Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1903-02-11

is trouble ana HSHl cdiHOL De aNOlo-
ed. the cry of Hey, no, Rube, Rube..'
will bring every canvasman and jock
ey to the scene, and they are tough
fighters.
"The big grafters are the ticket
men. They short change mostly Then
they wet a lot of walk away money.
They have couple of cappers who
watch for the men with wads. When
one gets up to the wagon and gets his
ticket the cappers hustle him into the
crowd before he can count his change
or before he can get it. He can't raise
a fuss. because the town is usually
fixed, and if he said too much some
one would rap him gently with tent
peg. Walk-away money is looked up
on as honest graft.
ut costs something to fix this. The
advance agent of the grafters finds ou!
whether grating is allowed in town.
Usually it is on payment of $50 to
some rube chief of police or sheriff.
or the giving to him of stone that
was hooked. If the police won't stand
for it, there is no grating, and if
one of the fellows tries it he gets into
trouble with the old man or the eques
trian director.
THE side show is good Dot, whom
| mentioned, is a rich woman up in
husband to run it. She carried So
000 worth of stones with her. and she
never lost sparkle. She was dandy
at whizzers You know some fellow
that mad cash would come along and
look at her fishpond. Dot would say
quick like: Buy one of my pictures?
You won't? You haven't the money!
You have the money I think you're
lying. Let me see. A roll? Bet this
prize watch it's counterfeit. Then let
me look He does, and she is out
before he knows what struck him. He
chases round to the back of the plat
form, and some of the cappers strip
off the prizes That money is lost for
good. Do you know where she was
the day told you about? In the men s
dressing room in trunk. and fellow
was sitting on it making up.
Some of the bum performers are
good grafters. They don't get paid
for their act but they make it up out
side or else in little game in the
privilege car-that is the car where
you buy drinks and play cards. Some
grafters come back to New York with
wad as big as a pumpkin. 1t is hard
work, because they have to hustle, as
there are only about four hours day
to graft. So when money comes up
they must grab it on the run. This
made me sick at first, but | concluded
that if a man is fool enough to bring
to a circus more than enough money
to pay his way in and buy bag OF
peanuts. he ought to lose it. If he
wears jewelry he ought to have it
taken away from him. The grafters
have a good opinion of themselves.
They don't think much of turkey "a
cakewalkerl or kinker "a tumbleD,
because they make more money than
either. There's money in grating,
but sometimes man gets pint of
lead for it, especially out west. y
And then he introduced me to
couple of friends, one of them a graft
er. DO you operate in New York? p
"You bet your hatband we don't. 1t
wouldn't be worth while. The police
have their own men, and we would be
pinched before the day is out There
is little circus graft in New York, and
when there is any it is because the
front door is not Oh Grating has to
step aside. So the big cities are no
GOOD. Give me a little town with 3
big farming district The circus is a
society event, and it brings out the
family jewels and empties the family
stocking. That is whore artistic sk'1
is rewarded. New York Press.