The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1849-11-27
Warninc 90 Travellers.

The following extract from a private let
ter, written to US by gentleman Of Cairo,
may prove Il warning Of some Importance to
certain of our river travellers. Many of the
sharpest gamblers in the West are in the
habit of stopping at Cairo to catch suckers.
They remain there fleeing what travellers
they can who stop on the wharf-boats to
change steamers, and who are often detained
several days. and being badly off for amuse-
ment are too frequently and easily induced to
Iplay at cards. Again, they stop at Cairo to
await the arrival OF crowded steamers They
never leave Cairo except on crowded boat
unless they have a particular pigeon on
hands to pluck. The citizens of Cairo are
in no manner implicated but on the contrary
have a strong feeling against these men-yet
they of course have no way in which to rem
ledy the evil, however much it INJURIES the
character of the place and people. We warn
young travellers especially ofthese gamblers.
Some of them are gentlemen in education
and appearance. They all have a profound
knowledge OF human nature. or else they
would not understand their own business
They weave their nets around victim so in
Isinuatingly, that even while they are sucking
from him his lfe's blood, he will imagine
himself only out Of favor with dame Fortune.
Beware of them-lor even ii pluckcd to the
last cent and away from home aul among
strangers, hope not for assistance from them
to the extent Of farthing. We have seen
young men, who had lost hundreds of dollars
and were completely 'broke," by these gam
blers, refused dollar to pay their passage
home. But here is the extract:
"Let me take this occasion to speak of GER
tain characters who contribute precious little
to the good reputation of our village at any
season, and often bring down Islander on the
characters of the innocent. aIlude to tran
sient gumblers-men protesting to be moral
and upright gentlemen. During the half
year that has just passed. 1t seems as if the
mouth of the Ohio has been the place of rem
devious for such characters. It a rich field
for their exploits, and often they reap exten
sive harvests from it. 1t is needless to say
that many honest unsuspect;ng travellers
have been stripped of their last dime by them
and then denied a sufFiciency from their snm
of losses to enable them to complete their
journey. Their accommodating disposition
and various courtesies command and encour-
age an intimacy with strangers, at first, plea
sing and agreeable. If one be discovered
who is sportingly disposed and possessed Of
considerable cash. such an one is the object of
their most polite attentions. 1t invariably
happens that two or three Of them have bust
ness which lmpels them to travel with him,
and Of course they express a great pleasure
at the event. Should they succeed in win
ming their intended victims money, it lorcibly
occurs to their minds that they necessarily
must step at the first landing. The citizens
of Cairo have nothing more to fear on ac-
count of them than the reproach their con
duct brings upon the character Of our place,
supposing as strangers do, that they are of
us. 1t is time l think that the travelling
stranger should be advised of the fact that
the mouth of the Ohio is trequented by well
trained gamblers, that he may be enabled toI
properly guard against their manGuver;ng."