Los Angeles herald., 1891-09-20


'rhe Stockton Mail describes number
Of the devices of tin horn gamblers at
che state fair at Sacramento. As many
of these gentry will be in this city next
month when the local fair commences,
the article will be of interest. 1t is as
follows:
New tricks at the trade are very few.
In fact, the only one which Sheriff Cum
miRgham discovered at the state fair was
s'mugging," which the Mail explained
yesterday. 1t is highway robbery. The
thief thrusts one hand up to the face OF
the victim, and with the other relieves
him OF his watch.
Everybody is playing ''craps" at Sac
Famento. Two dice are used. Numbers
are marked on table or bar. The dice
are thrown. They count, let it be sup
posed, for the purpose of illustration, 5.
A bean is placed on the number 5. The
dice are then shaken until either 5 or
is thrown. Ii it is 5, the bank wins if
1t is z, the player wins. On the face of
zt craps is an honest game, but there
as opportunity for the bank to cheat by
keeping sets of loaded dice and changing
dice on the player.
The officers here think that many at
tempts will be made to pick pockets.
The thieves usually travel by threes.
One of them carries over his arm a light
black alpaca coat. They pick out their
victim and watch him until he gets into
a crowd. Two of them then make their
Way up, one on each side OF the victim,
often lifting him entirely from the
ground. The man with the coat then
holds that garment SO that it hangs over
Che victims pocket, and either runs his
sRand into the pocket or cuts the vic
tina's purse out with sharp knife. The
purse is passed on the sly to one of the
other two thieves, and by him to some
fourth confederate. Persons often have
their pockets picked in. this way with
out realizing what is going on, as they
think the jostling and squeezing were
caused by am in the crowd.
The thimble-rig or she'll game, though
'an old trick, is still successfully played.
Three thimbles or the halves OF walnut
shells are employed. A rubber pea is
placed under one OF the shells, and the
sure-thing man slides the shells around
S1nder his palm. Just then somebody
back of him inquiries about the game,
or makes some other remark. The
sure-thing man turns his head to an
swer. While his head is turned cap
per lifts up the shells, one after another,
10 see under which the pea lies, replac-
ing them Immediately, and winks at
the granger who is being worked"
The granger, who has Just seen the
shells lifted, is of course ready TO bet
his last dollar that he knows which one
contains the pea. The bet is taken and
the eure-thing man lifts the shell bet
on. The pea is not under, for the suffi-
'Gient reason that in lifting the shell he
has removed the pea by slight of hand.
BETS are taken either that the pea is or
rs not under any one of the three shells.
Kf the victim bets that certain shell is
empty the sure-thing man by sleight of
hand inserts pea Che has several about
his person) under that particular she'll
ID Lifting it from the board or table.
The log game is still another cheating
'7eFice. A six-slded bar of wood the al
6ernate sides of which are painted in
different colors Casually red and black
is rolled down an inclined surface. The
naan who bucks at the game can bet
that the ''log," as it is called, will stop
with red side uppermost or with q
black side, as he may choose. At first
sight the game would seem to be an
honest one, as the chances are equal,
and SO it would be if the log were not
loaded. 1t is SO loaded that if the sure
Shing man lays it on the inclined plane
with one end from him black will win,
while if he lays it down with the same
end towards him red will win.
The modification of stud-horse poker
called "hokey pokey" and more re-
Gently dubbed "bg mitts," is banking
game and, as played at Sacramento is
EOur cards instead of five, and pays off
and takes in, paying certain sum for
pairs and certain sum for threes.
The wheel of fortune, in the hands OF
sAe sure-thing men, is a cheating
device. By the pressure of the operators
,s0Ot the wheel can be made to stop as
wanted. A few days ago a gambler
paid $2500 for half interest in wheel
game at Sacramento, and during the
day $1,000 was taken in. The wheel
viii not be allowed here during the
coming fair.
The soap game is still another sure
Ching trick. Money is placed in pack
ages of soap, and the packages are sold
&aysPers and occasionally an outsider or
two are allowed to win. The soap man
KNOWS which packages contain money
and which do not.
There are, of course, hundreds OF
sure-thing games, but most of them re-
cgSzire cumbersome devices, and would
soon be located by the officers. For
that reason they are not much used,
except when all gambling is allowed.
The games described in the foregoing,
however, require but little parapher-
nalia, and it is probable that an attempt
will be made to play some of them here.