The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1903-08-02
CONFESSIONS OF A "FAKIR."
The GuIIibiIity of the Average
American Crowd.

American Crowd.
In the current Independent are pub
lished the confessions of street
ia kir" who for obvious reasons re-
mains anonymous, from which account
it appears that the business is prof.
table.
The fakir's real beginning as an in
dependent operator was in Chicago
of which he says: Chicago is the
only square town IN this country
that is, square from a fakir's or graz
ter's point of view. You pay for pro-
lection and you get it,"
He paid the captain IS for week
for permission to sen nife-sharpeners'
and gave the man on post about dol
lar day. He was warned not to try
any tanning or Stun at this low
rate These privileges cost $40 and 80
a day respectively.
tanning is getting possession OF
the money of a crowd on the under
standing that it is to be given back,
and then whipping up fast team or
horses and driving away. Stun is
selling packages of jewelry, handker-
chiefs, etc.
There are towns that are not
square" In Cleveland the confessing
fakir paid for protection" and was
afterward arrested and fined. Then he
came to New York, concerning when
1t is his testimony that it is town
of easy marks" New York is "clos-
ed" except just before Christmas, but
there is something doing in sneak
pitches"-that is, in "squaring" the
man on post and selling for few
minutes between the visits of the
rounds" However, when the artist
tried it he was arrested by the very
man he had bribed, and thence went
to Philadelphia, of which he says:
philadelphia is the cheapest city in
the United States. The policemen are
paid at the rate of $1.75 per day, and
a fakir who gives one of them quar-
ter 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 territory clear of other fax
irs and vote you prince of good fell
lows.
There is not much money to be
made in Philadelphia by fakir, for
various reasons. First, the people
have an inherited trait of thriftiness;
second, they live their lives less fever
ishly than in any other large city of
the United States; and there are home
guards in the town who take care of
all the surplus cash floating around.
Il always manage to spend a month
in each year in Philadelphia, not for
the profit particularly, 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 1 have had the pleasure of as
sisting at the partition of several large
packages of it's cash, but not of late.
Reform and counter-reform have pIac-
ed the police of Pittsburg in such a
state that they are afraid to trust even
themselves. I do not worry about
things like that, however; I have seen
reform attack cities before, and the
disease is not severe enough to even
leave a scar"
New York and Chicago are the head
quarters for new novelties, and fakirs
of the first class secure the new things
The fakirs keep in touch with the nov
city supply companies for new things,
and scan the papers constantly for an
nouncements which indicate some I'M
usual event that will draw a crowd
Il think that for straight taking
aluminium gas-tips were the most prof
table things 1 ever handled" says the
account of the fakir in the Independent.
They cost me. with the brass pillar
attached. $1.35 per gross. 1 laid out
$500 in tips and printed matter, planned
my campaign, and began an itinerary
time. My bank account showed a ball
ance to my favor just $4,527 in excess
when l had completed my tour.
Il had my circulars distributed in
every place of business in the town
upon my arrival. had each tip stuffed
with cotton. but 1 told the victim that
inside the pillar there was a regulator,
an asbestos screen, and any other me-
chanical contrivance not too bulky to
need a separate building for installa-
ton. He usually believed me.
Il called his attention to the printed
price on the circular-35 cents; and as a
favor, just for an advertisement, l
would sell the required number to him
for rs cents each. If he wavered /
quickly placed a tip on his gas fixture,
lighted the gas and gave him an ocular
demonstration. AS a final, impressive
argument 1 would pass a newspaper
behind the light and show him how
easy it was to read through the flame.
That settled it. 1 never failed to make
a sale
But while 1 was expatiating on the
beautiful light given l did not tell that
1t was produced at the expense of in
creased gas flow, nor did explain that
you can read a newspaper through any
gas fame"