The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-06-20
ROBBED THE MEXICANS
American Gamblers Find Their
Southern Neighbors Easy Game.

Southern Neighbors Easy Game.
American residents in Mexico fire.
quently complain that they are not so
well liked as are the Germans, French
and English, writes a correspondent at
the City of Mexico. American visitors
remark upon the GOODNESS with which
they are treated until they have thor
oughly established their responsibility
and respectability. National prejudice
I against the strangers from the north
is not so rife as it used to be. but il
/ still exists There are reasons for it
( When the influx of United States men
to this country began many of those
who came down were nothing mere nor
less than scoundrels. They used every
device known 10 their superior educa-
ton TO swindle the natives In very
many instances they Were successful.
SO common were cases of this kind that
/ the saying: ITO know an American
is 20 lose money" passed into a sort
of national DrOverb.
This was especially true of the
sporting classes" Gambling has
been always rife in Mexico and always
will be. 1t is in the blood. Previous
to the American advent IT was largely
gambling upon honor. Americans have
changed all that. In those days when
a man threw roll of money upon a
monte table and named the card he
wished to back he merely stated the
amount the roll COMMUNICATION, $500 or
$500. The dealer never thought of in
vestigating. Americans saw in this an
easy thing" and they began the prac-
tfce of betting bundles of money with
rubber bands about them There was
always a bill of respectable denonina-
ton on the outside. If they won they
were paid the amount they named. Ii
they lost they walked out and the
dealer found inside the wrapper bills
of the smallest denomination or else
brown paper. This resulted in all
gambling houses refusing to accept
bundle BETS
BEATING A MONTE GAME.
Only the other night there was an
instance OF American skill in robbery.
1t was at Tacubaya, which rs q gan1b-
ling suburb Of this city, reached by
car lines. In,the Tacubaya monte game
''the limit is the ceiling" You may bet
$50 600 on the turn of a card if you
have the money. It was carry In the
night and the game was listless- There
entered a man roughly dressed and
evidently an American. He took seat
at the long table and began betting
small sums. Fifteen minutes after
ward came in a. man who was once a.
freight conductor in Texas. He also
Dc5dn yelling tlSulAl- LII ulOiilC
fore each deal begins the dealer hands
the cards to the player whose turn It
is to cut The backs of all monte cards
are alike. When the cards were handed
to the stability dressed stranger cut
and returned 10 the dealer, the freight
conductor reached into his pocket, drew
out g number of bills and laid them on
the table.
Twenty-Five hundred dollars on the
queen" he said briefly
The impasSive dealer did not move an
eyelash, and began drawing the cards
from the deck The queen won. Pock-
citing his winnings. the conductor rose
and said Good night" The man be-
hind the table knew that he had been
robbed, but he did not know how. He
smiled and inclined his head grace
fully
Very we'll done, senor," he said
The shabby man played a little while
longer and also withdrew. A friend
followed him TO the city and saw him
Iturbide hotel. The friend went up to
them.
Louis" he said to the conductor, 7
saw the play just now at Tacubaya.
Tell me how it was done"
HOW 1T WAS DONE.
He complied without hesitation. The
winning was the result of a scheme
which the shabby one had thought out
by himself. He explained that he was
broke" in a strange country and had
to do something. Louis had furnished
the capital. The main actor had pur-
chased a pack Of monte cards and
fixed them. He placed them in one
pocket of his short coat. In the other
he had a large red silk handkerchief.
In each corner of this handkerchief
pins bent in the form of hooks had
been inserted. Seating himself at the
table, he had pinned the handkerchief
to each of his trousers legs, making
a kind of womans lap. When his turn
came to cut he handed back to the
dealer the prepared deck instead Of the
original. This one he had ernptied into
his lap by a swift backward motion Of
the hand. He had then unpinned the;
handkerchief with the cards wrapped.
in it and stuck it into his pocket. AS
he spoke he drew them out and
laughed To show the thoroughness Of
his method he had kept one hand on
the cold deck during the 10 minutes
CT preliminary play in order that it's
warmth might deceive the dealer.
These men had the moral turDftude-
to enjoy the recital Of their swindle-
They are both back in the states andS
they will not visit Tacubaya again.
Tobacco is named after the pipe used
by the West Indian islanders and was
originally called 'tobago."