The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1894-06-24

1t is time worn motto that a man
is fool who attempts to beat another
at his own game. Nevertheless there
is perpetual and rich crop of guilt
bles who insist upon throwing their
hard earned money away in the vain
and elusive hope that a fortune is
within their easy grasp.
The method is to them of no conse-
| quence. They sincerely believe that
the means deserve the end and with
/ this harmful and foolish idea in view
| they start on their downward career,
fully believing themselves competent
| to get the best of the sharper But the
i sharper is proud Of his name, and he
does his best to deserve his title. He
! generally succeeds and then lies in
wait for another victim. The sharper
! is cute one, and it seems almost a
1 pity that his energies are not put in
more useful directions. His inventive
ability is far above the average, and
he contrives devices which are marvels
j in their way; but as Josh Billings terse-
! ly puts it, ut liz a darned poor way"
Fresh in our minds are the develop
ments which resulted from a raid by
the police on one of the most promi-
| nent gambling establishments
Extraordinary devices were found,
and everything was conducted on a
scale of magnificence and ingenuity
that was marvellous to behold Elec-
tricity played a prominent part. In
fact. everything that could be done to
/ further the aims of the gamblers in
dlshonest way was carried out to
point bordering on perfection
] There was one device for stopping
| the passage of a marble at a certain
| point, which could be changed at the
| VIII and discretion of the operator in
/ charge. Each compartment was regu-
| larry numbered and had underneath it
a small secreted electro magnet, the
wires from which were so connected
! with spring contact points placed under
a foot-board, which in turn was stu
ated and hidden on the floor, that the
Dali could be arrested in it's progress
at any point.
Here. though. was apparently a diff
Guilty in connection with its successful
/ operation. While it is true that the
| palt could be stopped, the suddenness
| OF the stop would Immediately attract
the. suspicious of the players 1t was
/ evident that the stoppage must be per-
| formed gradually, so as to appear nat
ural. A quick glance at the wheel
| showed the operator which compart-
ment was the most profitable one for
him. The ball slowed up, stopped, and
he gathered in his i'll gotten gains.
| The gradual slowing up was by a sue
cessive number of weak impulses sent
through the adjoining electro magnets,
thus retarding the progress of the ball,
/ which was completed by an inner
| sphere of soft iron surrounded by a
highly polished celluloid coating. Great
skill on the part of the operator was of
course required to avoid detection But
the men who worked the scheme felt
/ that DISCOVERY IL
| that their very boldness and audacity
furthered their work. Murder, how
ever, will out, and the secret will finally
laid bare to a curious crowd
| Another device that attracted con-
siderable attention was planned to de
ceive THE most inquiring. A table was
devised, THE top of which contained a
! a dhessboard. Immediately above tine
center of the board was suspended a
! light metallic board by means of a
slender sillken Thread. A compound
mechanical motion at THE top of a tri-
angular framework placed Immediate
ly over the center of the board caused
the silk Thread Ito take a rather erratic
course. On tine boards were placed
rrumber of s1tatuettes somewhat similar
to cheSslnen, but AL of approximately
THE same height. The suspended ball
was started ON its erratic course while
the table was slowly revolved.
Bets We're then made as ito which
particular piece would remain erect
when all others were knocked down.
Piece by piece they dropped until but
one remained, and this one, of course,
was declared the prize winner. The
game was even more audaciouS than
the one above mentioned, but if any
thing it was more ingenious.
The way in which it was made "a
tl1i for.
follows: Underneath each individual
square was a rather strong electro
magnet, all the poles pointing upward
Each magnet was separately controlled
in an adjoining room, a signal being
communicated to the operator by any
of the well known systems common
with so called second sight perform
ers. Inside of the light suspended ball
was a compound permanent magnet
with the north pole pointing downward.
Each maker, which 1 described as
somewhat similar to a chessman, was
loaded with a piece of soft iron pass
ing through it's axis The pieces for as
many players as We're present were
placed upon the board. The operator
then, according to his discretion, Sc
lected the piece which he de-
sired to remain till the last The
signal was given, and the ball was
started. OF course the piece left to the
last was the one selected, and time
after time were his wages of cheating
gathered in. Nor did the crowd of
fools diminish.
Currents from a few cells of battery
being sent through the electro magnet
energized it, north pole uppermost.
The piece was held rather securely
against the board, and even if the
light ball did knock against it the
force of the blow was not sufficient to
dislodge it from its Observation-Disclosures
Paviayr