The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1876-02-10
A MIDNIGHT RIDE.
I" slim Jiin," the Monte KinR--A Union
Pacific Railroad Incident.

Let me relate nights railroad ride
with one OF the most noted of the Cali
fornia sharpers. We are gliding through
the Truckee river canyon at night
Nine-tenths of the passengers are DOING
and dreaming, when suddenly the door
opens, and in, with the cold night air,
comes the queerest specimen of hu-
manity | ever saw. One side of his
slouched hat is pinned up, and the
light, rs it flashes from one of the lamps,
discloses face that is young and not
unhandsome, o pair of honest looking
blue eyes and an intellectual forehead.
The beard is unshorn and the hair un-
kempt. Every lineament of the coun-
finance betrays unmistakable verdancy,
and it requires no very deep knowledge
of men and things to enable us to de-
eide that the fellow is a green Missou-
rian, "fresh from Pike county" One
leg of the corduroy pants is stuffed into
the top of an old cowhide boot, and to-
gether with the woolly shirt and dilapi-
dated coat and vest, render his costume
decidedly seedy. ..........
AS if totally oblivious of the situation
and surroundings he begins to hum, in
a low, musical voice .....
j" Away down South in Dixie
Away, away
keeping time to his weird music as he
waltzes with a light, shuffling step
through the whole length of the car, and
disappears into the next.
He has molested no one-ho has
spoken to no one-he has not been rude
or boisterous-yet everybody in the car
is wide awake and talking about him.
The boy on the front seat is convulsed
with laugbter-the young miss across
the aisle giggles with half suppressed
mirth-broad smiles creep over the faces
of men and women, and the more seri-
GUS mutter /: )" Poor fellow, he is crazy. {"
Alb, the good wife would hardly have
awakened her drowsy husband had she
known that the interest t-inspiring stran-
{ ger was "Slim JIM" chiefest of the
, monte sharps. ..
, In little time he returns, and with
the same abstract air passes slowly
= through the car and into the next one.
a Impelled by curiosity. several of us fol
q low him. We soon find him, sur
! rounded by group of laughing fel-
:. lows who are listening to his story.
cat Truckee station" says he, " O
lady coined up to the orfice to git tic
! ket, an she found her pus goned, an SC
- she asked me for forty dollars an lent
;, it to her; an she promised to pay me
back when she got aboard the train, an
:, I'll be dogoned if 1 haint been all
/, through the consarned train without
= indin' of 'er."
~ - He told his story in such an indie.
e scribably dron way that everybody
laughed, even while they pitied him.
= He soon proved that he was not exact
!, ly " strapped" nor much of subject
! for charity; for he drew from pocket
- a leather bag, full eighteen inches long
- which was at least half full of shining
% % gold pieces. He told the crowd that he
= had been swindled out of large par
4 of his money by some "fellers called
7 monte sharps but he'd Just learned
the game of the rascals, he had, ant
q now he could play the game most equa
. to any on em.
= Then he got out new pack of card
. . and "explained the game, aud finall,
y offered to bet no one could tell the ac'
, of diamonds, and he handled his card
so awkwardly that child could hav,
l. l. picked out the right card, and in les
10 than ten minutes he had lost over fou
hundred dollars to well dressed mel
=" among the passengers.
! The greeny wasnonplussed-s -somehoy
y y he "hadn't got the hang of the durne,
~ game"-he "didn't keer," he'd "tr,
. FER agin, anyhow, if any feller wante,
. ter"
,e m No man ever saw eighteen thousan
IL ~ dollars placed within his reach who di
=, not covet the " filthy lucre." So it wa
10 with black visaged man near who ha
been carefully watching the perform
ances. He now sprang eagerly from hi
seat to help the greeny lose his money
Perfectly infatuated with the idea tha
as as he was sure to win he plauked down a
u, VI his money, a large sum, his watch chai
~ ~ and ring and-lost.
Iii Iii just then station was reached, an
III greeny, sweeping his earnings into th
le Ieathern pouch, left the cars, as verdar
and innocent looking as ever, and sine
g, ing:
:" "Away down South" etc.
All this, including the songs, til
waltz, the story, the gaming and tn
CO exit did not occupy over thirty minute
go You Eastern people may pity the ma
who was thus victimized by the sharpe
but we who saw the eagerness and d
III UtIullIlutlOll IlS manifested TO rod I'll
supposed greeny, didn't waste muc
ur sympathy on him. His attempt demol
strsted that at heart he was as much
lg rogue as the other, though not SO e.
pert. ...
H. But let me say to those who design
travel over the Union Pacific railroa,
to you can't be too cautious. Don't allo
lg yourselves to be coaxed or excited in
on any game of chance whatever. You wi
II. be robbed just as surely as you do-ar
ar my opirion is that it's good enough f
i'll you if you are You have no "call I"
t's gamble, and should hold your moral i
er. tegrity rs strongly when travelling
tie when in your own family. But all me-
ke don t do this, and therefore many
them lose not only their self respect b
ed their money. l saw one. man wi
no lost every dollar he had In the world
er betting at monte" just after we le
Chicago. The passengers, in pity, MAJ
up purse to provide for him until
reached San Francisco. On the sar
train young French boy was "mont
up cd " out of forty dollars-and it is ju
lry owith every train that goes over t
Ill, road. But the section of road worst
lily tested by gamblers is near Battle mou
1rs tain. Here keep your eyes widest op
We. for sharpers, and above all, look out
he "Slim Jim," the monte king.
nd