Evening star., 1899-03-11
Gard Sharps Often Find Them an
Excellent Field.
METHODS ARE NOT At ALL new
But as a General Rule They Prove
Very Successful.
THE TRICKS OF THE TRADE

''The short card jugglers have of late be
come SO numerous on the middle western
railroads, and seem to be waxing so pros
porous and numerous withai. that the pas
seEger agents Of several Of the lines have
begun to study ways and means for get
ting rid Of the train workers." said
travelling official for a railroad to
Star reporter. '"The big roads with
their main terminals in Chicago are
especially afflicted with the card sharp
ers, and one of the Chicago passenger
agents told me the other day that scarcely
a week passes that dozens of personal and
written complaints do not reach him from
travellers on the important line he repre-
sents who have been done-and some of
them done brown-by the itinerant short
card players. He said besides that a great
majority of the men who complained to him
in person of having been swindled at cards
on the trains looked, acted and talked like
mon who would naturally be expected to
have more horse sense than to play at
cards for money at all with strangers on
trains or anywhere else. But 1 think this
passenger agent was bit hard upon the
male travelling public, and he also under
estimated the skill and persuasiveness with
which the card sharpers of the trains work
their games. l do a lot of running about on
tHS WcSlSIu TOduS, anu nave Hldue SOUlS-
thing of a study of these chaps and their
methods They are hard propositions for
the ordinary man to resist, much less to
beat.
Know Their Business.
I'm the first place, the professional train
workers rarely, if ever, embark upon
business journey Of less than three or four
days duration. and the leading members
of the tribe very often extend their jour
neys from ocean to ocean. They are finish
ed men. They always travel in strictly
first-class style. They cultivate the quiet
manner OF dress and Speech and at the be-
ginning of their trips, for the first twenty
four hours or so, they manifest an appar-
ent Discrimination to get on speaking terms
with any of the other passengers. This
they do, first, in order to impress the other
male passengers and to sort OF inspire con-
hdence among them, and. second, to give
the other male passengers plenty of time
to grow weary of the journey, and to read
up their stock of novels and magazines, and
in general to arrive at the stage of ennui
when the suggestion of a game of cards is
particularly opportune. The trainworkers
travel IN pairs, Of course, but the men they
work never know it. The two confederates
may have seats directly across the aisle
from each other, but they never appear to
know each other from Adam. When they
tip each other the signal that it is about
time to begin business, one of them goes
out to the smoking compartment, jabs his
hands into his pockets, yawns ostenta-
llouSiy, ana then prOWiS around the
wearing a much bored look for while
Then, after all the rest of the bored male
passengers in the smoking compartment
have observed how particularly bored the
sharper appears to be, his face suddenly
brightens up with idea. He goes up to
his confederate. who is looking out of the
window from his seat, touches him on the
shoulder, and says:
Putting Ont a FeeIer.
Cant we get up some kind of a game
of cards-euchre or any old thing, just for
the fun of it? This is worse than being in
JAIL
Just what I've been thinking myself
his confederate replies. Just for the fun
of the thing. though, as you say, for some
Chicago friends of mine tore ME apart IN a
quiet little game between ourselves a few
days ago. and L swore off for awhile even
on penny-ante. Got any cards"
No; l don't carry EN-, but l guess the
porter has got some on tap says sharper
No. l, and the button is pushed for the
porter, who makes the card table ready in
the smoking compartment.
BY this time some of the men sitting in
the ncighborhood of the sharDers have
cooked up their ears at the suggestion of
game of cards for amusement. SHARPER
No. l has already picked out with bis
shreWd eye the two men he wants and
when he leans over and invites them singly
to sit into little game Of partners eucare
just TO pass the time, both of the victims
to-De meet the suggestion joyfully in nine
cases out of ten
When the four men are seated at he
card table in the smoking room there is
usually an exchange of visiting cards and
cigars, and neither the style of the sharp
ers cards nor the favor of the sharpers'
cigars are open to criticism. Every detail
of the sharpers' makeup and manner is
that of moneyed men of leisure.
What's the matter with playing pedro,
or pinochle, or hearts, or something like
when the cards are produced. 'Euchres
such chestnut
Well, it's the only game I know besides
poker and always get welted so at poker
that won't have any Of it in mine thanks
all the same replies No. l of the short
card players.
guess you're right, at that SAYS his
confederate. 'Euchre let it be. then
Starting the Came
1t is always arranged, of course that
each of the sharpers doubles up with one
of the intended victims for a partner The
game starts out in the mild fashion that
distinguishes the game of euchre the
short card men manifesting rather more
inaptitude at the game and in the general
manipulation of the cards than the other
two players. After a while, one of the
confederates gets pretty good hand, and
Well, if I was getting a dollar a cor
iei ioI II. u TAKE my partner 8 DeSt and
go this hand alone
Not any, you wouldn't says the other
short card man, good-naturedly. 'Bettings
barred
This sort of thing runs on for some
time. and then one of the sharpers-always
on his own or his confederate's deal-gets
a hand that seems to agitafe him wonder
fully.
Holy smoke! he exclaims, but If we
were only playing poker. now, 1 wonder
what would happen to the rest of you fell
lows a showdown
Well. 1 don't know replies the other
short card man. think the bunch hold
'ud give you run for your money, all
right
'''Got anything to bet on that PROPOSE
tion?'
About fifty
Apparently full Of confidence, both OF
the crooked card players dig into their
wallets and count out the money and run
it to the center of the table, while the
two other players look on with interest
" It's just like getting 1t in a letter. and
I don't really know but what ] am taking
advantage of you. says the sharper who
has first called attention to the fineness of
his poker hand. But as long as you want
to make 1t a go. it's a showdown