Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1888-11-11
PLAYING THE PEAS.
The American Style of an Old Game-Thim
blerIg and How the Gang Work tn

leave the nttle p3a tWlSe III Iae sdm'
place. These two are for me, M for you
Now, rn bet any sum from S. to $40 yor
can't pick the she'll the pea is under"
These words, or others 10 the same PR
pose, issue from a dappsr little fellow who
presides over q small tlble, wherein re,ts
three walnut shells and an linda rubb:I
bali, which is known az the pea. He is to
be seen neanapy of the resorts where sport
ing men ara to be found, and whsn tn
Globe man saw him last he was operating
near one of thu rack tracks.
Accepting the invitation to come up,
bat io:ally neglec'iog any slIusicn t.
trying LUCK, the scli'e j1ined the crowd
round the table and watched the slick
young gambler.
NV every one look" fa;d he, as ne
deity manipulated the shells, now moving
40 of them rOund while the pei peepsd
iunoceat'y and teluc!ively fcon beneath
the remaining cover. Il mlve them
round pretty quick and try and deceive
your eye. Now who will BIT me- ten he
can PICK the winner.
"Ill 60 you ten," says a well dressed,
sharp looking fellow on one eide OF tie
gathering, and putting a bill in the hands
of III, owner OF the board he lifts one Of
the shells and there in its beauty lays the
pea.
That's ina TINA you skin me just like
al GEL" coed humoredly says the v..cim,
add he again begins his manipulstions.
Once more, gentlemen. can't always
win, and if you can beat me, all right. for
I'm trying to beat you" TINS is candor,
for that is precisely his mission; hut the
game is young and the crowd only treat
this as a ioks iu the face of his recent loss.
Tcat is not a loss. Ths Globe need not
till its readers, fer the wel!-irsssed gentle.
man is what is known to TIE fraternity as
q ''capper," snd his business is TO work up
the crowd for his partner.
Come again, geotlsmen sportsm n play
fir with me and Pill play fair with you.
Here they are. Now who cln pick it oft
for $40 or $50.
II cEp," says a clerical looking old man,
as with shaking hands aud form evidently
trembling with excitement he sci 9Cts a $lO
bill and throwing it on the tlble lifts one
o. the Shells and Ihsre gain, mirable die
ia, i9 the p,a.
'Tn j "a hard luck" says the pea shaft
he; as he pays ovsrths moaty. Sad as it is
to say it, tina ellerly geDtleman's tagerl ess
is all simulated, ard he is srO.htr CT the
garg.
Now, l want to give away q fortun3 o:
make one, and this time I'll mo re item
petty quick and will bet any one $40 or
LssA H. ,,D'k n,oL ont Ii n ma y
"Bet you iVe,' says a man in ths
cyo I'D, tsndetiog a bill.
Ths pea N IN see3thati5 is ten, ard i'm
Iasdiately puts in, "Ill go You ten"
"No, FIVE" %rejoin1 the stranger.
"Ill 90 you teD," says a voice, coming
from the first capper.
In willing to lose the chance to make
t Il. the stranger agrees to bet ten, and
lifting off the shells is disguised TO find he
has lost.
That's the time l beat you" says the
pea man, it being the fist sucker
clught.
Now, it is necessary to sooEhe the
strangers fe lirgs and q cappsr loses five
and "sets the laugh from tbs { o wd, at
which he winks aud says, Ppm five ahead
anyway"
The crowd il by this time impressed
with the idea that a Sharp man can beat
the game, aud hands are sOon lingering ner.
voualy in pockets where the money iJ clr'
ried. All these signs the thimblerig work,
er notes c~Irefully and he Id his cappera
20 to work with a will.
"O1ce mor3 l make then, and now nc
-. 49,, ali u,hano - =, = 4. Gin ~ AOl y
cts u6d.r thu centre Cns," softly
whispered one oE the clppers 70 tle msu
who is eyidedtly e ting ye;y mu:h in-
tereSted.
An i%ncredulou3 smile spread over til;
iAca Of the gentleman aidreS ed, but the
clarical friend bends over, aud while tn
PEA NAL pretends t .turn his head to shove
back the &C I'd, the further shell il
lifted, and nothing being there, it is evi'
IDENTIFY an even chance on its being under
either OF the other two. Tue c4pper who
gives the adv'co bsts $40 and wins hi
money, and then whip rs 20 the man he
addressed, Il told yoa 3d."
Bat 80 the game gCeIol. The Cappart
and the pea man work the crowd, and any
luckless outsider that bets cannot win,
Hund!eis of dodgfs are tried and "busi
nessr must he very bad when $50 or S6C
at least does not reward the labors e,
Of the gang.
The reader who thinks this is a simple
swindle and that no sane man would at
tempt TO beat It, is mistaken. 1t is the
most open-facod fraud in the wcrNd, for n,
ore on the first acquaintance wO1ld
,,,.anA IS 80 hstDn p,NNosihNo "a haof n
Yet such is the csss, for no man can win g
dlllar from the man who runs it. 1t is
the greatest game in eXisteGCl to ca'Cl
smart youngsters or men who think th9y
kuow it all. No one can see it for the
first time aud not be imposed with the
idea that he can best it. II is not a god
rcheme to beat greenhorns, for it IL rarely
they will bite quick enough or be in
clined to wager S. or SO ''at a crack o.
the game. 1t is mairly for Intelligent
Young fellows half-educlted in spoIti1i
matters who have lots of money TO spe2C
and not caring very much how they let il
SO.
The writer has seen many c:Owds around
the board on different o ccss 8 ons, and in tht
throug has noted many men Of position
The cap oers are of all kinds, an in theiI
ranks are men who must have b Ell in bet
ter walks of life at some stage Of their ex'
istence. Broken down sports aud used NJ
pugilists are there, and especially the lat
ter, for now AID then the skinned one
make a boiler" aud then the pea mai
and his associates have got TO stand thei'
ground and bluff or run. A precaIiouI
life has the party, but all things consid
cred, they get off pretty EASILY, and unless