As I was to be his assistant, Dr. Munson explained to me his methods,
and we had several rehearsals along the road, though I soon convinced
him that there was not much difference between Jack and his master.
At times he made two trips through the section of the country, if it
seemed likely to prove profitable. On the first trip he was careful what
he said and did, so that there would be nothing to interfere with his
coming again. He then carried the “Pain Balm,” good for internal as well
as external application. He seldom attempted to sell a bottle, but left
it with every responsible person he could get to accept the trust. The
understanding was that if the individual meantime had found no need for
the article, or did not care to purchase, Munson was to take it back on
his next call. The price was one dollar a bottle, and the holder was at
liberty to try the medicine in case he had need of it, and if it did not
prove satisfactory the bottle could still be returned, provided the
contents were not one-quarter gone.
Usually, when the doctor came, at the expiration of about three weeks,
three-fourths of the bottles would be returned. Even at that the scheme
was good for ordinary profits, and when used in connection with street
faking in the towns it helped the business amazingly.
I have said that I had some knowledge of music. The doctor carried
several instruments with him, and when we had practiced together for
about a week we were able to give quite an interesting entertainment,
not only drawing, but holding a large concourse of people. After that
there were several methods of handling them. Before we had been
traveling together a month I knew them all and one or the other of us
would do the work, just as it happened.
For instance: The crowd gathered and we started in by announcing to the
good people that to every one who patronized us we would give a piece of
pie.
Then I gave a strong talk on the merits of the medicine, and began to
offer it for sale. It was a very cold day if I had not struck some
purchasers in the audience, who had a quarter of a dollar—or fifty
cents—to throw away, and a curiosity to see what the “pie” looked like.
With every bottle or package I sold I would take the quarter received,
add another to it, and place them in an envelope. This was done before
their eyes, and as I threw the money in a little box I would remark,
“There goes a piece of pie.”
After selling a dozen or fifteen packages at a quarter each, I would
call up every man who had made a purchase and return his quarter, with
the other quarter added to it, remarking as I did so:
“There, sir, is your piece of pie.”
I would then start selling fifty-cent packages, and with every one sold
would put the money, and an extra half, in the box as before, and
subsequently returning the double portion.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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