Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1892-04-10
aKEArrsr on coxrrprNcr nEN.
Recollections of the Very Remarkable
Career OF Canada Bill.
From he Detroit; Free Pr,ss


Career OF Canada Bill.
From he DttrOi; Free Pr,H
when ] arrived in Detroit last Sat-
urday evening" said S. V. Vail, Of Ell
mira, n. Y, II met Mason Long, of
Fort Wayne, Ind, in the depot, and the
sight OF his well-remembered face re-
called many interesting recoilections to
my mind. Long has been for num-
Der Of years enc OF the best-known
evangelistS in the country, is a thor
ough Christian and active leader in all
good movements, but there was time
when he was as hard a citizen
as you could meet In a months
Journey. He was a gambler and a
three-card monte man, and travelled for
quite a time with the notorious Can
ada Bill" who was undoubtedly the
cleyerest moute man that ever operated
in the United States. Sixteen or
eighteen years ago, when Canada Bill
was at his best, saw considerable Of
him, and despite the fellows roguery
and croOkedneSs there was something
about him that | couldn't help but ad-
mire. lie was larged-iormed man,
with a clearly shayen face, square
jaw, deep-set eyes and the expression
of sphinx. His favorite disguise was
the makeup OF cattledrOver, and as
there were more members Of that class
on the road in the days referred to than
now Canada Bill had no difficulty in
passing himselfoff as one Of them. He
always carried two or three confeder-
ates or 'cappers' with him, and the money
- Ia nit bfc
during half dozen years, chiefly on the
Lake Shore Railroad, would buy bank
and pay officers salaries for twenty
years. Whenever arrested Bill would
plead guilty when arraigned, and no
matter how large fine might be i'm
posed on him he would flash up
bundle OF greenbackS, count out the
amount of the fine, thank the court for
doing its duty and bow himself into the
street AS an example Of his audacity
| may cite the instance of his offering
the Union Pacific Railroad Company
| $4,000 year for the exclusive right of
operating his game on their road, and
/ furthermore, he said he would agree
not to fleece any one but ministers Of
! the Gospel. Needless TO say, his
generous offer was not accepted by the
railroad company.
sin the spring OF 1874 I was on a
Lake Shore train, between Toledo and
! Chicago, bound west, when Canada
Bill suddenly appeared in the smoking
/ car where | was sitting, and after few
desultory remarks produced his three
cards and began carelessly throwing
them around on the seat facing him,
| and after two or three OF his 'cappers'
had won SIS or $40 apiece picking the
right cards, a rustic-lOoking fellow with
a pipe in his mouth, who had been in
| tently watching the game, produced
fat pocketbook, from which he took $40
and bet that amount he could pick the
] right card. He doubled his money In less
time than il takes TO count five, and ven
tured again. He kept on waiting and
/ evidently thought luck was with him,
whereas Bill was merely stringing him,
and in a few minutes he had one six
| bets. Flushed with success he became
reckless, Increased the size OF his bets,
| and in less than quarter OF an hour
Canada Bill had drained him of every
cent he had, something over 5000. The
greenhorn rceled out OF the car com
pletely dazed, went forward to where
his wife was and told her he had lost all
! the money they possessed. The woman
| hastened back TO the smoking car, and
/ with tears streaming down her cheeks
told Canada BilP that her husband, her
self and their two small children had
sold out everything they had down in
Mercer county, Pa, and were on their
way to Kansas 20 start anew In life.
/ All the money they had was the six
hundred and some odd dollars that her
husband had just lost at three-card
monte, and concluding, the heart-broken
creature exclaimed as she sank on her
/ knees i'm the aisle beside 'BilPS' seat.
| the children and ! must starve, mister,
Just because my man was fool Can
ada BillS' stocal expression never
changed a particle, but he put his hand
i'm his pocket, drew forth 4 big wad OF
money, counted out just the amount
the man had lost and handed II TO the
forlorn woman by his side, say
ing: Heres your money. madam. !
never rob women and children, but
want you to keep it TO yourself in the
| future, as that husband OF yours doesn't
! know enough 10 go out without guard
IAN Then giving her $40 more, he con-
tinued: Here's present for the ba-
bies. Now run back to them and stop
your crying SO you see, swindler and
scoundrel that he was, the king OF
monte men had some rcdeeming quail
ties, and maybe they will be remem-
bered when his final account is made
up. Canada Bilrs' full name was
William Jones, he came originally from
| a..un NnntrnnI WV nd has haan dead