ten-dollnr bill
for So; and then Il twenty-dollnr bill Tor
:" This 10 fun for YOU, gentlemen, he
said, but my turns coming after u
while
shook out lot OF shoddy lewclry;
badges and pins. and the IKE thet sc"
AT retail for Ave and ten cents apiece
"ThIs is the last chance for bar
gnins he said. and began TO offer them
Mt 81, 81 and 81. and, 40 help me. he got
it. And every piece vas wrapped up
and showed into the customers vest
pocket, and the customer himself made
10 gtnnd up among the elect who were
going to have something nice hnppcn to
! fhcm lated. Once In u while. when ("
sale dragged he'd wrnp the gecgaw IN
a .flva.doliar bill instead OF paper' but
never until It was sold. And this I'M
certainty as to what the wrapper was
! going to be also had II gaea eHeet e"
the market / guess he sofa nlterh OF
twenty pieces at nm average Of perhaps
| 81 apiece,