Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1882-05-03

Professional Sharper ond Their
Methods Of Cheating.

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Methods Of Cheating.
From the London Saturday Review.
People Interested in tricks at cards-by which
we do not mean amusing physical expert
nents, as we have been the French phrase for
conjurins tricks translated but tricks In the
worse sense OF the word-may with advantage
turn to Professor Hoffmann's' translation, as
ne moGestly calls it, Of Robert-Houdin's Lies
frlcheries des Grecs," which was published not
very long ago under the title Of "Card- Sharp!ng
Exposed" Houdin's book was first published
in 1861, and two years later an English transla-
ton, since out Of print, was brought out. Pro-
lessor Hoffman, has done more than make q
faithful translation Of Robert-Houdin; he has
down the work to the present date by means of
consulting various subsequent works. The
preface in which Prof Hoffman, sets forth these
facts Is not perhaps, she least valuable part Of
his own share in the work. He says In this that
some Of the feats described In the pages of the
volume might well seem Incredible to those who
had no personal experience in the matter. He
himself. however. has sometimes. when these
feats have been deliberately performed in his
presence. been tempted to ask ''whether they
have really been executed at all. or whether the
professor has not this time played fair and won by
some happy accident. Ifhe goes on pertinently to
ask. this is the effect produced upon person
familiar with every general form Of card-cOnjur-
ing. and prepared for the particular manner in
which the precise trick Is to be executed, what
chance has the average rd-player of detecting
unfair play at the hands Of q practiced card
sharper? This is question which bears upon
the case with which the average man can be
duped by any one who has moderate share of
intelligence. and who is prepared to take
moderate amount of trouble: and the fact stated
by Prof. Hoffman more than sufficiently explains
the success Of the clumsy enough tricks which
are constantly employed against their dupes by
the professors of various forms Of mysticism"
Dha Al,
as card-playing Is concerned. the true moral Of
Houdin's work should be found In some such ex-
preston as "Never play at any game whatever
for stakes large enough to tempt any one to un-
fair play" On the face Of 1t this may strike the
geneg al reader as q somewhat cynical view to
express, or lie may be Inclined to describe it at
best in Pepys' words as a 'devilish saying. but
true;" but it may be t0lerably we'll supported
by remembrance Of the hardly doubted fact in
connection with one Of the very few existing
public tables that the heaviest losses. the only
disputes as to fair or unfair play, aud the most
horrible cases OF ruin are to be found. not round
the public table, but at the private tables which
are to be discovered by those who seek them not
far off,
Lever in " Davenport Dunn" was right when
he said that gambling was one of the things
which men would do as long as the world went
on, and it may be worth while to point still more
strongly the force Of what Prof. Hoffman advan-
ces: wherever" he says, F." the stakes are Of
OF loss to any OF the players, the risk Of unfair
sye of clubs, the most watchful of committees.
will never succeed in keeping out the Grecian
form of high stakes. Granted that the great
majority among the classes where high play pre-
walls would play as honOrably for thousands as
for sixpences. So much the better for the Greek
The less fear Of his market being spoiled by COM
petition" This. as q general rule-Ot course
there may be exceptiOns-is hardly cOntestable;
and no doubt many Of our readers will remember
cases within their own personal experience
which will confirm the - Professors" conclusion.
Whether he on his own part, Is not too sanguine
ways overtakes the skillful I" Greek " is perhaps
an open question. Indeed. the curious history
which HOudin gives of raymond" the gambler,
Is case in point. although it Is true that he is
represented as having taken to honest courses at
the right moment.
1t is pleasing to turn to the story which Prof
Hoffman quotes from NJ. de CastOn's Les Tr-
cheurs, of how CASTOR discounted professional
sharper one day at Brussels. He was waiting
somewhat impatiently for friend of his On.
Delaney, of the Vaudeville theater. Prof. Hoff-
man calls him. but it should obviously be NJ. De-
lannoy) at cafe. when stranger lOunged in
and presently proposed game of pcquet, $50
up for cup OF coffee 81 lost the game. )" NJ
de CASTOR writes. my opponent offered me my
revenge. We then played for our luncheon and
bottle OF Bordeaux. which we had consumed
in common, amounting only to some five or six
francs" It was accident then rather than the
amount of the stake which led M. de CASTOR to
watch his opponent and discover that he was
playing unfairly. This was how he did It: "In
shufiling he left the four aces at the bottom of
the pack. When had cut he cOOlly replaced
the top half of the pack upon the other. SO that
he might very we'll have spared me the trouble
OF cutting at all. Then he proceeded to deal;"
and n. de CASTOR tabulates carefully the man
ner of his dealing, the result of which was that
he dealt twelve cards to CASTOR and only eleven
to himself. He then separated the nine cards
remaining into two portions the first Ut five
cards, the second of four; but this latter gave
him quatorze Of aces" This compelled his
adversary admiration. but It seemed to him to
| be going a little too far; 80, in taking up his
own cards he managed to give himself the four
aces. When the stranger took up his hand he
was so astOnished that he lost his presence of
| mind, and actually exclaimed: "'What is the
meaning Of this? You have ribbed me- sir.
Where are my aces?' In my own hand, sir. MY
| name Is Alfred de CASTOR, and give my first
magical performance tomorrow at the Sale
PhilharmOnique.' My friend seized his hat and
fed. l am bound, as q faithful chronicler, to
add that In the hurry of his fight he quite forgot
| to pay for his refreshment."
Sho Was Kissed Too Much
From the Philadelphia Times.
1t isn't often that girl is kissed too much,
and less frequently does boy suffer from too