The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-09-03
TYPES AROUND SLOT MACHINES.
Queer Characters and the Funny
Things They Do

Things They DO.
From the Cincinnati Enquirer.
Do l know him?" he will reply when
asked about the fellow who has just pass
ed Il should say l do. We have played
the nickel machine together"
1t is hard 90 figure out how such an ex
perience happens to bring people together
and cement their friendship unless it Is
the same old story about adversely. which
Tor years has had the credit of making the
pest OF friends of people. The nickel ma
chlhe Is growing in popularity among
small gamblers in this city. and while 1t
beats them all Invariably, all the time, its
ueVotees seem very fond of its game Il
mas It's lookouts, its touts, its foolish ana
It's astute players, and in fact nearly ali
'he paraphernaiia that all other forms OF
games possess. Among its followers Is
the nickel machine tout This type is in
class all TO himself He is usually tail
and thin, and leans over the machine as
the nickeis trickle down its yawning
throat. When the green or any of the long
shots win, and no bet is on the color, he
sllIens himself up to his fun height, AMI
with a troubled look says: why didn't
you play the greeu?" The man who has
lost searches his soul for an excuse for
his folly or bad Judgment but can hnd
none. IL is at such n direful moment
mat the genius Of the tout is accenuated
There is another type of nickel machine
follower who is still unhung. He stands
back little behind the player and usually
wears chin that sticks out below the
rest of his face like a shelf. When a col
or IS played and it lacks but one of win
nlng he grins mechanically and snorts out:
Just missed it, didn't your" There is no
question but what he says Is true, yet
mere was no reason apparent why he
should make the remark. There Is no way
OF Furnishing him, and so the game goes
on. some nervous people are driven al
most to desperation by this individual.
Among all the foolish people who put nick
els INTO this clever little automatum are
a few wise gentlemen. This type Is US
ually a man of years and acquired as well
as inherited wisdom. He watches the
game. The wheel goes round and round
and the players lose steadily. At last the
last nickel has gone in on the high card
or best paying color without anybody
winning. As the gang turns TO go away
he rushes up to the machine, hustles his
small coin in and pulls the crank vio-
lenty. He knew the long-shot was due
and his scheme was to wait and then
come in on shoe string and clean up
the profits of the long play. The wheel
stops and he loses, of course, and with
puzzled look on his face he stands look
ing al the little dial steadily for several
minutes. Just what there is about a very
foolish person putting a nickel into a
slot and turning a gayly colored little
wheel around to attract sane people is
not clear, but the process not only at
tracts-it hypnohzes. Let one fellow play.
and invariably he has an audience of
twenty who seem even more interested in
the results than himself. Hour after hour
will find them glued to their places in the
front ranks with all their emotions CEN
tered on the revolving spindle
Lately new attache has been added to
the lists. He Is the "dopep'' maker. 1t
is hard to believe, but 1t Is true He Is a
gentleman fond of mathematics who be-
lieves he can figure out the antics of the
wheel until his bets are cinches. Col
umn after column he puts down and adds
up carefully. Occasionally he substracts
them from something and multiplies the
result by something else, all of which
goes to show THAI Longview has not yet
all those who belong there Occasionally
through his gigantic task he starts with
a sudden impulse, with eyes lit up and
pencil tip moistened over his moist lin
but with another revolution he subsidies
and goes back to his task, disappointed.
The maker of the national slot machine
dope book will, If he ever gets to the
printer, make the directory people look
like nine spot Il is only a question of
time when there will be failures in BUSH
ness on account of this infant gambling
device. The days will surely come when
stores will have to be shut down on ac-
count of its penetrating eagerness for
small coin. AS there is no chance In the
world for the player to win, the machine
and its inventors can only be considered
In the petit larceny class of crime, while
those who allow their patrons to go
against them are perfectly willing to prof
1t through open and objectionable robbery
The man who carries out $50 and $40 a day
that has been taken from his customers.
who had no opportunity for getting any
of the money back put into them, certain
ly can be classed in no higher scale than
the one noted.