Morris tribune. [volume] (Morris, Minn.) 1880-2000, 1889-03-13
WAYS THAT ARE DARK.
Giving Away Dice Boxea--Why the Cards
Were ssSacrificed,n

a
Giving Away Dice Boxea--why tho Cards
Were Sacrificed"
A dapper looking young man dropped
in at Dearborn street resort one day
not long ago and inquired for tho pro
prietor. When informed by the white
aproned young man who caters to the
thirst of the customers in tho absence of
tho proprietor that the latter was not in,
the dapper young man unwrapped
a package which he carried and pro-
duced a new dice box containing the
regulation five dice. He stated that he
represented q certain patent medicine,
the proprietors OF which thought of Civ
ing out these dice boxes as an advertise
ment, and, If he succeeded in placing
enough of them to make IL an object, he
would come around later and stencil an
advertisement ON the boxes. He begged
permission TO leave that one for the pro
prietor, with his compliments, and, as
the dice boxes In use were somewhat
shabby, tho white aproned man gladly
accepted the new one and thanked the
dapper youth. When the proprietor
turned up n little later he was pleased
with the gift and threw away the old
boxes. -. .sy. ..s.- .... ~. 80
On the following afternoon a party of
well dressed mon entered the place,
called for the dice box, and proceeded to
shake for the drinks. After two or three
rounds the men began to shake for "a
quarter a corner" and then 81. The pro-
prietor, who was behind the bar, noticed
that the big man who proposed the shak-
ing for money was the heaviest winner,
and. in the course of the afternoon, one
of the proprietor's friends, who had gone
into the game, lost 800, the bulk of which
went to the big man. There was some
thing peculiar in the way in which he
handled the box, and, after he left. the
proprietor examined it carefully.
Whilo he was thus engaged an old
friend of his, who had for years travelled
with circus, came in. He knows all of
the tricks with dice, and, when asked if
there was anything wrong with this par
ticular outfit, he picked it up, looked at
it, and then said: "Yes, it's what is
called o California smooth box, and in
practiced hands it is a sure thing. You
notice that the inside of the box is as
smooth as glass and that the dice are per-
feet cubes with square corners. The
man who understands it can shake two
pair 'on the square, and when he picks
up the odd die he can slide it into the box
with the desired spots on the upper face,
shake it up and down carefully, and the
same spots will slide out and fill the hand
like this" and the circus man demon
strated the idea. The proprietor readily
saw that the box had been "planted"
there by the big fellows confederate, the
alleged patent medicine man, and he now
retains it as a curiosity, but allows no
one to shake with it.
Some months ago this proprietor was
deceived in another way. It was just
after Mayor Roche's edict against gam
bling had gone forth and the sports had
begun to realize that wide open gambling
was done for for the time being, and
were beginning to seek fresh fields and
pastures new II they could muster the
price of railroad ticket. One day a
certain well known sport dropped in at
this same place and quietly informed the
proprietor that he was hungry, had no
money to buy a meal, and his sole assets
consisted of three packs of cards, which
he had saved from the clutches of the
police at the last 'pul. He offered to
sacrifice them for twenty five cents per
pack, and, as the proprietor's customers
often INDUCED in little game in the
back room, and he was out of cards just
then, he bought them, and the sport
withdrew with seventy-fve cents.
About two or three days later in came
a party Of young fellows, who had few
drinks and then asked the privilege of
indulging in small game. They were
furnished with one of the three packs of
cards and went into the room. When
the proprietor went into the room few
minutes later to take the party order he
noticed that the greater part Of the chips
snort whom he knew to be a friend of
tie fellow who sold him the cards, and
when he went Uut he examined the backs
81 the other two packs, and found them
marked ingeniously. He. Invented an
excuse to break up the game, and then
he burned the cards. Just. now he is
wondering il his eye teeth are through
yeti chicago Herald. :. T.