Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1875-01-09
s.SIINr JIM
Pacific Monfe-Thrower-Ey OF
the Little Joker and Train
Working Explained.
Ism FtuHcisco CbTo4ticir. De-.

working Explained.
[!Sa'l FiuHcisco Csro4icir. De,. al
Slim Jim is not the John Oakhurst Of p:on-
eeT California literature. 1t Is probably not
in his composition 10 press chivalrOuS devO-
ton TO such an extreme of loyalty that he
would die with persons whom he could not
save. Very likely he would never be able to
pass in his checks with that lofty pOliteneSs
. sometimes achieved by great CrimInalS-uo-
tally those of frontier fiction. IL cannot be
said that he l. Ike the John Chamberlain OF
fact, who hangs on the verge of society i'm
an ease and grace born OF thorough knowledge
of the world and its ShadieSt pa tbs. John
Chamberlain has met Oh terms OF temporary
equality with the most pOlished-perhapS not
the hest-gentlemen OF the time in the great
cities of the East. Slim Jim is from Texas, a
state in which morality shades itself of into
vice with easier additions. and the two
sometimes become mixed and indeterminate
at the edges; where society, outside OF towns
and villages, is as yet unfinished. No good
comes Of painting the devil worse than he is.
Our forefathers did that, and what is the re-
suit? \ world fun of bright men of extreme
ratlonallstic views. and a strong tendency to
atheism. There are, of course. men. and men;
gamblers and gamblers: else why have we
such portraits as SOhn OakhurSt painted with
the vivid hUeS of Titan, and a litcralncSs
almost pre- Raphaclite?.
Slim Jim never scuttled y ship nor cut a
throat, nor, after the style of The Italian
brigand of to-day, has he sent the nose or
ears of an unhappy prisoner To his wife with
the IntimatiOn that unless 10000 Scuji were
forthcoming she would speedily receive the
remainder OF her liege lord on n platter sliced
as thin "a a turkey at a hotel dinner. To say
that virtue has not gradations is not depre
ciatOry OF virtue; and 10 say that vice H. in
degrees is not palliative OF vice. Nor does it
follow that these presents are an excuse for
the threc-card monte business, any more
Than that the tale OF Poker Fiat excuses
gamb ing, or that the good heart Of Nancy
Syke, il an apology for prostitution. When
man cries Hands of, submit it is time
To let up; and when man like Slim lin,
who has lived a life that no moraliSt can
commend, says, Il am going to fOlSake my
| questionable course and follow some legiti-
mate business the public Will certainly be
| glad TO see him turn from evil, and will not
of course, stand IN the way of the promised
reformation.
| writer pondered when looking for Slim Jim
two or three days since. Everybody knows
| that that man is the most notorious three
card monte player OF the time. Everybody
except the victims knows how that little
game il played. and where il has been most
successfully carried on. The laws of Nevada
license what are called banking games and
forbid no other. The three-card monte men
claim for their - trick game" legal immunity
with the rest, and they practice it, or have
Deen some months pr1ctIcing ii, on the cars
ana in the saloons at the stations of the Cen
trail Pacific railroad. The more ariStocratic
monte men have only - worked" the paSSen-
ger trains. The less ScTupulouS have made
their chief winnings from the emigrants. The
method of their operation can be explained in
a very few words for the benefit of the ninety
ninth reader who does not understand. When
the train stops at some station in Nevada the
monte men board it like any passenger who
desires To go To some other station on legifi-
mate business. Two or three men, who play
the part OF "capperS," either enter with him
or are there already, having embarked at
another station.
The accomplished monte pretends to be
either miner or a drOver, very green, and
has plenty OF money, which he shows care
leSSly and freely. BY various means. his
cappers assisting he always keeping up the
show of veriancy, he induces unwary tray-
elers 10 bet that they can pick up one of the
three cards. rapidly manipulated. The I'M
suSpecting traveller is sure he can detect the
right one. and fully expects to win the
money of the poor, innocent miner. The dis
gulSed gambler generally wins. but not
always, and, having gone as far as he cares
to 90, he alights and works the next train
back To the starting point.
The reporter did not look for Slim jim i'm
the palaces of the city. He found him re-
! tired and not counting observation, in n
small saloon not many squares from the Oc-
cidental Hotel. The sporting gentleman,
whose occupation is for the present gone, sat
in small back room, leaning on a table
hardly cheerful. but still somewhat encour-
aged by the prosperous issue of recent law
suit. His attire was not remarkable for ex-
trcmeS OF ncatneSS on shabbineSS. His face.
which was small and heavily bearded, was
discharged OfexpTeSSiOn and similarly mega
tive. Only a furtiye glance now and then
from his rather small eyes showed there was
considerable Intelligence lurking somewhere
in his brain. Unfortunately for thiS story he
did not use his broken English, from which
the frontier romance has derived its most
piquant flavor. For all that his visitorcould
discern, the beauties of the Wasnoa dialect
were to him as the UindoStance tongue. or as
Egyptian hieroglyph. When addressed, he
raised his head from seemingly bottOmleSs
depths Of chinchilla cOat-collar, and replied
to the effect that his newspaper nOtoriety
was ample for all practical purposes. and he
did not care to extend il. Upon being preSse ID
he sustained part in a cOIloquy, which ran
much after the following manner. After lis
tening TO a series of complaints regarding
the persecution to which he had been sub
jectcd by the Central Pacific railroad COM
pany, stimulated to yirtuous efforts by the
ISLANDERS of the Pacific Mail steamship COM
pany, the reporter asked him:
How long is ii since you have played on
the trains of the Central Pacific rairoad''
Il have not played a card for the last two
months. and they all know it,
Have you ever been arrested or been In
any difficulty growing out of your monte
games before the recent arrests by the United
States authOritieS?''
81 never have. / have never even had per-
sOnal trouble with any one from whom have
won money during several years experience
on a good many railroads and in good many
states. This whole excitement has been
caused by the railroad detectives, who want
TO get their names up and are working in a
lively style for their own interests. There is
a great difference i'll the men who have been
practicing the game. a few fellows up there
in Nevada, who have abused passengers,
have given the detectives an ad vantage which
has been used TO the utmost. Persons who
lose neVer.eXpreSs any dissatisfaction so long
as the bets have been legitimate. III man
doesn't choose to bet his money. / don't choose
to win. 1t is at their own option. entirely.
and it is 10 be supposed that every sober man
knows what he is doing"
At this point Slim Jim developed little
Mephistophelean policy which made John
OakhurstS career for time so successful
that is never TO get drunk while on duty. AS
Mr. Harte puts it, sit interferes with pro-
fesSion that requires GOODNESS, impressiveness
and presence of mind" Mr.. OakhurSt used
TO say to himself in one OF those lofty. intel
lectual moods of which only the California
gambler is capable, that he couldn't afford
it."
The question asked: us il true that money
is won from passengers when drunk?'
The reply was: Il have never seen drunk
en- passenger betting on the three-card game.
never would play with one who was in that
condition. In fact, drunken man is not
likely TO bet at all. If the victim Were in
toxicated he could not see the advantage
which he thinks he has over an unsophsti-
Gated miner, who has plenty of money, but
apparently not sense enough to take care
of it,"
''You consider, then, that portion of the
guilt, if there is any guilt, attaches TO the
man who is called the Victim?'
"Of course do. The victim goes in to win
the money of this man, whom he thinks fool
fsh and unsOphisticated, and he viii have il
If he can get it. He is "a gambler just
much the monte man. but of the kind