New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-11-05
yUr INVENTOR or THREE CARD MONTE
LEW uOrcK MADE THOUSANDS OUT OF 1T. BUT
DIED A PAUrEiI
From The Kansas City Star.

From The Kansas City star
The death Of Lew HOuck, the inventor or th'ee
card monte and he clevercst card sharp IN
the world started the old time gamblers anu
police officials Of this city to talking ABOUT MN
and his adventures and tricks mere ana ~
where. Hnuck was well known here. lie oIcf-
atcd in this city off and on for twenty year,
making Kansas City sort of way station
on his trips East and West.
Tho last time Houck was here he had just
returned from a European trip. He produc"l
ralr.rs and letters to show that whll" ne was
in LONDON he was f'ted and din"i by some
Of the upper crust Of English society lie hai
PASSED Their. rs "A wealthy and travelled Anl"il-
can H.. had letters too from SECRETARY oln"N,
Secretary Carlisle and other leaders or tnr
American political world. which r"comw'hi"u
HIM in thu highest terms, not Only TO the Amer
can representatives. abroad, but 60 any TRENDS
II the writers NhO might meet him. And th"s,'
lrti.is were genuine. Their authenticity c'u u
not be-. doubted Iouck had way OF getting
entrance. into the exclusive clubs of Washing
ton Philadelphia. New-York and Other 'iti's;
and i'm his role of "gentcman Of leisure b" had
50 Imposed on men Of high standing IN TIM ga,
ton that they thought him all he represented
himself to hc and gay" him the lttters OF nitro
duction that helped him 70 ieec" the aristocracy
Of Europe.
iIouck invented the three card monte game
h,f,r.. h. became. Of age. This H. "A trick with
cards that has ne.ccd more people out Of money
than any other game ever practised. The trek
Is played with thr., aces two black ones ana
- red. 1t IL always played WIN a confederate
to n-p or stall for the game The operator
takes the three cards between his fingers, show
ing them To- the victim and then shuiirs them
abo'It and drops them face down upon the table.
offering To bet any amount of money that no
one can pick out the red ace. At this point
the operator turns his head a moment To- spit
or To speak to one in the crowd behind him,
and in that moment the confedcrat" picks up
the red az. card. shows il to the victim, crlnrS
the corner of the card and slNly lays II down
again. apparently all unseen by the operator
The operator again shufiies the three cards ana
throws them upon the tdbl" rae" down 1hcr"
lies the card with its crmpci corner. The We
tim supposes. Of course. that it is the red ace
and bets and picks it up TO find that II - a
black one. and he has lost his money. Tn"
operator. when he picked up and shutei the
cards carclcssly the second time with irft
movement of his fingers removed thu crimp N
the red ace card and put similar crmp in a
black ace card. That was all there was t. the
trick Houck worked ii Tor years in hotels. on
billiard tables. at fairs and crcuses and on rail
road trains and steamboats,. IL" taught tn"
trick To- Canada l'll. a noted gambler and the
two worked together over al the country. They
paid thousands upon thousands Of dollars To-
railroad men IN the old DAYS for the privilege
Of working tn" gamc on trains. and they made
money.
Later when nearly every state in the Union
passed Laws AIMED directly against the working
Of tn. three card monte game it became un-
profitable ana MAS given up by iiouck But
about that time an ingenious English cockncy
Invented the three SHELF game. which Was
even NOR" IIodu' tN" IMAM three card monte.
aud fiuu,k took II up. The three she'll game Il
"A modern improN rmrnt on the ancient thimhle
rigging game that was worked at English fairs
for many years Tn" old way was for the oper-
ator to crook his knee over the head Of cane
thAt stood upright on the ground and move "A
small seed around between three thmhrs on
top of ms Lex. Offering t. bet that mo could
Ii.k the thl'nhlc under which the seed was hid
den.
The lesson taught by the lives and deaths Of
IIouck and Canada Bill and all the rest Of their
Kind IL that II never pays To b" dishonest or T.
liz. 10y ones wits These men may get great
sums Of money 10y sharp practices in the course,
Of a lifetime. but they all die poor and most Of
them die III prison Canada Sill. who worked
with lIuuck on trains ont Of Kansas CITY and
mad" probably SlWnWU in his life died a pau
per in the almshousc in Lebanon. Penn. and is
buried IN a laupcr's grave. Houck dropped
dead on the streets in Durango. Mexico. and his
widow in ohi" had 10 solicit aid to get his body
home to give II decent burial
WE'LL BEATEN PATH.