The Ocala evening star., 1922-10-18
THE GRATING CIRCUS
AN EXPOSE
By kid" HARRIS
Continued from yesterday
One Kind of Bribable Official
By kid" HARRIS

ionally an official, who is known to
suppress poker games, craps, ETC., in
his own town, will accept a money
bribe fran grating circus and per-
NIT the show graft to operate for the
day. He stays away from the side
show and, if complaints come to him,
he says that he has "seen nothing out
of the way"
Tipping OFF" Circus Grafters
If complainant is insistent and de-
mands that the said official or the po-
lice go into the side-show tent ano
"see for themselves the "fixed" OF
fetal Tor officials) will ''tip off" the
circus grafters and they will hurriedly
cease operations and make an exit, via
the back way-hiding in the rear OF
the tent (Which is partitioned by can
vas) or "side-walling" out of the tent
and getting away.
A Friendly Justice of the Peace
Sometimes a prominent citizen will
go to a justice of the peace and ask
for warrant for circus CRATER whe
has swindled him in a game. The JUS
tice of the peace has. early in the day,
been "seen" by the adjuster of the
grating circus; and. acting on the
request of the said circus "fxer," the
justice of the peace endeavors to dis
couarge the citizen. Speciously the
justice will tell the citizen that the
easiest way out is the best; that, since
the law works both ways, making
player and gambler alike guilty, the
best course to pursue, in order to
avoid trouble, notoriety, ETC., is to 60
to the circus management or to the
circus "officer" and ask for a proper
adjustment. The justice of the peace
may or may not have received mon
ey gift from the graft circus adjuster;
but, is any event, he has received (un-
less he has scented a mouse and re-
fused to accept) from said Mr.. Circus
Fixer all the circus tickets he wanted
or could make use of.
The ShOrt-Change Man
Not only is the public flint -fammed
and fleeced by graft circus thieves
operating games of chance, but rob-
bers, who travel with the graft circus
and divide their ill-gotten gains with
the parasite managers thereof, also
operate in the tents, usually, but
sometimes on the grounds. outside the
tents. These robbers are so-called
ticket-sellers and, altho they have
reserved seat tickets for sale, their
scheme is to change money with pat
rons of the show, very adroitly hold
ing out considerable amount of the
change. This game is called "taking
cake" or "shorting a guy"
How Short-Changers Work
These would-be ticket-sellers often.
times tell patrons of the show tina,
they will give them reserved seat tick,
cts free of cost if they will accommo,
date them with some large bills fol
smaller change. In exchanging the
money these false ticket sellers, o1
course, hold out as much as they thins
they can safely extract. They VII
cunningly fold the bills in such a way
as to make it appear that the victim
receives the full amount of change du'
him. Then these thieving ticket sell
ers will try to thrust the change int
the victims pocket, or tell the man Il
put the money into his pocket an,
hurry and get seat in the big shov
"before it commences"
The Short Changers Accomplice
Oftentimes the short-changer ha
an accomplice, who rushes the victim
to seat before he has had time t.
count his change. The short-change
works on the theory that, in the ex
| citement of the circus, the victim vii
forget all about his change. How
ever, the crook who did the short
changing either himself keeps an ey
on the victim. or has an accomplic
to do so, to observe whether he take
his money out and counts it. If tn
victim, after seating himself in tn
circus, bethinks him to count his mon
ey he will. of course. discover tn
shortage and Immediately go back t
the man who cheated him.
The Short t-Change Mans Bluff"
The thief will endeavor to bluff tn
native by telling him that no sue
thing as an error occurred; that h
l the victim, must have dropped tn
money; also that mistakes can be ret
titled only at the time made, the sam
as at a bank window. The experient
ed grating circus man often succeed
10 bluffing the victim TO such an e.
tent that he believes that he mu!
| L. H,,% H.