Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-11-21
INVENTED THREE CARD MONTE.
Lew HOuck Made Thousands Out of It..
but Died Pauper.
From the Kansas city Star.


The death of Lew Houck. the inventor
of three card monte. and the cleverest card
sharp in the world. started the old-time
gamblers and police officials of this city
to talking about him and his adventures
and tricks here and els, where. Houck was
well known here. He operated in this city
off and ON for twenty years making Kan
sas city a sort of way station" on his
trips east and west
The last time Houck was here he had
just returned from European trip. He
produced papers and letters to show that
while he was in London he was feted and
dined by some Of the upper crust of En-
glish society. He had passed there as u
wealthy and trave'ed American. He had
letters, too. from Secretary Olney. Secre-
tary Carlisle and other leaders of the
American political world. which recon-
mended him in the highest terms, not only
to the American representatives abroad
hut to any friends of the writer's who
might meet him. And these letters We're
genuine. Their authenticity could not be
doubted HOuCk had a way of getting en-
trance into the exclusive clubs OF Washing
ton. Philadelphia. New York and other
cities. ami in his role of gentleman of
leisure he had imposed on men of high
standing in the nation that they thought
him all he represented himself to be and
gave him the letters of introduction that
helped HIM to fleece the aristocracy of
Europe.
Houck invented the three card monte
game before he became of age This is a
trick with cards that has feeced more
people out Of money than any other game
ever praCticed. The trick IS ulaved with
three aces. two black ones and one red
II is always played with a confederate to
help or stall for the game. The operator
takes the three cards between his fingers
showing them To the victim and then shut
and I~Tyk b..r, f..I. n
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 moment to spit or To speak to some
one in the crowd behind him, and in that
moment the confederate picks up the red
ace card. shows ii to the victim. 'crimps"
the corner of the card and slyy lays It
down again. apparently all unseen by the
opera tor. The operator again shuffles the
three cards and throws them upon the ia BILE
face down. There lies the card with its
crlmped corner. The victim SupnOseS of
course that 1t is the red ace, and bets and
picks 1t up 10 find thatit is a black one and he
has lost his money. The operator when he
picked up ana shuffied the cards carelessly
the second time with a deft movement of
his fingers removed the crmp in the red
ace card and put a similar crmp in a black
ace card. That was all there was to the
trick HOuCk worked il for years in hotels
on bill lard tables, at fairs and circuses
and on railroad trains and steamboats,. He
IL 81
gambler. and the two worked together all
over the country. They paid thousands
upon thousands of dollars to railroad men
in the old days for the privilege of working
the game on trains. and they made money
Later. when nearly every state in the
Union passed laws aimed directly against
the working of the three card monte
game. It became improbable and was given
up by HOuck. But about that time an in
geniuUs English COckney invented the three
she'll game. which was even more produce
tive than three card monte. and HOuck took
II up The three shell game is modern
Improvement on the ancient thimble rig
glng game that was worked 2 English fairs
for many years. The old way was for the
operator to crook his knee over the head
Of a cane that stood upright on the ground
and move q small seed around between
three thimhles on top of his leg. offering
TO he{ that no one could pick the thimhle
under which the seed was hidden.
The lesson taught by the ives and deaths
OF Houck and Canada Bill and all the rest
Of their kind is that it never pays to be
dishonest or to live by one 5 wits. These
men may get great sums of money by sharp
practices in the course of a lifetime, but
they all die poor and most of them die in
prison. Canada Bill. who worked with
HouCk on trains out of Kansas City, and
made probably 81 ,OOO1O in his life, died
paupcr in the almshouse In Lebanon, Pa,
and Is buried in a pauper's grave. Houck
dropped dead on the streets in Durango
Mexico, and his widow in Ohio had to So
Hcit aid to get his body home to give it
decent buria