Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1911-08-01
GAMES OF CIRCUS sWINDLERs.
Followers of the "Bis Top" Still Find
Picking Good Among the Rubes.

A three ring, beclowned, menageri-
ed circus was showing in a country
town. Early in the afternoon a man
wearing a ready made four in hand
and corduroy breeches, rushed to the
chief of police.
That feller over in the show
grounds skinned me out of $50 jest
now," he painted. II want him run in!
Come right along with me and I'll
show him to you"
But somehow the chief wasn't en-
thusiastic over the chance to win fame
by the capture Of smooth circus
crook.
How'd you lose your money!" he
inquired. What! Playing that shell
game, Ell? Then you were gambling
too? Uh huh! Then II l do my duty
I'll be obliged to lock you up. Didn't
you know that gam bling was prohibit
ed by city ordinan, e?"
with wise stare straight into the
eyes of the man from the country the
chief went on: Tell you what you'd
better do. l don't want to lock you up
although of course I'm supposed to
lock up anybody guilty Of gambling.
Now, the thing for you to do Is to skin
along home. I'll walk over to the
grounds and see what can do. What
sort of a looking feller was he? Yes.
Well. you hustle on home now, and If
there's any roundup or any trouble
you'll be in the clear"
The chief Of police, you observe, had
been effectually fixed"
City authorities who have spurned
corruption by political rings, public
contractors, the liquor interests, or
others who would use" them, have
fallen" for the plans laid by the cir
a few harmless little games of
chance" Perhaps it is the pictur-
esqueness Of the circus. Maybe they
think it wouldn't be a circus day in
town without three card monte.
In the larger cities, as general rule
no effort is made to work" or Fix"
In the first place there are fewer
country people in the circus crowds
and 1t is these that the takers count
on to take their bait And then 1t Is
not considered practicable to fix" the
authorities in large city. The Off
cials may be corrupt enough, but they
get their graft in more refined man.
ner than that employed by the circus
"fixer" In getting" officials. The cir
Gus grafters paradise Is one of these
isolated towns of about 10000 souls,
or even less, which draws the simple
country folk from miles around on cir
Gus day. In such places the circuss
revenue from illegitimate sources has
been as high as $1,000 for the day
even aside from the "short change
graft.
The takers with a big graft" cir
Gus usually number not less than 80.
Even in the old days Of the wagon
shows, with the entire circus troupe
comprising not more than eighty,
there were a dozen, or more takers
with private vehicles Of their own. But
those were the primitive days of the
circus-and of takers as we'll
First, there is the CRATER in chief, a
sort of managing faker. who employs
his staff, acts as banker, deals with
the circus manager, directs his men
and keeps a general oversight to see
that something doesn't slip up" He
doesn't do any work The "fixer" is,
Of course, a part Of the graft system,
but he is usually employed by the cir
Gus itself. He arranges with the po-
lice or sheriff for no interference. The
chief CRATER makes the deal with the
circus manger at the beginning of the
season. This deal provides that the
circus proprietor gets half of the gross
receipts Of graft on his grounds. That
provision Is invariable. The circus
man must always have half. The head
CRATER gets something less than a
fourth Of the total income Of the day,
for fourth goes to the individual IA
kers-the shell men, the three-card
nd nttf ~
his own portion he must hire the
cappers" and two or three "sleuths "
Each faker, out of his own profits
and this is true Of the whole graft de-
partment-is required to pay his
board, usually about $40 a week, and
IS for bunk. In the old days, when
the shows used to travel entirely by
wagon and the grafters had to provide
their own vehicles, they were charged
up with the feed of their horses.
The ''cappers" and "sleuths" are
paid a straight salary, which runs
usually from $40 to $25 a week, ac-
cording to their efficiency. In fact, the
takers chance of being hired at all
depends upon his ability. One of the
exactions Of the circus proprietor
when he makes his deal with the mas
ter faker is that the latter employs
good" men-that is, men who will
not overlook any bets" While he Is
at 1t the circus man wants to get the
biggest rake-off possible. But once
the chief has all the takers that he
thinks necessary no more can operate
on the grounds about that circus.
"Buttinskis" are absolutely not tolerat-
ed. 1t is the duty of the "sleuths'
employed by the graft department to
report any such, and 1t is an unhappy
day for the latter when the other IA
kers catch him.
And, be 1t said to the credit of cir
cuses, all pickpOckets are consistently
fought. Owing to the obvious necessi-
ty for secrecy in their work the pick
pockets are not so easily detected by
the circus authorities as superfiuous
gambling takers, but they are kept
off as far as possible. They come
around and work just as they do at
county fairs and various places where
they may find great crowds, but it is
not believed that any pickpocket has
worked with the sanction Of the circus
at least not in recent years.
Entirely distinct from the gambling
graft is the "short-change" graft. The
man who works this does not pay tri-
butte TO the chief of the gambling IA
kers, nor is he in any way connected
with that department except by COM
mon interest. He makes his own deal
with the circus proprietor and the two
divide evenly. The rule that the pro-
prietor must have his half always
stands
There is seldom any short change
work, either, by the man who sells
tickets at the side show. 1t isn't that
he's so honest. The circus thinks 1t
wouldn't pay. At best his graft reve-
nue. would be comparatively small and
he would put thousands Of otherwise
unSuspecting dupes on their guard
against further swindles. A man
might not make much of a "squeal''
about being "shOrt-changed" out of 10
or Is cents on his way into side show
bat he would keep his hands on his
pOcketbook when he got inside And
it is in the side show tent that the
great bulk of the games are worked.
The principal fake gambling games
worked on circus grounds are the
three Shells" the "three-card game"
that is, three-card monte-roulette,
the "bcehive," 'Klondikc" the ito
bacCo box the strap trick" the
eight dice" the envelope game" and
the dial"
The striking characteristic Of all the
games is that one can win with Just
the same facility that a millionaire can
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