The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1875-04-20

IcAu tne tlIle Outslue, Dut cannot open tho
leaves and see the book inside. "Dollar
and a-half a piece" jerks the lad
twenty dollars in the lot first prize,
ten dollars second prize, five dollars;
third prize, three dollars; fourth prize,
two dolars?" "a prize ?" "Yes, cir,
prize besides your book. Here's
clever book, Life of Police Detective
best work of the soason-great run on the
Detective, sir" Again | glance at his
wicked face. "You don't understand ?"
he asks, "Look here You take the
volume of your choice-say this; you
break the banda note drops out. What
is it2 Ha, five dollars That's the
prize you'd have won. For dollar and
a half you get clever book and five
dollar note 2" 1t is not easy to be grave
| wonder if Paternoster Row would own
him as brother in the craft. We have
our canvassers, and very smart men some
of these canvassers are said to be ; but |
never heard of any one trying to beguilc
a purchaser with the promise OF bank
note behind the tito page. "Aro you
the owner of those books?" ask. mo,
sir, I'm the boy" You know the twenty
dollars are inside ?' Saw them put in
myself" "You seem decent sort of a
lad, and so I'll put you up the ropes
You buy that parcel for yourself The
books sell for dollar and half apiece
for eighteen dollars you get the lot you
shake twenty dollars out, and so are two
dollars to the good, and have won a dozen
prizes for your sharpness. Grinning
through his wicked teeth, he gathered up
wares, and sinks away-"Gucss I'm
sent nu the cars to sell and not to buy"
If this lad fulfills the promise OF his
youth, he NAV become a rival and success
sor to Slim Jim.
Who is Slim Jim In these mountain
passes Slim jim is big chief-Sim Jim
is king of the card .sharpers. Jim has
hung about the Pacific Railway as a
knight Of the Middle Ages hung about
such rivers as the Danube and the Rhine
He lcvies toll on sucl as fall within his
grasp. Many passengers between Ogden
and Sacramento recolect Slim Jim better
than any other object on the road Jim
relieves travellers Of their spare cash, and
immigrants Of all their wealth. Jim is
no respector of persons. Safe in the free
air Of Nevada, he applies his art to the
relief of judges, preachers and physicians,
with as much good will as to the wild
Irish peasant and the stupid German
bcor. A Texan born, and hardly thirty
seven years old, he passed his early days
in village school, under worthy priest
But he began to play with cards, and
cheat by tricks, as soon as he was big
enough to cut ard deal Jim is a phil
osophtr. He found that, as a general
rule the easiest way to cheat a man is to
induce him to believe that he has cer-
tainty Of cheating you. lie founds his
system on the principle that every man is
grasping and dishonest at heart. jim
asserts that there are no exceptions to
this rule. "Prcachers,' he says, "are
the best game. | don't know why,
exactly, but they bite well. Several
have lost money on the overland trains,
and some of them have made a fuss about
it, when it was all their own fault, /
have now watch that won from an
Oregon preacher, who was going on tour
to Europe with money furnished by his
congregation. 1t is covered all over with
expressions Of the tender love and good
will OF his flock Jim always appears
as a fool or dupe Attired as drover
or miner he enters train seems Just
a little flushed with drink shows lots OF
money and jabbers in silly style. Some
pal then says he is not fit to have so much
money, about him and suggests that he
ought to lodge it with the conductor, or
lock it in the express safe. Jim offers tC
bet anything, or play anybody the pa
wins few dollars, and it is next to sure
that some one in the car, seduced by the
hope Of grabbing some of the fools
money, will wager on the card and lose
his stake. Jim thinks this system of de
ception fair. The other day he gave thu,
explanation to friend of mine. The
victim goes in to win the money Of this
man. whom he thinks foolish and un
sophisticated and he will have it if ht
can get it. He is gambler just as much
as the monte man, but one of the kline
who will never bet except on what h,
considers u sure thing. He is positive ht
knows the card that will win, either by
the corners being turned up, or by som,
+ other mark on the back OF it. Wha
sympathy does such man deserve wher
he loses? None at all, l should think
He thinks-ho almost knows-that he i.
going TO win, while cannot tell half tn,
time whether | shall win or lose
This man Of cards has seen the worlC
taken half-crowns at f psom, raked thu
hells OF Paris, looked on the tables a
Baden, aud attempted business 10 th,
saloons Of Monaco. But his throne ha
} been Nevada. France and Germany ar
too hot for hin. England affords him
better field for his peculiar art. ii
played his tricks from Liverpool to Lon
) don, under the noses Of our police.
stupid railway officers in Nevada, anxiou
, to cleanse their cars should push him hard
, he threatened to quit the West and tax
| up his abode with US. The Texan range
, thinks his art as lawful as any other craft
and he believes that EPSON and Good
= wood, Newmarket and Doncaster, woul
. yield him an abundant crop of greed
Q dupcs.