The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1877-11-15
s2Aisrenaneons.
CANADA BILL-DEA7H on THE
FAMOUS MON TE KING.

The following account Of the death
and burial Of Canada Bill, the Monte
King, is taken from the Reading Eagle
Bill has been in Canton and seems to
have struck streak Of the worst luck
imaginable just before handing in his
checks
Canada Bill died Of consumption in
the County Hospital, His funeral was
probably the strangest ever seen in the
Charles Evans Cemetery, for there were
neiter tears nor women nor minister
about the grave that now holds the re-
mains OF man who died penniless in a
strange land, but had the name one
time of having won nearly half million
dollars at three. card monte.
His body was brought to the under
takers room in this city, and thence TAX
en- to the cemetery where a dozen OF
more representatives of the sporting fra
ternity Of ofReading had congregated about
the grave to do the last honors for the
'old sport who had won money on nearly
every railroad in the United States east
Of the Rocky Mountains,
After the hearse approached the grave
and the walnut coffin had been taken
out and placed on bier, the question
was asked whether the remains were in
it. The undertaken guessed they were
still there. Unscrewthe lid, the master
of ceremonies ordered. "Bill was in
many a tight box and he worked himself
out somehow or other, and it's no dead
sure thing that he amt got out on the
trip to the cemetery While they were
taking off the lid it was noticed that the
screws we're not solid silver One Of the
mourners remarked that Bills game had
not been one of the squarest, but he
guessed there were tricks in all trades as
we'll as the monte players. The corpse
was found in the coffin. The men had
made arrangements with one Of their ac
quaintances to read prayer or short
burial service at the grave, but he came
not. The wind was raw and chilly, and
after the lid had been again screwed on
orders we're given that the interment
should be made.
Canada Bills proper name was Will
lam Jones, He was an English Gipsy
and came to this country seventeen years
ago: He was horse>trader, and finally
began to play at three card monte. He
driited into Kingston, Canada, where he
got the name of Canada Bill. He ope.
rated all over the North during the war
and after the war closed he was on the
Red River and on the Mississippi. He
was always dressed in a very slouchy
manner, and cared nothing for good
clothes or jewelry of any kind He won
thousands of dollars on the Mississippi,
in the disguise OF a planter. AT one time
he had a livery stable, and kept two hum
dred negroes at work clearing swamp
land at The mouth of the Red River
Subsequently he operated at monte on
the Kansas Pacific and Union Pacific
Railroads. running from Kansas City
and Omaha. He became UNANIMOUSLY
known all over the country. All the
tricks and new points in monte were in.
vented by Canada Bill. He alwas trav-
eled as a countryman. He is said to
have won thousands of dollars on the
trains and as soon as he had won it he
lost it at playing faro, His friends say
that in Chicago alone, in 1874, he won
$4,000 in three months, and yet he died
penniless, and had to be buried at the
expense of an old friend. He was about
forty years Of age.