Omaha daily bee., 1906-01-14
sucker. n Plenty.

Buckers Ftehtys
Fake bond companies, shady investment
schemes, all these reap their harvests IN
the city. and the men who operate them
know that the human sucker abounds
more on the city pavements than along
the rural thoroughfares. Swindling had
grown to be a dead letter among farmers.
because they have grown just really wise
enough to be suspicious. but 1t will con-
tinue TO flourish until the city man acquires
as much wisdom as his country brother.
He hasn't 1t now. that's a sure thing. Look
at the green goods game that was con-
Quoted out of New York. Those fellows
mailed letters to addresses all over the
country. inviting the public to come and
buy of their wares. $50 perfect that they
would escape detection anywhere" but
few OF those addresses were on a rural free
delivery route or in a small town. 1t was
city people the green goods men were
after and they grew fabulously rich on
the unsuspecting denizens of the cities.
many of their victims being men OF such
reputed experience In life that N their
names had been published as among the
list Of dead eases" no one would have
believed 1t. II the green goods men had
written to farmers the latter would have
kept the sample dollar ticlosed and never
answered the letter City men jumped at
the new swindling bait like hungry trout
after q fly.
It's not alone In criminal annals that we
find abundant evidence OF the verdancy OF
the city man or woman. Every year we
buy gold bricks galore In the shape Of
bogus charity entertainments. subscription
schemes and other easy things that one
would think even child would grow sus-
pioious OF, but they are never recognized
for what they are until after the explosion;
but experience doesn't lend wisdom to the
city dweller. for the next year he'll prob
ably bite again on a scheme almost iden-
ticaiiy the same as that ne was stung on
before. and so It goes from year to wear
Nor are the gentry who live by their wits
out OF the easy marks class, either. They
are dead wise, sure; therefore, the small
fry who baits his victims in saloons loses
his gains at faro or poker or craps; the
poker player souses his In the bucket shop;
the bucket shop man trades his gains on to
people in the next layer up, and these lndi-
viduals lose theirs on Wall street or In
squeezed stocks OF all kinds.
In the theatrical business there Is no room
for comparison between the marks OF the
cities and the wise people of the fields.
was down IN llllnolB on some BUSINESS last
fall and during the evening, having nothing
else to do. wandered over TO the opera
house to see show billed there for that
evening. 1t was rotten and the manager
rang the curtain down on the bunch in the
middle OF the second act and invited the
people to step out and get their money
back. Only short while ago that same
show played here with precisely the same
east and as bad as II had been before. yet
the theater where Il held forth contained
large audiences at every performance and
the play and players appeared TO make a
hit. Then there are other players. stars.
so-called. who draw we'll in big cities but
who wouldn't captivate a handful OF the
country yokels. We admit that they are
not stars because they are superior actors
or actresses. but talk vaguely about their
personality. What rot. They've managed
10 become fashionable somewhere in some
manner and the city sheep mock TO see
them in consequence and are really pleased
at being gold bricked. In music and art it's
the same City people will be fooled every
time by a six months lack OF haircut and
by a flowing black tie. And as for the So
cially elect and their lionsl Forget about II
II you ever fancied there was wisdom there
"A Detective In 81. Louis oiobe-Democrat