Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-11-26

boy sizes up the various individuals and
picks out his victim. With shrewdness
born of long experience he watches the
farmer boy on his first long trip me-
chanic on his way home from a long ana
good-paying job; any one of the crowd
who has a lot of self-coneeit and a few
dollars in money. To be quite sure that
he is not wasting his time the news agent
will then manage to sell him cigar or
package Of gum and will contrive to get
look at the inside of the prospective VIC
TINS pocketbcok. If he catches glimpse
of few dollars he is ready for the next
move.
On his next trip through the car, as he,
passes the suckers seat, he will suddenly
stop. lean over between the chairs and
straighten up cautiously, with a heavy
ruby-set ring in his hand. Then he pro-
ceeds to take the victim into his conf
dence. He insists that they found it to-
gether, and that it belongs to the two of
them. With critical and expert eye he
looks the ring over and announces that
it is solid gold and worth at least $25 or
any mans money. Then the question
arises of how they shall divide the pro-
ceeds, for the victim must soon leave the
train. The newsboy offers to sell his
claim to the other at q great sacrifice.
There is few minutes haggling and the
ring goes into the victims pocket, and
the CRATER goes on his way with five
dollar note to add to his receipts. He has
cautioned the buyer not to wear or DIS
play the ring until he leaves the train.
as the real owner might yet be on board
and come along and claim it. What the
willy btihko artist really fears is that
some person who has bit at the same
game might come along and seeing the
ring, Spring the whole story. When
that happens there is only one thing to
do, and that is, take back the ring and
refund the money.
Watches a Speciality.
When business Is good and traffic heavy
a good butch will sell half a dozen
pieces of jewelry on a round trip. But he
has to have a good memory for faces or
he may pick the same victim twice After
having been annoyed by the persistent Of
ferings of the newsboy through a few
hours Journey you may suddenly decide
that you want magazine or couple of
oranges. He fails to come through the
car for some time, and In a fit of i'm
patience you may decide to hunt him up.
The chances are that you will find him
busily examining a watch in the company
of some interested unfortunate already
marked for slaughter The watch game
is one OF the oldest and best. In his trunk
he has slowed away three or four of the
cheapest and most elaborate-appearing
watches that he can get In the places
that make speciality of such things He
has had them replated with the beautiful
"orode gold finish so dear to the heart
of every street faker and patent medicine
man. He selects his man and proceeds
to grow very confidential. In the course
of the conversation he mentions that he
lent a certain engineer on the Missouri
division $50 a few weeks ago and took
his watch as security. The engineer
doesn't seem to want to pay, and, Whlle
the watch is regulation railroad stand
ard guaranteed to pass inspection any
where and on any road in the United
States, Canada or Mexico, he would rath-
er have the money than the Watch. Got
a watch of his own that his sister gave
him last year for q Christmas present or
he would carry it himself AS 1t is, he
would like to sell the engineers watch.
The farm hand, who has no watch, lis
tens to the story and solemnly looks al
the timepiece and inquiries as TO the num-
Der of jewels 1t contains. The cover is
hard to open SO he holds it up to his ear
and listens to it's strong and convincing
tick The sucker may be slow TO bite
Int the patience of the fisherman Is end
less. FIFTEEN dollars is fair rake-off for
this game when handled smoothly. Garry
the timepiece for about three days ano
the works gradually become defunct ana
the case acquires pale shade OIL GRASSY
green.
"Secret Packages"
One of the things which he fairly revels
in Is the sale of "secret packages and
the SCALED book When a youth cages
ND to him and whispeiingly inquiries If he
has ANYTHING to read that is real racy he
is ready to accommoGatc him. The Sc
cret package containing bunch of alb
solute nonsense, and the sealed book.
really as innocuous as agricultural
bulletin, are brought forth, ana with
much apparent caution shown to the i'll
quirer. The price, 50, Is printed across
the wrapper iii large figures. 1t is ex-
planned that he is Wiling to sell them if
the purchaser will agree hot TO open them
until after he leaves tho train, as he will
be liable to heavy fine and imprisonment
ii the sale is discovered. The sucker sat-
isied that here is something really for
hidden, readily agrees. The price Is cut
to the financial ability of the buyer and
the trade is mad.
Such practices as these are not sane
toned by the news companies, but they
are absolutely forbidden by the railroad
arrangements, and If the offender is re-
ported they see to it that he
gets short shrift. The railroad detective
special agent is the nemesis of the
crooked news butcher" and he is al
ways on the lookout for him. Short
changing is another practice that leads
to many vacancies among the younger
men and causes the frequent appearance
of advertisements similar to the follow
ing in the want Columns
Wanted-Young man to run on trains;
preferred run; no references required.