The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1886-01-07
A Sure Winner,

"In 1862 there were numerous
places where the tenderfoot was beguiled
and robbed of his ALL The most noto-
rious place was the room run by Bill
and Hy Ford. They didn't run anything
but poker-rooms, but many poor devil
with taste for the game was enticed in
there and robbed"
''How was that done?'
81 will tell you. One of the hangers
on around the rooms was gambler
named Jerry Lewis. Jerry was crooked
throughout. He couldn't play fair
game if he wanted to. He had his cap
pers around town gathering up the un-
wary He always had his particular
seat at table, and the man who sat OPP
posite to him was alway. heeced before
he got up.
Everything apparently was on the
square, but wasn't. Jerry had Win
ming way about him in more than one.
He never went for anything but big
game. He would get around fellow,
propose quiet game of draw, take him
to his room, and the two would sit down
to table in room by themselves.
Jerry had his confederate, however, and
h; d him stationed in loft Immediately
above the table. There was small hole
in the ceiling where the fellow could see
the suckers hand. Then there was an
ingenious system of wires arranged by
which signals could be given.
The signals We're all given on the
sole of Jerry's foot. There was hole
in the floor as well as in the ceiling.
Jerry would place his foot over the hole,
ard his pal would work the wires. They
had a telegraph system. One tap would
mean something, two something else, so
you see that the watcher could keep
Jerry informed as to what the other fel-
low held. 1t was a dead-sure thing, and
Jerry made mint of money"
''How was the trick discoveredp"
"a Texan named Sam Reid struck
Denver with $4,000. He played bank
heavy and won $4,000 more. Jerry
tackeled him for a game of draw, and
Sam consented. The first night Jerry
lost just enough to make the Texan
think that he was the boss poker-player
in the world. The next nj ght they quit
even. The night after Jerry started in
to win the pile, but luck was against
him. He couldn't hold anything. He
knew it was useless to try and stack the
cards, because Reid would have dis
covered that and there would have been
a shooting-scrape. In spite of signals
Jerry quit loser that night, but he didn't
give up. He tackled Reid again the
next hight and won right along.
HE had won $40. 900 of the souther-
ner's money, and was laying himself out
to win the rest of it. He raked in a pot
of $4,000, and had dealt the cards him
self. Reid had only about S4 900 left
He got full hand on the draw, and
Jerry got full hand also, his full hand
being larger than Reds. The betting
commenced, and Reid had every cent of
his money up on the call Before the
cards were shown Reid told Jerry to
hold on awhile. He drew a revolver
and laid it on the table, still retaining
hold of it, however.
Don't show your hand yet, he said
Every cent have in the world is on the
table. don't know which one has the
best, but l do know there has been
cheating done, Somebody has given my
hand away, That somebody is over us.
If everything is square you won't object
to my shooting through the ceiling. If
there is anything crooked of course you
will object
Reid raised his pistol and cooked it.
Jerry didn't say anything hat grabbed
Reid's arm, but it was too late. The gun
went off. There was a howl and a
scampering heard, and a fall in the next
room,
There, said Reid. Il knew you were
robbing me. | didn't kill that fellow,
but | wish | had, Now, you just hand
back every cent of that money, If you
don't | win put a hole through you big
enough for "a dog to crawl through
Jerry was game, but Reid had the
drop on him, and he was forced TO give
back every cent he had won, ,"-DenUer
NelCs,