Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1885-03-26
POKER SHARPS.
The Clever Swindlers who Seek for Vic
Tins on Atlantic Steamships.

POKER SHARPS.
The Clever Swindlers who Seek for VIC
TINS on Atlantic Steamships.
A recent London cablegram saia
there was revival of the cutlery
against gambling on the Atlantic steam
ships, and many letters had been pub
lished giving instances of passengers
being feeced by card-sharps. 1t was
also conjectured that some of the pro-
fessional gamblers, having been starved
out of New York City, were plying
their vocation ON the steamers. These
travelling sharpers are sometimes called
ocean tramps. They are not confined
to the male sex, and were crossing and
recrossing the Atlantic before the
poker-sharps and the brace gamblers
were driven out of their favorite dens
uptown by the police. Two of these
sharpers are slender, bright-eyed girls,
who are familiar to ocean-traveiers in
the summer season. Not long ago the
writer saw them board a fast steamer
for one of their periodical round trips,
and they appeared very pleasant to the
y
dressed in becoming travelling suits.
One of them had an alligator tourists
bag slung over her shoulder, and the
other, with equal grace and
archness, carried pair of
marine glasses. The small,
snug, gray hats that surmounted their
pretty heads of neatly done-up hair,
their close-titting jackets. and strong,
yet shapely shoes all bespoke exper-
fenced travellers. AS they stood at the
steamers rail, watching the busy, jost-
ling crowd they We're the cynosure of
all eyes. They were not unattended.
Loom NC up in the background with
bland face was the male guardian of
the pretty pair. AS the younger men
who were going to be their fellow-pas-
sengers eyed them with ill-conceaIed
admiration the gray-mustached chaper-
on frowned in a manner that was DIS
couraging to the most audacious.
AS the reporter gazed at the picture
he was startled by feeling a huge red
hand upon his shoulder. and hearing a
voice in his ear that sounded as if it
came from the depths of the sea. 1t
said:
well, old man,
Turning around the reporter saw the
rotund face of the jolly chief officer of
the steamer, the flagship of the line.
What, are you looking at those
girls. eh?'
Yes. | wonder who they are-En-
glish girls going home with papa after.
doing the States, suppose; or, may
be, they're Boston bellies abandoning
their crude and barbarous native land?
They re pretty girls, anyhow. and Ifeel
jealous already of that gaunt, round
should red dude who is making up to
the fair-haired one in spite of her
fathers scowl.'
The Jolly officer burst into peal of
laugh ,er. which reached the ears of the
beauties at the rail. They turned,
looked at him, crimsoned with resent
ment, and haughtily left the rail to 90
below or get out of the way of the Of
tcer's eyes.
English swells or Boston bellies, Ell?
That's your reckoning of it, is it?''
laughed the jolly tar. why. my dear
fellow, you re all off. Those are the
three cleverest swindlers that work the
herr NC pond. Ipresume you've heard
OF the card sharps and confidence OPP
orators who spend their time during the
summer months between New York and
Liverpool fleeing their fellow-passen-
gers Well, that the slickest trio in
the business. I've had 'em twice ON
this ship, and on the second voyage
they got so deep into the pockets OF
two young Englishmen westward bound
that the skipper got 'thwart of their
hawse and confined them to their state
room for the rest of the passage. You
see, they look as father and two
daughters, and as soon as the ships in
blue water they beg to throw out sig
nails First one and then another green
horn runs alongside and makes fast.
Then they sound him. If he is clever
or on short allowance they sheer off
and let HIM alone. But if'he's what you
Yankees call we'll fixed they make fast
to him, flirt with him, DIR nix fizz and
brandy and soda with him, smoke
C: garettes with him, and in due
time play poker, or nap, or baccarat
with him. The poor dupe thinks
they are too awfully nice for anything.
All the other lady passengers are be-
low, or off the wind, and he thinks it a
American characteristic, this
freedom, and audac ty, and good fell
lowship. The cover-that's the old
sharp-he makes pretense of shorten
ing sail once in awhile, but it's only
blind, my boy. Then the first thing
you know, just as you make the light
ship. Mr. Greenhorn is cleaned out of
every shilling. and may have chucked
in half-a- dozen checks or promissory
notes besides.
They're the hardest class of frauds
to tackle. because no skipper likes to
run afoul of lady passengers. Sup
pose he should make mistake and or
der young lady whose worst fault is
that she is a tile gay to keep to her
as he can under the British
Iaw2 Why. she might make it as hot
as old Harry for the company; for such
an act on would be false Imprisonment
Of the worst kind.
..Mv old man took his chances, |
though. and the damsels will give our |
line a wide berth when they are opera |
ting in future. Some of the agents |
have blacklisted lot of the most noted |
Of these ro9ups. but new ones appear
every now and then, and as long as
here are geese there will be foxes 1t |
seems almost impossible to keep the |
poker slharps off the ocean steamers,
out we do our best to keep our patrons
rom being sw ndled, even at the risk |
If taboo. ng the wrong person. ~ I.
Sun.
The skating craze attains its high
st development in the country. City |
,eonle have little idea of it. A YER
mont clergyman, in recent address, |