Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1903-09-01
4 CANDID STREET FAKIR.
POLICE OF CHICAGO, NEW YORK
AND SMALLER TOWNS COM
9AREE.
GuIIibiIity of the Average American
Crowd-The Business is a Profitable
One Judged by This Confession.

One Judged by This Confession.
In the New York Independent are
published the confessions Of a street
'fakir" who for obvious reasons re-
mains anonymous, from which account
it appears that the business is profit
able
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 the fakir's or
grafter's point of view. You pay for
protection and you get it."
He paid the captain IS for week
for permission to sell knife sharpen
ers, and gave the man on post about
a dollar a day. He was warned not
to try any 'jamming" or @.slum" at the
low rate. These privileges cost SO
and S. a day respectively.
Tanning" is getting possession of
the money of crowd on the under
standing that it is to be given back,
and then whipping up fast team of
horses and driving away Stun" is
selling packages of jewellery, hand
kerchiefs, &c.
There are towns that are not square
for protection and was afterwards ar
rested and fined. Then he came to
New York, concerning which it is his
testimony that it is a town of easy
marks" New York is CLOSED" except
just before Christmas, but there is
something doing in SNEAK pitches
that is, in "squaring" the man on post
and selling for a few minutes between
the visits of the rounds. However,
when the artist tried it he was ar
rested 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 S1.75 per day, and
a fakir who gives one of them a quar-
ter for protection is hailed as Car
negie. For dollar a day the guar
dian of the beat you are working on
will keep your territory clear of other
fakirs and vote you prince of good fell
lows.
"There is not much money to be
made in Philadelphia. First the peo-
pie have an inherited trait of thrift
ness; second, they live their lives less
feverishly 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
81 always manage to spend q month
in each year in Philadelphia. not for
the profit particularly. bat mainly for
the nerve tonic / get from the restful
life there. Pittsburg is different.
There is money in abundance in that
town, and l have had the pleasure of
assisting at. the partition of several
large packages of its cash, but not of
late. Reform and counter-reform have
placed the police of Pittsburg in such
a state that they are afraid to trust
even themselves. l do not worry
about things like that, however;
have seen reform attack cities before;
and the disease is not severe enough
to even leave a scar.
Nv York and Chicago are the head
quarters for new novelties. and fal1irs
of the first class secure the new
things. The fakir keeps II touch with
the novelty supply companies for new
things, and scan the papers constantly
for announcements which indicate
some unusual event that will draw
crowd.
81 think that for straight taking
aluminium gas-tips were the most pro-
ftable things / ever handled" says the
account of the fakir in the Indepen-
dent. "They cost me. with the brass
pillar attached. s1.35 per gross. l
laid out $500 in tips and printed mat
ter, planned my campaign, and began
an itinerary which occupied four
months of my time. My bank account |
showed a balance to my favor just |
$4,527 in excess when | had completed |
my tour.
81 had my circulars distributed in
every place of business in the town /
upon my arrival had each tip stuff
ed with cotton. but I told the victim !
that inside the pillar was regulator, |
an asbestos screen, and any other me- |
continuance not too bulky to |
need a separate building for installa-
ton. He usually believed me.
81 called his attention to the print
ed price on the circular-35 cents; |
and as a favor. just for an advertise
ment, would sell the required num-
Der to him for % cents each. If he
l quickly placed tip on the
gas fixture lighted the gas and gave
him an occular demonstration AS
a final impressive argument I would
pass a newspaper behind the light and
show him how easily it was to read
through the flame. That settled it,
I never failed to make a sale.
But while I was expatiating on the
beautiful light given did not tell that
It was produced at the expense of an
gas flow, nor did l explain
hat you can read a new spa per through.
any gas flame"