Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1914-10-11
"OLD BILL" KTLLIP is DEAD
King of the 0ld.Time Fakirs Has
Answered the Call.
HIS GRAFT WAS VERY SIMPLE
showed the First DRhcinR Turkcys
and Then Invented "I<ink
stralehteuer" tor the
Darktes' wool.

DRrlstes' WooI.
"Old Bill" Kfnlp. the dean OF street,
takers. died near Pittsburgh few weeks
ago, aged about 81 years, lie had been
living by his wits from the time he was
a boy of l6 In New England, doctoring
broken down horses aud setting them as
sound.
II was Enlip who introduced the
sacred Dancing Turkeys from Persia"
and later "Uncle Abe's Hair Straight
ener." warranted to stralghten the kinks
out Of the kinkIest wool that ever
sprouted on the head OF colored brother.
For forty years he was n peripatctic tooth
extractor, drawing teeth with his thumb
and foretipker.
His office" was buggy, and he
travelled all over the country attracting
crowds by playing a banjo, singing song
In deep bass, and rafting a jar tilled
with q thousand evidences OF his dex-
terlty No charge was made Tor extract
ing an aching molar, but Bin manaeed 70
sell many bottles Of his Sovereign Tooth
ache Remedy" between pulls. To relieve
the monotony he occasionally sold the
Magic stain BradLcRtor.' a small cake
OF soap, guaranteed to remove stains
from the clothing. stains from the linen
and stains from the character" TO draw
attention he covered HIS horse with a
scarlet robe and his own babe head with
thick latber until he had piled up a cone
shaped, frothy helmet a dollar bill WAS
wrapped around one OF the cakes Of soap
and an outer wrapping Of tin foil II was
then thrown into a box with hundred
other cakes, similarly covered, and the
audience was invited TO pay 10 cents for
grab ana try 20 pick out the prize.
New Workers. who can go back thirty
years will recall the soap man selling his
"eradicator" in Nassau and Ann streets
and Lower Broadway
This Greatest Achievement.
"Old Bill's" main achievement. how
ever, was one of the cieverest and most
amusing catchpenny tricks ever perpe-
trated. although IL couldn't he presented
In New York today without quick action
BY the s. p. c. A. Indeed, It didn't
last more than two days In this city In
1855. just after the surrender Mt Apo
mattox. The keen old street faker made
II rule TO avoid large cities; he gath
cred in his dollars from rural communal.
ties. The temptation 90 get some OF the
soldier money at the close OF the war,
however, was too great, and Bill started
his show up near the Haymarket. lilo
| carried a tent on sort Of blackboard,
and on top OF the flattened-out canvas
was rectangular box covered with a
black cloth. From within. at intervals.
could be heard the "gobbe-ubbie-ub ble''
/ OF turkey cock. An Observant old
philadelphia discovered the trick on the
second day in New York, and his threat
| to call the poliae drove Bill and his OUT
! tit across the river 10 Jersey, He travel
led without interference from Jersey City
to Trenton, thence 10 Camden, and from
there west and south.
The erection of the tent and tho stag
ing of the feathered performers took
less than nn hour. with the assistance
Of a couple of country boys. hTe boz
carried on the blackboard was really q
i'arred cage, six feet long, four feet
wide and five feet deep The roof and
ends were Of pine. and the floor was
AOf thin sheet IRON Iron bars OF small
diameter gas pipe formed the front and
back sides and gave q fun view of tive
saunt, turkeys, whose neeks were bare
OF feathers caused by thrusting theft
heads between the bars In vain effort
to escape from their dancehouse prison
Outside the tent was a banner bearing
the following announcement in red and
black lettering
|
| SACRED DANCING TURKEYS
| FROM PERSIA.