The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1884-11-27

Hcrnellsville was pointed out to me by
a brakeman as Rush Waterman, who
had just won one thousand dollars on
one hand from the other players. /
recognized in him the friend of the
Valparaiso old gentleman's son. By the
way, the old man was one of the best
known stockholders of Chicago, and in
valise he had under his seat that day
he had over fifteen thousand dollars. -
''The flush time of railway confidence
men and gamblers was during and for
a few years after the war said a trunk
line conductor. Money was plenty
then, morals were rather lax, and rail-
way men did not seem to think it part
of their duty to stand guard over the
property of credulOus travellers, or those
whose cupidity ran away with their rea-
son. Besides Rush Wakeman-or Billy
| Porter, as the BOYS called him-there
were many other bright operators who
were kings in their line. l remember
'Bunky' Silver and his chum Big Jer-
sey,' John Baily. and a man known as
Red Shirt Big Jersey and Red
Shirt were the bosses of the three-card-
monte men, and were maryelously ex-
pert at tricks with cards. Red Shirt
was a product of life among the Penn
sylvania coal mines, and when not en-
gagged in working railway trains he
made things expensive for the rural Wis
itors at county fairs. He was the orig
inator of the brilliant idea in cards
known as the 'tissue-paper racket His
favorite role was that of a man bored to
death with the mOnotOny of riding on a
railroad, who was anxious to find con-
genial partners for a social game of
euchre. In those days the newsboy
with his cards and cupboard to hire to
passengers had not made his appear
ance on our railroads, and card-playing
to pass the time was comparatively a
new thing. Red Shirt, who would
readily have been taken for the
eaSy-going son of a w<hy farmer.
oyerburdened with both time and
money, always had a dainty, brand
new pack Of cards in his valise,
and he seldom had to wait long to get
up a game, and he rarely failed to man
age to select players who had blood in
them. The game of euchre seldom
progressed far before Red Shirt would
say, in careless off-hand way, and APP
parently speaking more to himself than
to any one else:
"'By Jove! thiS'd be a beauty Of a
hand in 4 game of drawn
Whenever Red Shirt reached that
stage of the game YOU could make
pretty big bets that his hand wasn't the
only one around the board that would
be beauty in a game OF draw, and
that other hand never failed in being
four aces, cold. The man who held
that hand never failed 10 be just game
enough to remark that his hand doomed
up pretty fair for a poker hand, too.
Then Red Shirt wouldn't say anything
more about it. but make out as if he
was about to proceed with the euchre
game. For man with four aces in
his hand, who has had the value of
hands as regards poker suggested to
him, is not a true-born American citi-
zen if he sacrifices it at euchre, and no.
body knew this fact better than Red
Shirt. The man with the four aces
would invariably propose that they test
the value of the two hands in the usual
way. Red Shirt would at first prefer
not to bet, but finally would back his
hand. The other man would raise him,
of course. And so it would 60, back
and forth, until it suited Red Shirt to
bring the matter to a close, when he
would call his opponent.
-Four aceSr that lucky person would
say. IL
:. What Red Shirt would exclaim,
eXcitedly. Lets see emil
The man would throw his cards
down. Red Shirt, picking them up,
would run them over quickly, and then
rubbing his thumb on one of the ace
cards would Shave off covering that
revealed two more spots, making it a
tray spot.
Look here. my friend, he would
say, Indignantly, 4 thought was play
ing with gentlemen. You can't run
in any of your Chicago tricks on mel
Then he would throw down a hand
that always beat three Of kind, and
before the others recovered from their
the money would be in his
possession, and he would make break !
for the car door. He never failed to |
time his play with the movements of the |
train, and when the climax came the |
ears would be slowing up for station
1t was no trick at all for him to get off
a train moving fifteen or twenty miles |
an hour, and he never got caught but |
once that | know Of Then he was fol- |
lowed close by his victim, and they both |
got of the train together. Red Shirt |
was given a most beautiful troGncing,
but the man did not get his money
about five hundred dollars. 1t hap
pened that as Red Shirt was hurrying
out of the car he met John Baily on the
platform coming in, and quick as flash
he passed the money, all crumpled up
in wad in his hand, to John. Red
Shirt made thousands of dollars during
his career, but he died in Pennsylvania
poor-houSe of consumption few years
ago. l think his name was Brown.
In the days of which l speak emil
grants were the especial prey of these
sharpers, as they are yet to great de-
gree. In those days, however, the pres
ent system of exchanging their money
ear drafts on landing here or before
eaving their native land was not in
rogue, and they carried large amounts
If available funds with them on the
,arS. The trains were so long that it
vas impossible for the train men to
watch the dOings of confidence men,
wen if they were so inclined. Sharpers
Gould get in their work and leave the
rain before their presence was sus-
,ected, or any one knew that swindling
lad been perpetrated. Big Jersey, as
! quiet, clerical-looking man named
Warren Krickmore was known, was a d
amOus worker of emigrant trains. He
vas college graduate, it was said. but
Vhpfhnr ne WIS not he nn11lH fall- | /.