Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1879-01-30
Losing sso,ooo at Faro.

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OF all the individuals who fig-
ured in California in early times
as desperate and successful gam
blers, or rather as "thimble rig
gers" and French monte dealers,
none were better known than
the subject Of this sketch. Many
who were in the State as carly as
1850 or1S51 Will doubtless re-
member him. During the grea-
ter portion of those two years
he was a resident of Sacramento
City, and almost any day might
have been seen sqaatted in front
ofsome gambling-house, or near
a corner, with pile, of doub-
looms beside him, offeing 10 bet
"two, four or six ounces" that no
one could find the "little joker" F"
which he was artistically mov-
ing about under the three"cups"
placed in a row upon his knee,
or which was ingeniously hid
den under his thumb nail. In
the spring of 1851, when "thim-
ble-rigging" and French monte
were carried on to their greatest
extent, and with such success,
too, that the fraternity practi-
cling them were enabled to rent
the largest gambling-house in
Sacramento Oee's Exchange),
for no other purpose than that
Of securing to themselves the
right of exhibiting their games
in front of it, Lucky Bill! occu-.
pied a stool at the extreme west
end Of the porch Of the building,
and IN two months time made
$4,000. This sum seems inn
mensc for a gambler TO make in
the short space Of sixty days,
yet it is hardly tithe Of the a.
mount to which Lucky Bill vic
timizcd the unwary during the
three years preceding the pas
sage of law by our Legislature,
in 1852, prohibiting "French
monte" "thimble game" ''pic-
i-the-loup," and similar thiev-
ing games then practiced TO an
alarming extent throughout all
most every portion of the State.
Bill understood his business as
well as any one that undertook
to mislead the eye ofthe verdant
miner; and, although his great
success may doubtless be at.
.tributed to the dextcrous and.
well-organized gang of hired
"cappers," who, disguised as
miners, laborers, traders, &c,
went from, table to table and
from game to game, making
sham bets (Which they generally
won), and inviting the lockers
onto "invest," yet not small
share Of it was owing TO his
shrewd management. So m e.
times he would assume such an
air of verdancy, and handle his
Soups" so clumsily, that persons
well acquainted with the nature
Of the game (better, i need not
say, than with the man dealing
with it), imagining that they had
found some one Ignorant OF his
business, were induced to lay
down few ounces, religiously|
believing that an opportunity
had at last presented itself for
them to get even with their pre-
yious losses; and others were
ensnared and relieved of many
IAN ounce by his counterfeitiBg
intoxication and recklcssly toss
ing his money around, and ex-
hibiting "dead-wood" Certain
ties of winning) TO their Temp
tation. One bet generally oper-I
atcd as an eye-opener, however,
and relieved the unfortunate
loser Of any erroneous idea that
appearances may have warrant-
ed him in entertaining respect
ing Bills vcrdancy or intoxica-
ton, for the bet always lost.
Bills usual method of attract
ing custom was the cry of"Here,
gentlemen, is nice quiet little
game conducted on the square,
one especially recommended by
the clergy for. its honesty and
wholesale moral Tendencies. L
win only from blind men; all
that have two good eyes can win
a fortup6. You see, gentlemen,
here are three little wooden cups,
and here is alittle ball, which,
for the sake ofstartinofhe game.