The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1904-07-24
RAIL ROAD MAN TELLS
OF CIRCUS GRAFTfRS
Fakirs and Their Cappers the
Main Support of Some
Shows

"The transportation of circuses by
railroads Is one of the strange branches
of the business" said a well known
passenger official yesterday, as he
thumbed a large pad of statistics and
looked inquiringly at I he G 10 b rep
resentative.
Here before me I have a lot of fig
ures showing how much excursion bust
ness we did on account of a recent trip
of small circus over one of the
divisions. You can see the road did
pretty well and from the number of
excursionists we hauled I guess the
circus got what was coming to it.
Circuses nowadays are different in
many ways from the ones that used to
sweep through this partNof the coun-
try like devastating whirlwinds. At
least they are supposed to be. At any
rate, they draw like a porous plaster,
and in the last analysis, that is the real
test of their WORTH
The official sat back in his chair and
dreamy, pleasant expression came
over his face. Finally he "came to-
with a chucllle and unburdened himself
to the newspaper man as follow:
several years ago there was a cir
Sdo ollON Ing up LII VI mere. II was
only small affair, but the way it did
business was caution. One night a
news agent with whom I was acquaint-
ed came to my office and told me that
he simply had to have transportation
TO the town Where the show was going
on
Il told him pretty plainly that 1 had
no passes to give away but he insisted
and said that there was a man con-
nected with the show who owed him
money and if he was ever to get it he
would have to ride over the road.
Il asked him if the man was not a
CRATER, and the agent replied frankly
that he was.
Wanted to See the Work
II had heard all about circus graft
put never had actually. seen any of it,
SO proposed to the news agent that
If he would agree to place me SO that
could see the whole operation would
give him the transportation. He agreed,
but cautioned me that We would have
to go that very night if we wished to
see any of the good work, for he ex-
planned. 1T was nearly all done before
. o'clock in the morning.
I'VE arrived in the town about mid
night and arose next morning bright
and early and ready to see the show
Every barn for miles around had
been decorated by the Industrious adj
vance men of the show and at daylight
the agriculturists began to arrive
ready for the days sport.
The show carried forty-two people,
and to my establishment I learned first
that only eight of them were per-
formers. That left thirty-four adult
men to handle. the canvas, for learned
from my friend, the actual bona fide
performers doubled on the door, or, in
other words, took tickets and also acted
as the gentlemanly agents who sold
tickets to the grand concert after the
performance and stepped on the cornS
of the audience in passing among the
eager Sigltseers.
Il soon learned how the thirty-four
men were employed. Stationed, enear
the big tent were several little booths,
and in these booths the speculatively
inclined visitor was afforded an oppor-
tunity to try his luck
Il may say in passing that the spec
ulatively inclined who did try their
luck invariably found it to be below
grade
There were all of the old games, the
nuts plates straps lock and every
thing else one ever heard of and then
few for good measure.
THAT was all simple enough for the
speculative feature had been included
in the negotiations of the plausible ad-
vance man and the mayor and marshal
Of the little city.
cappers Look Like Rubes
"The funny part of the affair was NOT
that the games were allowed to go, but
the methods used by the 'cappers.'
Some of these were made up to look
like the veriest Rube from Posey coun-
ty, Indiana, and it is needless to say
that their 1J1nly m al
ever, everything is even and the lack of
luck on the part of those who en-
deaVored to follow the run of fortune
Of the innocent appearing farmer who
could pick out the right shell nearly
every time made UP for the apparent
losses to the circus mems roll caused
by the marvellous fortune Of the cap
pers.'
BY hen, 1 jes seen that durn pea
go UNDER sighed an unfortunate as he
backed away to make room for an
other enthusiastic player.
"The usual mode of seeing the circus
as far as finances were concerned
seemed to be to spend about a dollar
for railroad fare; fifty cents for adj
mission, and to take along enough to
allow the adventurous one to have
tWo-dollar bill left to wager on the shell
game. OF course the SightSeer intended
to win two-dollar bill with his two
and then with a happy sense of his
acuteness to pay expenses with the
circus mans money and go on his way
rejoicing.
THAT, however. is merely a little
dream.
1.-THE real work of the CRATER takes
place in little enclosure that in this
case was situated near the main en-
trance of the big tent. The victim is
first sounded as to his financial we'll
hnrr, H. \, l.
answered here to the inquiry, he is
led by easy stages to the vicinity of the
main entrance.
1.-THE steering committee suggests to