The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1870-07-01
New Gambling Invention.

One of the most ingenious inventions
for fraud and deceit ever introduced to
the sporting fraternity" has recently
been placed on private exhibition Tor
the inspection of p few select gamblers.
1t consists of an electric faro box 30
constructed as to permit cards to be Sc
cretly drawn, at the will of the dealer,
without the possibility of the manner
in which the movement is made being
detected. 1t will be necessary first to
say to those who have never tonight
the tiger that faro box is q very SIM
pie affair, usually made of some kind
of metal, and is used to hold the cards,
which are presumed to be drawn sim
gly while the game is being played,
until the whole pack is exhausted.
Every second card shows, except the
first card, which Is called soda, |"
wins throughout the game. The first
card shows losses.
This is the rule, although there are a
few technical exceptions. The box is
usually four inches by three in size,
and is fitted with springs which press
the cards at the top, whence they are
relieved by being pressed through q
slot. In all square games but one card
is passed through the slot at time,
although there are accommodation
boxes which permit of more being
drawn.
Cheating is thought to be quite as
dishonorable among professional gam
blers as among gentlemen who never
gamble, but if the thing can be reduced
to a science, then it becomes q mere
matter of skill; and this is the light in
which some view the recent invention.
The electric faro-box is very similar
i'm construction to the box now in Ordi-
nary use among gamblers, except that
it is invariably made of steel or iron !;
and the springs for pressing the cards
are spiral instead of elliptic. Through
one of these springs runs wire which
controls the magnet in the box. The
table upon which the box rests is fitted
i'm the usual plain way with the lay
out, and the check-rack and cases.
Upon the layout, however, depends
very much of the success of the fraud.
This uDpretending article is usually
only board covered with cloth, upon
which is fastened one of each of the
several denominations of cards in full
pack. Those cards, when used in con-
nection with the electric faro box, are
oxodized and placed upon the cloth in
such a way as to completely dispel all
suspicion of their character. This is q
part of the secret of the invention, and
is claimed to be an entirely new thing
in the science of electricity. Attached
to these cards, and running from each
separately, are fine copper wires, which
are placed under the layout board, and
run down through one of the table-legs,
where they connect with q battery I'M
der the floor.
The cards used may be of the COM
mon kind, but before being placed in
the box they are immersed in power
full magnetic solution, which is also
held as q secret. When the game is
about to open, and the dealer takes his
seat, the table has the appearance of q
very ordinary piece of gambling furni-
ture. The box is produced and placed
upon the table, Immediately over a
strip of oXidized cloth, highly charged
with electricity, and the game begins.
All the cards being magnetiZed both in
and out of the box, the current of cleo
tricity is made complete by magnet
skillfully adjusted in the box, which is
always under control of the dealer. rs
all money at faro bank is usually rep
resented by chips, some weight is plac-
ed upon a card when bet of any inn
portance is made-for ten or a dozen
chips will weigh several ounces. So
sensitive are the cards ON the layout
that the slightest pressure is at once
telegraphed to the representative cards
i'm the box, and in consequence of their
becoming magnetized they cannot be
made to win unless tile dealer breaks
the current of the electricity.
This is done by an ingenious contri-
vance which detaches the magnet in
the box, when the current is off. 9th
erwise the cards, having them prepar-
ed for the purpose, would come Ou. in
pairs of double, very much in the FASH
ion of braces used in all skin games
This is not easy of explanation, except
that every card i'm the layout cores
ponds with four similar cards in the
pack, and that they are severally mag
netized, so that any card upon which a
bet is made must lose if permitted to
come out double with another card
This is done through the slot, which is
so arranged that slight piece of steel
can be moved so as to increase or dim
inishthe aperture. In this manner the
deal can be changed-a proceeding that
all gamblers will readily understand.