Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1894-03-13

\ GAME WHICH DIDN'T WoRK.-Mr.
Thomas Swami, an Old and we'll known
citizen of the county, while a short dis
rance from his home on Sunday last
saw two men in buggy some distance
away. 4 minute or so later one of the
men jumped from the buggy and dis
napeared in the bushes. The remain
inv occupant soon drove up to Mr..
Swami and engaged him in converse
lion. The stranger was we'll dressed
aud tidy in appearance, and said he
had been riding through the locality on
q sort of prospective tour, being in
cIined to purchase farm hereabouts,
pretending he was much pleased with
the country, it being close to Washing
ion. &c. While thus talking another
stranger presumably the man Mr..
Iwann had seen leave the buggy APP
preached. He was rather an untidy
looking individual and might have
been taken for q tramp. He addressed
Mr.. swami and his companion some
what volubly, said though his appear
ance was unkempt and he might be
mistaken for an itinerant, that he was
not. but, on the contrary, was worth
forty thousand dollars. He further
said his business in this part of the
world was in search of sister who
wears ago had left the home of
her rich parents in Texas and eloped
with soldier. He later produced
three cards and said he had become
much interested in a certain trick he
had learned with the pasteboards. The
man who bad first accosted Mr.. Swami
told the newcomer that he could draw
the queen and bet him hundred dol
lars on the issue. The wager was tax
en-, the queen drawn, and the man who
had undertaken to work the game said
he had lost and handed Mr.. SWANS
companion the money. The man with
the cards then offered to bet five thou
sand dollars that the queen could not
he drawn second time. The winner
of the first stake told his challenger he
would take that bet also, which ne did
and won again. Then the stranger Of
tered to bet Mr.. Swami that he could
not find the queen, when stranger No.
/ told that gentleman to take the bet
and draw the card. This the latter
positively refused to do, but was finally
persuaded TO draw the card without
making wager. II was found that
Mr.. Swami had really picked UP the
queen and the stranger handed him
FIVE thousand dollars-or what was
supposed to beat any rate hundred
dollar bill was on top Of the package.
Mr.. Swami peremptorily refused to take
the money, and his companion who had
won the two bets, pretending to be con-
sceuce-stricken, handed back the notes
he had received from the man. Later
the man, who had approached Mr.,
Swami in buggy asked that gentleman
for his address, which the latter wrote
on Il piece of paper, and handed to
him, and requested his newly-made ac
quaintance to give him his name. The
man took card from his pocket and
folded ii and handed it to Mr.. Swami,
after which he and his partner entered
the buggy rather hurriedly and drove
oil. pom unfolding the card Mr..
Swami was astonished to find it blank.
Fearing that the sharperrs, having
his autograph in their possession, would
attempt to utter forgery, he notified
the banks in which he has deposits to
be on the alert. The two men were, Of
course, bent upon playing the bunco
game on Mr. Swami, but that gentle
man fortunately escaped.