, 1897-03-20
CARD SWINDLER.

CARD SWINDLER.
Among the Old-time travelling card
sharps that | knew" said a veteran rail-
road conductor, was Red Shirt This
slick rascal's name was Kelley, and ne
was a product OF life in the Pennsyl-
vania coal mining districts. He was an
expert three-card-monte manipulation
and marvelously skillful at tricks with
cards. He was the originator OF many
Of The card-sharper tricks that are do
ing duty to thisd day in the hands Of the
profession. The 'tissue-paper guy an
idea in cards that originated with him,
made him and his imitators thousands
of dollars. | shall never forget the day
Red Shirt introduced it on our road. He
showed himself such a perfect artist that
| confess had to admire him.
Red Shirts tavorite role was that Of
a traveller bored all but to death with
the monotony of riding on a railroad.
In those days the newsboy, with his
packs OF cards to hire or sell and his
lap board to play on, had no yet made
his appearance OF u railroads, and
card playing to pass the time away was
a new thing. Red Shirt-and why he
was called Red Shirt l never knew
might easily have been taken for the
easy-going son of a wealthy father, ov-
erburdened with both time and money.
He always had a dainty, brand-new
pack OF cards in his satchel, and he sell
dom had 20 wait long in getting up a
game of euchre or other harmless game.
An infallible judge of human nature he
never failed TO select players suited to
his purpose. Their social game had
rarely progressed far before Red Shirt
in a careless, offhand way (the thing is
old and thread-bare now, but it was new
them, and speaking apparently more to
himself than to any one else would say:
This would be a beauty OF a hand
in a game OF bluff. l declare il would!'
Poker was almost universally called
bluff in those days. When Red Shirt
had come to the stage in his little
scheme when he made thai remark, it
would nave been a safe bet for any one
10 make that he wasn't the only one in
The game who held a hand that would
be a beauty in a game of bluff, and that
the other hand never failed to be four
aces, cold and pat.
And so well did this graceful sharper
judge his man that the one who held
those aces never failed to be one who
knew their poker value, and had game
enough in his makeup to remark that
his W hand showed up pretty fair it.
self for the making OF a nice poker
now that OF the finished artist that he
was. AS simply a bored traveller, de,
lighted to break the monotony of his
journey by an innocent game of euchre
with pleasant companions he did not
notice the allusion of the man with tho
four aces to Il >" iL'Iiti $ # is hand,
but directcf NJ lia attention again tc
further Tr1c eNiugz IN the tucI're game.
"Nor 10 uri' with four aces in his
hand who has had the subject OF hands
in their relation to poker called to his
attention. even casually, is not a true
born American citizen if he consents to
sacrifice them az euchre without a pro-
test, and no one knew his better than
Red Shirt. What was the inevitable
| con SpUlanrar Tho with tIo ro.,
aces would insist on testing the rela-
tive value OF the TWO hands in the usual
way. Red Shirt would at first decline, /
declaring that he would prefer not to
bet, but not in such positive terms that
he could lot at least be induced 10 back
his hand. The other man would raise
him Of course; and so it would go, back
and forth. until the arrived
when it suited Red Shirt to bring the
matter to close. when he would call him.
-Four aces that lucky person would
exclaim.
WHAT. Red Shirt would say, in
seeming aAonishment. You don't say
so! Let's see 'em?'
THE man would throw down his
cards. Red Shirt, picking them up,
would run them over quickly, and then,
rubbing his thumb over one Of the cards |
would shave OF a covering that reveal
ed two spots, making 1t a tray!
Look here, my friend!' he would ex-
claim Indignantly, I thought 1 was
playing with gentlemen
Then he would throw down his hand
which was always the beating of three
OF a kind, and before the other hand re-
covered from his establishment the mon
ey would be in Red Shirts possession,
and he would be going out Of the car
door. 1t was no trick at all for him to
get of a train going at 20 miles an
hour, and he always timed the climax
OF his game to the slowing up Of the
train as 1t approached a station. ! never
heard Of his being caught once by any
one he had thus victimised. Red Shirt
made thousands Of dollars, but died in