The Tipton advertiser. [volume] (Tipton, Cedar Co., Iowa) 1856-1962, 1863-02-12
sons block, on Superior street. He had
contracted debts here, and ) yesterday en-

sons block, on Superior street. He bad
contracted debts here, and yesterday en-
attachment. wa. issued against the prop
erty in his rooms Sheriff Lewis and
Deputy Sheriff Whitney went, to serve
| the attachment, and in the course OF their
researches made some gch discoveries.
The rooms occupied by Conlisk on the
third floor consist Of sitting room, where
the gambling was done, and bed room.
The sitting room was furnished In the
usual manner, and had faro table near
the windows, and draw poker table in
the centre Of the room, with chairs
placed 10 each. The walls ard ceiling of
The room are papered with paper of star
pattern. Directly over these rooms are
two small rooms, also occupied by Conlisk,
bat not furnished, A portion of the
flooring has been removed in the room
immediately over the gambling room,
and small hole bored through the cell.
! ing OF the room below, above each OF the
tables. As the holes come direct.
through the centre of star pattern in
the paper, they are scarcely Distinguish.
able from below, Each hole is 80 placed
as to enable person applying his eye to
it to look directly into the hand Of the
player seated in The chain below
An ingenious ,elegraphic signal ma
chine was discovered communicating be.
tween those holes in the room above and
the chair of the gambler in the room
below a wire, having . handle near
the hole, passed along between The floor
ing Of the room .sbove aud the ceiling of
the room below to the corner of the gam
bling room aud bed room. 1t enters the
bedroom and passes down in the corner,
being concealed by as,rip of board nailed
up and papered over. 1t then passes
under the floor Of the gambling room to
the table, where small piece of the
flooring has been cut away close by the
table leg, where the left foot of the gam.
bier would be placed whilst playing.-
There it terminates in 81 ring and ham
mer. concealed by the carpet.
The method of working this invention
for robbing by machinery seems to have
been as follows: The victim to be operat-
ed upon finds two chars 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 other,
which is placed in the proper position
for playing. The gamblers accomplice
in the room above stretches himself on
ma,trass, with his eye at the ep.hole,
and one hand grasping the telegraph
handle. The hole is so placed that he
can look directly down iuto the hand of
his victim. As soou as he sees the cards,
he telegrapbs their description accord.
ing to an arranged code.of signals, by
polling the handle, when the hammer
strikes the desired number of raps on the
sole Of the gamblers boot or slipper, the
sound being muffled by the carpet. OF
course 1t is easy to see that the man who
sits down to play with such gambler i:
robbed as surely, completely and system
aticalIy as if he had beeu bound hant
aud foot and delivered over to highway
man. and of tlo txn ,alLsrs ia l;rI
w.,-,,a, wor,d Io .ha ,Dara laaa., 49,
These roo,,s bsra hoa, ooan.;oa .. 80 80
r;,ns t;mcs bv Con1;.l T.;pn n''n w.
md o,ber o,mh,s,s ras;Jo,,' o' 1"'Ae''
residents of tLis c;ty Soma I;a1,n "' ~
snec1,Ilo r;t;.rns ia, ,ro .., ",y"'y 80.
t,vn visited ,bese roons "a T,r" , 'm
douh,caIv ..co,oht tho ,;',or,, ,r;,rs.. .
sLo1om * or1na. a,;-. .''T''
tlu"c.