Millheim Journal. [volume] (Millheim, Pa.) 1876-1984, 1882-12-21
Slin Ji,n,s Quiet burial.

! tears wcre. 10 be seen. Only couple o.
! dozen rough men went into the shop. SIN
gIy or in couples, and took a look ar tho
corpse. IL was the body OF a man OF so
with high forehead, prominent nose, and
| the expression OF a man who had seen life
IN some OF lts roughest phases. Tue un.
derlaker said:
"Ihere Is no use in publishing him.
! His last request was that il should he kept
! secret, because he did not wish his poor
] Old mother To lSuow Of it. She is 70 years
! Old, and living in con Portable home
down East, which he provided for her.
He said IT would not do any good to let
her know he was dead" ="
"IIe was the slickest handed man that
! ever tossed Il pasteboard,h said one of the
| byslanders tO-a reporter. "IIe went by
the name Of Jordan. but his real name
was Bruce. He, was we'll known among
the sporting fraternity as the original
slim jim, king Of the three card monte
meu. His real pane was James Bruce,
ana he was farmer boy away down in
| Maine up TO 1862 One day he went 10 a
county fair and saw man tossing the
three cards. He thought he could pick
out the little Joker. Il looked so easy to
make so by saying that's the card, when
he saw the corner turned. He bet and
lost, and bet and lost az many "a greenhorn
has done before and since. In trying to
get S24 ont of the the three card monte
man, on what he thought sure thing he
lost $25. Then he made up his mind It
would be good game to learu. lie learn
ed it so we'll that he made over $500 900
out of it.
Jim was feet IL inches tall, weighed
100 pounds, had smooth face anusloOked
like a natural verdant or Sucker. To look
at hlm when he was made up Ter business
YOU would think him a country lout, who
needed to be taken care Of. lie used to
wear suit of 'dungarees, or brown coun-
try garments, that made him look like
farmers man in store clothes. When he
got on those dungarees, with a straw ha!,
blg boots with his p9ntaloons tucked in,
and a hunk of gingerbread, he was READY
TO skin any Countryman that ever tried TO
rob monte man, bv pretending 10 guess
card when he thought he had it sure.
'Jlm, dressed in this rig, would stun
BILE INTO an express train at country Sta
ton, sprawl over tie floor, spill few out
of a.bag of $50 gold pieces, swear that he
had been roJbed OF part OF the money
he had got tor selling his farm, and in
clumsy way bring out the cards TO show
how the gamblers got the best OF him
HIS cappcrs or coptidants would gather
about and soon jim would have first
class game under way. The greephorns
would be sure TO bite. JIM would turn
up the corner Of the ace in such a clumsy
way and let them win few times 10 get
them excited. Then the smpletons would
oct all they had, and jim would scoop
il.
"For years jim has been known at races
fairs, ansl on the principal railroads. He
worked them all rs long as he could. be
was very successful on the Union Pacific
and Central Pacific Railroads, and was the
best sure thing gambler IN America. He
was the equal of the celebrated Canada
Bill" the three card monte man who died
IN Philadelphia recently.
Jim offered the Union Pacinc Railroad
Company $40 00O for permission TO ply
his game on Their road in 1876, and agreed
that lie would not fleece anybody but dea-
cons ard c.e,gymen. lie used to say that
it was "a perfectly far thing 10 swlndle the
pious people Who were trying TO cheat
Others by betting on what they thought
was sure thing.
"Jm was well known IN Utah, Califor-
MIA, Nevada, and, in fact, throughout the
West. Often the raj road companies
would put detectives after him to keep him
off the trains. LattCry be worked the
trains between New York and Washington
He was not without sympathy. Ii lie won
from a man who could afford TO lose he
would not care how much he took away
from HIM. But, If he thought tie victim
could not spare II, he would give back
part of the money with the good advice:
Don't gamble; don't even bet that you
are alive.
''Jin was registered at the Park Hotel,
Mat Goodersou's old place, as James Jor-
dan and by that name he was generally
known. Two weeks previous 10 his death
he was out with som friends pretty well on
to Sunday morning He got scufllng, all
in fun. with Mat Carroll. Carroll got INTO
a scufile with another man and shot at him
hitting Jim by mistake. The ball lodged
IN the groin and he was taken to Belle
vue Hospital, where he died. Some of
the boys visited him IN the hospital, and
did what they could for him. They rails
$3.50 to bury HIM decently, and some of
them sat uC with the body on the last
night. VINO were they2 Well perhaps
there is 10 use saying who they were, as
the man was crooked. But, though he
was crooked man, he had a good heart,
and many Is the dollar he took from those
who could afford TO lose it and gave 1t to
some poor emlgrant without a dollar IN
the world"
The facts with regard to the shooting Of
Bruce were as follows: On Sunday az
ternOon a shot was heard in Park Row,
and Immediately afterward thin man
limped across the road to Frankfort street,
a stout man fell ou his back on the foot
way, aud man in white slouch hat was
seen running along the sidewalk toward
the sidewalk toward the pOstofflce with a
revolver IN his hand. He was pursued
and arrested. In the Oak street station
he was accused by the fat man, who said
his name was Maxwell, of having fired at
him. The prisoner was identified as 'Bos-
ton Jack" a confidence man. In the
meantime a reporter had found that the
thin man. who had been forgotten in the
excitement, had been wounded IN the
thigh, and that his name was James L.
Jordan. He was taken In an ambulance
to Chambers Street Hospital, where it was
found that the ball had passed through the
thigh, He said he was 80 years old, had