The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1902-04-25

| at that particular town, so Sim and
sat up half the night discussing the
| scandalous doings OF the bunko man.
who had now chung 10 our route for
two months. Sim was almost sick
| with anger and the sense OF his disap
pOintment. He scratched his bald,
shining head till 1t got red he puffed
out his fat, cherubic cheeks till he
looked like an apOplectic. and then he
came as near swearing as ] ever heard
him. What made him so particularly
mad was the fact that the confidence
man always did his tricks right by the
tent wall, SO that every village paper
that had made a sensation Of his swim
dies credited them 10 AN attache OF
the Rockwell ell-SimpsoD-Price Circus
That fairly ate into the sensitive soul
OF sim.
well, sirs, just 10 show you the au-
dacity OF the fellow, the very next af-
ternoon at the matinee, or rather just
after IL had begun, he attracted
crowd Of men and boys 10 a clear spot
near the very dressing tent which Sim
had just left TO enter the ring, and
shell-gamed "A farmer out Of $40. When
Sim heard that | thought he was going
10 faint He made up his mind TO re.
frain from his work in the ring until
he had caught the rascal, and, as !
was beginning to realize the odium at
taching 10 our names, | reluctantly
agreed that he should not appear that
night. He stayed around the tent all
afternoon looking distrait, pale and, for
him, venOmously disagreeablc.
II think that night was one OF the
best we ever had so far as the attend
ance was concerned. | was obliged, at
Sims solicitation, to announce that
Dumpy Humpy' (his ring nameJ the
famous clown would be unable 10 ap-
ton. Sim was such stickler for fair
dealing he'd have returned every dollar
taken in If the people had asked IT,
But ii was "A good-natured crowd ana
they stayed for the show. We never
had less trouble. Every performer
seemed TO be on his or her mettle and
even the trained animals did their
Mile. Du Barry was just at the climax
Of her thrilling bareback act-the piece
de resistance of the whole show, when
| heard the familiar yell Of 'Dumpy
Iumpy,' the clown, as he galloped fu-
riOusly into the ring In fash | re-
allied that one of two things had hap
pcned-either he had already caught
the bunko man or he was trying 10
surprise me with a novelty Of his own
invention. For, clinging TO the tail of
his mule, came stranger in street at.
tire, tugging like a demon as il to stop
the beast. Everything happened so
quickly and so unexpectedly that |
didn't have time TO think that Sim
was running the effect of his wife's act.
THE mule nearly collided with Mile.
Du Barry's charger just in front of the
reserved seats, and the next thing |
knew the stranger had dragged the
clown down into the sawdust and was
choking him. Mademoiselle screamed
and galloped out OF the ring. The
spectators laughed loud at what
seemed TO them the clowns grotesque
entrec, but when | pushed into the
cloud Of dust and sawdust raised by
the scufllcr's found the town police
man slipping pair of handouts on
my partners wrists.
Heres your bunko man. he
grinncd. standing up and stripping Sim
of his motley. Here's the shells and
here's three cards, ana here's"
''The officer pulled out each article
as he spoke Here's the flash roll,
and-oh. look here! DO you want any
more evidence? Here's his false mus
tachc and his wig"
The audience wanted to lynch the
poor clown when they began to see
that he was in the hands of the law,
but we slipped poor Sim out through
the dressing tent and left town that
night. | never saw him again. but |
understand that his beautiful wife
stuck to him and that they have beer
doing well without working ever since
Trust 'em for that."-John III. Raftery,