Urbana union. [volume] (Urbana, Ohio) 1862-1872, 1863-02-11
How Gamblers Rob their Victims---An Inter
esting DiscOvery--The Gamblers Telegraph.

Tue Cook gambling affair had led to some
important disclosures in the affairs of the
sporting fraternity = but nothing as we have
yet seen equals in interest a discovery made
in this city yesterday.
Conlisk, one Of the men concerned in Aeee-
ing the Paymaster Cook, was a frequent visi-
tor to this city, and occupied rooms in the
third story of the Parsons Block, on SUPERB
or. street He had contracted debts here, and
yesterday an attachment was issued against
the property in his rooms. Sheriff Lewis and
Deputy Sheriff Whitney went to serve the
attachment, and in the course Of their re-
searches made rich discoveries
The rooms occupied by Conlisk on the
third floor consist of a sitting-roon, where the
gambling was done, and bedroom. The
sittiag-room was furnished in the usual man
ner, and had faro-table near the windows,
and draw-poker table in the center Of the
room, with chairs placed to each. The walls
and ceiling of the room are papered. with
paper Of a star pattern.
Directly over the rooms are two small
rooms also occupied by Con!isk, but not fur
nished A portion of the flooring had been
removed in the room Immediately over the
gambling room, and smanhole borad through
the ceiling of the room below, above each of
the tables. As the holes came directly through
the center Of star pattern in the paper they
are scarcely distinguishable from below. Each
hole is so placed as to enable a person apply
ing his eye to It, to look directly into the
hand of the player seated in the chair below
An ingenious telegraphic signal machine
was discovered communicating between those
holes in the room above and the chair of the
gambler in the room below A wire having
a handle near the hole, passed along between
the flooring Of the room above and the ceiling
Of the room below to the corner of the gam
bling room and bedroom. 1t enters the bed
room and passes down in the corner, being
concealed by. a strip Of board nailed up and
papered over. 1t then passes under the floor
of the gambling room to the table, where a
small piece of the flooring has been cut away
close by the table leg, where the foot Of the
gambler would be placed while playing. There
it terminates in spring and hammer, con-
cealed by the carpet.
The method of working this invention for
robbing by machinery seems to have been as
follows: The victim to be operated upon
finds two chairs drawn up to the table. In
one Of these the gambling thief seats himself
at once, placing his foot over the telegraph
hammer The victim is obliged to take the
othery (which is placed in the proper position
for playing. The gamblers accompiee in the
room above stretches himself on a mattress,
with his eye at the peep-hole-and one hand
grasping the handle. The hole is so placed
that he can look directly down into the hand
of his victim. As soon as he sees the cards
he telegraphs their description according to
an arranged code of signals by pulling the
handle, when the hammer strikes the desired
number of raps on the sole Of the gamblers
boot or slipper, the sound being u1ufHed by
the carpet. OF course it is easy to see that
the man who sits down to play with such
gambler is robbed as surely, completely and
systematically as if he had been bound hand
and foot and delivered over to highwayman,
and of the two robbers, the highwayman
would be the more decent man.
These rooms have been occupied at various
times by ConIisk Major Barker, and other
gamblers, residents and non-residents of this
city. Some highly respectable citizens that
we could name have visited those rooms and