MS6.3779 Jpgs

Chicago Dispatch. June 6/93.

8

CROOKS AT WORK

Short Change Men Use Buffalo Bill Tickets.

Capt. Shippy and Lieut. Bonfield Know Billy Beecher's Gang of Crooks Are at Work.

They Secure General Admission Tickets to the Wild West Show, and by Representing Them to Secure Reserved Seats Find Buyers Who are Fleeced--Bonfield and Shippy Make Damaging Admissions--Big Ed Price, Bunk Allen, Gil Fitzgerald and Other Notorious Crooks at Work Without Fear.

Those who witness the mimic warfare at the Wild West show between the Indians and the pioneers, in which the rascals are repulsed by honest men "under command of Buffalo Bill," little realize that a real warfare is being waged between other rascals and honest men in which Buffalo Bill is as ever on the side of the people and fighting for the people's rights.

Billy Beecher's gang of circus grafters saw in the Wild West show an opportunity for a summer's engagement and Billy went to the managers of the show with a proposition for the "grafting" privilege. This was refused and Beecher went away vowing that he would do business anyway. Since that time he has with a gang of smooth men successfully victimized verdant strangers by selling them 50 cent tickets of admission as reserved and even box seats. This caused considerable kicking, in every instance the victim abusing the management of the show for the swindle.

In truth the management was not an interested party, but for the past month has been doing its utmost to break up the gang. In this it met the antagonism of the Woodlawn Park police, whose actions and statements lead to the supposition that they are not only cognizant of but a party to the swindle and participants in the division of the spoils.

How the Swindle Is Worked.

The game as worked is this:

Buffalo Bill refuses to sell tickets of admission to these grafters. During the week they get small boys to go in and buy two or three tickets, giving them 5 cents as pay for their trouble. In this manner they secure several hundred tickets and are ready for the Sunday's rush.

About an hour previous to the opening of the show they range themselves on Sixty third street, just outside the main entrance to the grounds. Here they announce that tickets to the show inside are for sale, and keep up a continual cry. They stand as near to the grounds as possible and thus fool many. They do not tell anyone that they charge the "usual slight advance," leaving the victim to do all the talking. If a man asks for a dollar seat he gets it, and if he asks for three box seats he gets them, but they are not box seats or reserved seats, but merely the 50 cent general admission seats. Repeated attempts to break up the gang have failed.

Yesterday Manager Scheible, of the show, stamped the tickets in large type 50 cents. This covers the whole piece of cardboard, and in a measure spoiled the game of the swindlers.

DEDICATE NEBRASKA'S BUILDING.

Elaborate Program for the Exercises Tomorrow- The Speakers.

Commissioner-General Joseph Garneau has arranged an elaborate program for the dedication ceremonies of the Nebraska State Building tomorrow. Buffalo Bill and his outfit of soldiers, Indians, and cowboys, representing the early history of Nebraksa, will form an interesting feature. They will assist in receiving Gov. Lorenzo Crounse and party at the Fifty-seventh street entrance, and will escort them to the east door of the building. In a brief address Gen. Garneau will turn the structure over to the Governor, who therupon will formally dedicate it to the public. Brief addresses upon the subject of the resources of the State will be made by W. J. Bryan, Member of Congress, ex-Gov. Robert W. Furnas, and others.

At the conclusion of these exercises the "butter artist" of the world, Mrs. Caroline W. Brooks, will mold butter in the presence of the public in the second story of the building the seal of the state to be put on exhibition in the Nebraska Dairy Exhibit. The party will then march to the Administration Building and pass in review before her Royal Highness, the Infanta, and thence to the Nebraska exhibit at the Agricultural Building, where the profession will disband.

It is expected that a large number of Nebraska people will be here to attend this event. Four or five hundred arrived yesterday and several special train loads are scheduled to arrive today.

Chicago Tribune June 7/93.

Inter Ocwean 6/7.

TO PREVENT THE COWBOY RACE.

President Haynes Will Offer Reward for Any Taking Part.

NEW YORK, June 6.- Special Telegram-President Hayes of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, announced here to-day that he is determined to prevent the cowboy race between Nebraska and Chicago. He says he will offer a reward of $500 for the names of any alleged cowboys, who attempt to take part in the contest.

Chicago Herald June 7/93.

NEBRASKA WILL OPEN

DEDICATION OF HER STATE HALL.

Preparations for Travelers' Protective Association Day at the Fiar--Good Reasons for Expecting Lower Rates by Railroad in the Near Future.

To-morrow will be Nebraska day at the world's fair. The state building will be dedicated with appropriate ceremonies. Governor Crounse will receive the building in behalf of the state from Commissioner General Joseph Garneau, Jr., and in turn will dedicate it to the uses for which it was erected. There will be music and speechmaking and other exercises of a typical western nature. Buffalo Bill and his band of cowboys and Indians, numbering 200, will be on hand as an escort for Governor Crounse and his staff.

The Nebraska building is the first of the state buildings to be reached at the Fifty seventh street entrance to the fair grounds. It has not only a commanding position, but is in every way a credit to the enterprising transmissouri commonwealth. Nebraska makes a fine showing in the general departments of the exposition, and has special pavilions in such buildings as agriculture, forestry, dairy, horticulture and the apiary. In the state building there is also a collection of grains and other products of the state. These are arranged by counties. The second story of the building has reception and retiring rooms for ladies and gentlemen. In a large room upstairs there is an Indian tepee and a pair of stuffed buffaloes. The popular interest in the latter exhibit has been so great that it has been necessary to put a railing around it. Visitors wanted to peer into the teepe and handle the buffaloes, to see if they were real. There is one room on the second floor completely furnished and decorated by Nebraska women which contains various articles of skilled handiwork. To the agriculturist, however, the center of attraction is the large room on the lower floor, containing the exhibit of cereals. "Corn is King" and "Sugar is Queen" are two prominent mottoes that are worked in native grasses. The building contains a reading-room, postoffice and other conveniences for Nebraskans. There will be a room upstairs set apart for Nebraska people who bring their lunches to the fair in baskets.

Procession to the Building.

To-morrow Governor Crounse will be escorted from the Woodlawn station by Buffalo Bill and his cowboys and Indians, the latter representing Nebraska in the early days Colonel Cody calls himself a Nebraskan, and a portion of his troops hail from the same state. On arriving at the state building there will be addresses by the governor and other prominent state officials. Congressman W. J. Bryan, ex-Governor R. T. Furnas and Senator Allen are expected to be present. Later the visitors will march to the agricultural building, where the Nebraska section will be opened to the public. The procession will march past administration building and will pay especial honor to her royal highness the Infanta Eulalia and suite. Mrs. Caroline Brooks will give public exhibition of butter-making during the day at the state building. A large number of Nebraskans from Omaha, Lincoln, Hastings and other cities in the state are expected.

NEBRASKA'S SHOW.

State Building Dedicated With Buffalo Bill's Assistance.

Colonel William F. Cody and the cavalry company of Indians took a prominent part in the dedication of the Nebraska state building this morning. The governor of Nebraska and a distinguished party of citizens of that state were met at Woodlawn station by Colonel Cody and his Indians, and escorted to the state building. This was done as a representation of Nebraska in the early days. Commissioner General Joseph Garneau, Jr., received the party and delivered an address tendering the building to the state. He was followed by Governor Crounse, who accepted the gift for the state of Nebraska. Other addresses were delivered and after the exercises the visitors went through the agricultural building, where the industrial section was opened to the public.

Chicago Dispatch June 8 1893.