The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-08-09
L.(.Hyres @ Co.

ing. But never, since then, has the treasury
of New York been enriched by any of my
money, nor has any other policeman had his
salary augmented at my expense. / find it
safer to hire lookOuts. albeit more expensive.
Philadelphia came next on my list of unex-
plored cities. Philadelphia is also on the list
of closed cities; but it is easily opened. Ii
is the cheapest city in the United States.
The policemen are paid at the rate of 81. rs
per day, and a fakir who gives one of them
a quarter for protection is hailed as a Car
negie. For a dollar a day the guardian of the
beat you are working on will keep your ter
ritory clear of other fakirs and vote you the
prince of fellows.
There is not much money to be made in
Philadelphia by a fakir, for various reasons
first, the people have an inherited trait OF
thriftiness; second, they live their lives less
feverishIy than in any large city of the
United States; and there are home guards"
In the town who take care Of all the surplus
cash floating around: so that the stranger
who seeks to prey on Philadelphians must
confine his efforts to disposing of something
which will net him not more than 500 per
cent profit.
PHILADELPHIA EXPERIENCE.
I always manage to spend a month in each
year in Philadelphia, not for the profit par
ticularly. but mainly for the nerve tonic l
get from the restful life there. Pittsburg is
different. There is money in abundance in
that town, and L have had the pleasure of
uoShStiIS at NhC Atiti VI ~
packages of cash, but not of late. Reform
and counter reform lave placed the police
in Pittsburg in such a state that they are
afraid to trust even themselves. 1 have
heard that they look over their money on
pay days with a microscope, for fear some
of their bills might be marked. / do not
worry about things like that, however; /
have seen reform attack cities before, and
the disease is not severe enough even to
leave a scar. 1t is only the fakirs and graft
ers without experience who growl at the
present and long for the good old times; and
IT is only the politician of yesterday who
bemOans the loss of his silver, green or
golden lined cloud when the reform storm
The big cities are not the only ones to re-
ceive attention from the fakirs. During one
period of about two years. which L passed
in the Eastern States, / never did a stroke
of business in a town Of more thar 1900 in
habitants. There is a lot of money in the
manufacturing towns of the East, but the
police will not permit anything but
straight work. While the returns from the
legitimate sale OF a fakir's stock are sure,
they are, to me, slow. / can figure on max
ing so a day clear with almost anything
that is portable
New York and Chicago are the headquar-
ters for new novelties, and 1t is the fakirs
of the first class who secure the new things.
The men who are satisfied with two or three
dollars per day come in at the flag end. We
keep in touch with the novelty supply COM
panies for new things, and scan the papers
constantly for announcements which indi-
cate some unusual event that is calculated
to draw a crowd / never travel with less
than two trunks; and If i find a fakir work.
ing in the same town / always give him the
right of way with his goods and sell some
thing else.
think tina for straight taking, Alumni
um gas tips are the most profitable things /
ever handled. They cost me, with the brass
pillar attached, $1-35 per gross. L laid out $500
in tips and printed matter, planned my cam
paign, and began an itinerary which occu-
pied four months of my time. My bank &C
count showed a balance to my favor just
1887 in excess when / had completed my
tour.
had my circulars distributed in every
place OF business in the town upon my ar
rival. Then / called, presented my card and,