The Jennings daily record. [volume] (Jennings, La.) 1900-1903, 1902-05-30


five minutes ago. and that he had
seen the confidence man duck into
the dressing room within the minute.
We'll. sirs, poor Sim few into a
rage. He was for jumping off his mute
then aud there to help find the long
looked-for swindler. 1 persuaded him
TO galiop out into the ring by promis
ing to do the searching myself. and.
aided by the officer. 1 searched dill
gently. The bugler at the ring en-
trance had seen nobody enter from the
dressing tent. We opened all the
trunks and hampers, kicked over piles
of rugs, straw. canvas and properties.
but found nothing. Finally we de-
cided that the crook had slipped in at
one side and out at the other without
being seen by Mr.. Price. VINO was at
the time alone in his little dressing
cell. The officer looked nonplussed,
but he left. after carefully describing
the mans appearance. 1t tailed ex-
1ctly With al the previous knowledge
we had Of the elusive crook. and there
was then nothing more to do but re-
new OR vigilance.
we were doing three-day stand
ut that particular town, so Sim and
sat up half the night discussing the
scandalous dCings Of the bunko man.
who had now chung to our route for
two months. SIN was almost sick
wit, anger anG the sense of his disap-
continent. He scratched his bald
saining head till it got red: he puffed
out his fat. cherubic cheeks TIL he
| look ed like an apoPlectic. and then he
came as near swearing as l ever heard
hiE. What made him so particularly
| mad was the fact that the confidence
| man always did his tricks right by the
| tent wall. 50 that every village paper
| that had made Il sensation of his swim
! dies credited them TO AN attache OF
| the Rockwell Si.npson--ricc Circus
Tat fairly ate into tn sensitive soul
| of Sim.
| We'll. sirs. just to show You the au-
| dacity of the fellow. the very next af-
ternoon ut TIC matinee. or rather just
after il had begun. he attra cted a
| crowd Of men and boys to a clear spot
| near the very dressing tent which Sim
| had just left to enter tn ring. and
| she'll gained farmer out of $40. When
Sim heard that l thought he was going
| tC faint lie iladc Up his mind to rc'
fraiu rom his work il the ring Unit
he had caught tn rascal. ana, as
| was begilning t. realize the CdiuIn at
tachia9 to our names, ! reluctantly
agreed that he should not appear tha1
night. 52 stayed around the tent al
! afternoon looking dStrait. pale aAd. foI
him, venomOusly disa agreeable
| Il think that night was one Of tl'
best we ever had 50 far us ,hc attend
auce was concerned. l was obliged Il
Sims solicitation, Il announce tina
Dump Eumpy' CHS ring nance tn
famous clown would be unable to ap
pear ON account Of Il sudden indiSpoSi
1icu. Sim was such Il stickler for fai
dealing he'd have returned every della
taken in if the people had asked il
But it was Il good-natured crowd an
they stayed fer the show. We neve
had less trouble. Every perforDe
seemed to be on his or her nettle an
| ven the trained animals I'D thei
tricks with extraordinary success:
Mile. Du Barry was just 1T the china
IF her thrilling bareback act-the piec
de resistance of the whole show. whe
heard the familiar yell Of Dump
. Humpy,' the clown. as he galloped fl
ricusly into the ring. In a flash / IT
, allied that one of two things had haI
l
/, the bunko man or he was trying t
surprise ne with n novelty of his Ow,
invention. For. clinging to the tai o
his mule. came n stranger il street Al
tire, tuggilg like a demon as if to Sto
t the beast. Everything happened s
+ quickly ard so unexpectedly that
/ diGn't have time TO think that Sir
: was running the effect of his wife's ac
The mule nearly collided with Ill'
S Du Barry's charger just il front Of III
+ | reserved seats. and the next thing
7 knew the stranger had dragged tn
= clown down into the sawdust and wa
5 choking him. MadcmuiSeilc Screane
: and galloped Out Of the ring. Th
e spectators laughed loud at wha
e seemed 70 them tie clowns SrOteSqu
i cntree, but when | pushed into tn
: cloud of dust and sawdust raised b
;. the scufiers [ found the town polio
= man slipping Il pair Of handouts o
i my partners wrists.
5 Here's your bunko man
E grinned, standing up and stripping Sill
+ of his motley. Here's the shells an
r here's three cards, and here's
4 The officer pulled out each articl
rs he SPOKE. Here's the fash roi
=, and-oh look here! Dc You want an
0 | more evidence? Heres his false nut:
Il tach" and his wig
= Tho audience wanted TO lynch ~
. | poor clown when they began to Sc
! that he was il the hands Of TIE Law
: but we Slip ID poor Sim cut thrCus
4 the ,.rcsriug tent ana left town tha
= night. | ugVer SAW Iill again. but