The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1897-06-26

mar NARRATIVE OF AN ENcouN-
TER WITH CARD SHARPS.


mIlIsr Trick of Turning Up a Corner
r.oo card monte is not recent in
.on If the card player by any
''u~ ns Back in the early tifties it evil
p'' w.. Aourished in the English CAPT
u'D =. the following letter to the Brook
~ a. Eaple suggests. The communication
W.. from William Day, who had an
'OlD o,;ence with card sharpers in Lon
P;n1 1915. After slumbering for many
uOn 'ono year the details come with "a
I've If the old days in their quaint
One day in the year 1855 I was
...ndipp at the corner of Great Holland
' ."aot and Blackfriars' road, London.
,Sod NOT even a single acquaintance in
49, 49, citv and very little money, and as
'ros thinking where l could go next
would cost nothing plainly dress
" man spoke to me. He said: Can
sor tell me the way to st. James park?
am a stranger i'll London. In fact,
wos left some money down in Hitch
n Hertfordshire, and as / intend to go
- Australia | thought | would like to
'0o something of London on my way
tbere " said: II have nothing to do
fTll show you the way to st. James
mark" He appeared quite grateful. /
said. 1--WE must go along the new cut, "
certainly one of the poorest streets in
Ioudon though it appears to be always
mil of people. So we went along, but l
noticed when there was a crowd he
went ahead and pushed through the
crowd. thought to myself, "You are
not like the country men that stand
aside waiting for the crowd to go by"
When we got to the corner of the
Waterloo Bridge road, he asked me to
take a glass Of bitters. So we entered
the gin palace, and there we met a
well dressed young lady. The stranger
asked her to take bitter. She said she
would prefer gin. We took ale. / noticed
she had well filled satchel, and when
she opened it to take her handkerchief
out | noticed it was bulged out with
rolls Of old newspapers. We then went
out and walked to the Westminster
Bridge road l said to him. Here we
are now. Go over this bridge, pass the
houses of parliament and Westminster
abbey, turn to the right up Parliament
street and there you are at the Horse
Guards entrance to the park" He said:
II am much obliged to you for your
trouble. Take a glass before you leave. "
While we were drinking he said: 81
have friend here, but have lost him
in this great city. He is stopping oppo-
site some large theater, but | cannot
think of its name. Tell me the names
Of the theaters. | may remember its
name" mentioned several names, and
when mentioned "Victoria" he cried,
"Why, that is it. " / said: ave passed
it, but it is no trouble. I'll take you
there. I"
took the man around TO the thea
ter. He said, "There is the very
place where he is stopping" Taking
me across the road, he said, "Wait one
moment" Then he ran up the stairs,
bringing his friend back with him, and
they insisted that must go up. So we
all three went upstairs into a room. 1
remember the room well; half dozen
chairs and two tables. The friend or
dered ale. and while we were sitting
talking an old man, peddler, came in
the room and, taking some things out
OF his basket, said, Gentlemen, l
would like to sell you pair of razors
two bob and a tanner "
The friend cried: II never saw such
place as London is for peddlers. Gentle
men cannot hold a private conversation
but they are intruded OH by some one to
sell something"
The old peddler answered: II am a
poor man trying to make an honest liv-
ing. Now, gentlemen, I'll tell you
what will do. We will play for the
razors. I'll put up the pair of razors
against your two and six. Here are the
cards. 3" He said: "Here are three cards,
one court and two plain cards. Now,
can any gentleman show me where the
court card is?' The two friends argued
about 1t and then decided, after playing
lew times and passing sovereigns or
yellow boys between them. The peddler
BET the cards out once more. Then the
peddler dropped a dirty handkerchief
On the floor, and in trying to find it put
MS head below the table. One of the
friends instantly found the court card,
showed 1t to me, turned up the corner
ana LAID 1t back in its place, after wink
ing at me. Just then the peddler lifted
MS head above the table and said, "Can
any gentleman tell where the court
card ISL"
The two friends argued it and at last
appealed to me. One said it was one
card, and the other said it was another.
sand, Gentlemen, am not betting,
.ut think | know the court card" for
fainly there the court card lay, with
-rner turned up. The friend said,
m bet you sovereign you cannot
" O." ! said, 81 tell you do not
IN BOTHER friend said, 81 don't
~ 4Now has mag" The 9th
"You have not got
pn't think you have
srN,yarm, and, as
Nt''Aand said,