The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1912-11-26
Sk|PS THE TOWN
Art May, Piano Contest Pro-
moter, Disappears-Con-
testants Mourn.

There are quite a number of Madison
people %bemoaning their unsatisfactory
fate as piano contestants, the good
an gel who was to bestow tie musical
instrument having flown from the
scene of their activities.
During the progress of the county
fair, one Art May came to the city
and soon announced that he was here
to give somebody something for nothing
in the shape Of a piano. After ear
wasting different business houses and
submitting his proposition, May final
ly bargained with the Ruby theater
management to place a piano in their
chow window and give ii away to the
person receiving the highest number of
votes in a contest whereby ten votes
were to be given for each ticket tc
the thcater sold. This looked perfect
ly fair and was fair 80 far as the
theater was concerned. As time
| passed the number of votes was raised
to twenty five for each ticket sold. and
a number of contestants were enrolled
whose names were posted in front of
the theater. In order to enlarge his
business May also gave several dances,
allowing votes in the contest for tickets
| sold to the dances. Again, he repre-.
sented himself as an organizer of Owl
lodges and solicited membership to the
order, collecting 81 from those who fell
to his game and allowing votes on
the piano for money received from
this source.
BY his various devices he succeeded
in working up more or less enthusi-
asm In his contest and there were sew
eral persons who took him seriously
aud devoted their time to canvassing
for members of the Owl lodge in
order to gain votes for themselves or
their friends.
But the bubble burst. Some time
during last Friday Light May disap-
peared and has not heen seen stree,
and the piano contestants do not at
present know where they are at.
The piano is still In the show win
dow of the theater, and Manager Leen
IL making an effort to unravel the com
plication, not that be has any person
al pecuniary interest in it, but in
order that the contestants may be
satisfied so far as votes on tickets to
the theater are concerned, regardless
Of what may become of the Owl tickets,
kilograms have been sent out to learn
from whence the piano came and
whether May possessed title to it, but
so far this has not been satisfactorily
settled. The thester management has
fled an attachment against the piano
for a bill for services in furnishing
music by the theater orchestra for
Mays dances. A telegIam was also
sen. to South Bend. Ind, headquarters
of the Owl order, inquiring If May
was an authorized deputy of the order.
The reply was, "Have written YOU"
coming from the secretary of the order.
Altogether it is a tangle. and an
other illustration of the unwisdom of
dea ling with strangers, especially
when the stranger proposes to give you
something for nothing provided you
consent to play his game. 1t il quite
impossible to travel about the county
giving away pianos or otner articles
without some pecuniary return from
some source and few men can afford
such diversion.
II by any legal method the Ruby
theater management can gain title to
the piano they will give it away to the
contestants who entered the contest in
good faith by the purchase OF theater
tickets. The theater people admitted
the piano to their show window in
good faith and will not release ii other
than to a deserving contestant with
out legal process.
just how much money May obtsined
from those he persuaded into his game
is not known, but 1t is not believed
to have exceeded GOO. He was SOME.
thing Of 4 spender. and left town