El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1900-03-17
TRAPS OF
SOME FAKIRS
The South a Prolific Field
For Them
BIG PROFITS ARE MADE
Secret Of a Diamond Ruffle-piCture
Game a Source OF Bio Income
For Men Who Have Unlimited
Nerve And Are Smooth Takers

| "Grafting down this way" remarked
an old timer to the ChicsgoI nter Ocean,
as been worked to fragile but the
times have been prosperous. l have
| travelled three states, and | am ready
now to return to Chicago with quite a
bunch. [ am going to quit the game. l
nave been it for, 10! these
ma many o,G years :, and 1 am getting :
the the army of emoo Eo vo GP Who
ara lighting for my place. The field Is
overrun with grafters, and unless
something happens the bottom will
drop out of the trade. Still, | am lot
kicking, fOr, as | said, | had the
| best business this season for years, and
L am always going to stick up for the
south when the grsfters try to knock
friends, and, thanks to their kindness,
l can spend my old years in peace and
quiet.
Times were different from what
they are now when hit the road %
years ago. Then l was raw recruit,
without the smooth finish that L acq uir-
ed in later times, but l have done
better in the past few years than [
did when the CRATER was a
for with so many chaps fighting for
the trade and so much printed 10 the
newspapers about confidence men and
fakirs. | fod it easier now to graft
than | used TO. Old games are just as
good now as ever, and you don't have
to travel the world over to find a GUS
toner for a gold brick.
Early this season | struck q town
down south. and became citizen.
publishing house, snd | WAS in hard
luck. There ron nile of pbaDs in
hard luck, and they got into town
about the same time 1 did. OF course,
we were on to each others game, sc
we pooled issues and agreed to work
the place tol ether. l engaged the
fellows 20 help me sell, and we really
did sell stacks of printed matter.
Later On one of my pals told it about
some money left me by relative, and
the next day | was swarmed with
church people with lists as long as your
arm, and they all wanted to make q
touch. just had to produce. My
funds were getting short and | was in
dire distress, for I did nos contemplate
anything like that.
Il brought my diamonds out and
began to wear them, and l did look
swell, but the days were dull, so my
pal was told TO 60 and announce that
ny legacy had been lost by reason of
the finding of a later will. The man
whispered IL around that l was in hard
and he thought I was
going to rattle my diamor DIS. Now
those diamonds were the pride OF the
village. Every body wanted them, and
so when the rattle list was opened there
wae rush TO buy chances. | had one
really fine ring. This was to be ratified. |
and the chances were to sell from |
cen. to $3.50 You see, man had q |
chance to win the stone for copper, |
and by counting pyou will zee what
the graft was worth. But l was net |
going to lose that ring. Oh, no: not |
on your life. The scheme was mana
ged between my pals and l. There
were three big chances kept by the
firm. l had 240. one of my pals bad |
24l. and the other had 242. When all
the tickets were sold, the crowd
gathered one night in the grocery
store to see the rattle. Every man, of
course, believed he would win the
81 bad several Legitimate chances,
one of which was on a 15-cent ticket.
took the dice and rolled ~. Well,
that looked sure winner. A sporty
chap came forward and offered me 500 |
Tor the throw, aud after bit of die
1erlDg L sold it. Told him l would sell |
because | had other tickets end |