Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1899-06-01
WAYS OF CARD SHARPERS.
Devices Employed for the Fleeing of
Unwary Players.

Considering that gambling is only ;
polite form Of thieving, it is not yer,
remarkable that confirmed game ter!
should stoop to fraud as means O
enhancing their chances of Winning
but it is remarkable that other games
tiers should be so blind to the device,
invented by more ingenious fellows
and fortunes have been won by cleveI
sharpers from men and women wht
have been well alive to their own in
terests and not wanting in CUNNING
suspicion by clever contrivances O.
their own construction.
1t is not often that a gambler i.
sufficiently enterprising and mean a.
to have card-room specially con
structed to facilitate his fleeing his
victims and visitors, but to even thi.
length went man, now deceased
who, despite his vast private fortune
Systematically preyed upon the peck
cts of his wealthy acquaintance. III,
room was constructed so small thai
only sufficient space was allowed fol
square table and the chairs of The
four players, the object of this beins
to prevent onlookers or anyone stand
ing behind the particular chair which
the host always took.
The room was magnificently deco
rated and hidden in the deeply carvet
black oak paneling were two SPY
holes, from which a person on the
other side of the wall could see every
card OF the person sitting opposite the
host. When cards were being played
confederate of the host was always
watching, unseen, from these holes
having his finger upon an electric but.
ton. This button communicated
with larger button hidden under the
carpet just in front of the hosts
chair, and by this means the con.
federate was able to communicate to
his master what cards were in the
hand of his tete-a-tete player.
Sitting down in his chair, the arch.
scoundrel put his toe on the invisible
button under the table and received
the news. One push of the button
signlfied hearts, two clubs, three dia-
monds and four spades. 1t was the
confederate's duty to first wire what
was the strongest suit in the hand
before him. Thus, one push of the
button informed the ARCHITECT that his
tete-a-tete's strongest suit was hearts
and so on. When it had been com.
municated how the suits stood In
strength it was the confederate's duty
70 wire what the cards were. start
ing with the highest in the highest
suit and going to the lowest in the
lowest. SO quickly could this scheme
be worked that very often the host
felt twelve rapid taps on the sole oil
his shoe and he knew this meant the
queen OF hearts. A short pause anC
then ten rapid taps told him the mex
highest card was the ten Of hearts
And so on. 1t is said that, thank,
TO this ingenious scheme, which wa,
never discovered during the INVENTOR
life, many wealthy persons wer,
| brought TO the verge of ruin, Will,
their host entertained them In rega
| style.
! A somewhat similar but less sue
| cessful scheme was that In the practic,
OF which certain continental dress
maker was detected. This woman
| like many others Of her calling, mad
! 1t a custom TO entertain her custo
mers at gambling in the secrecy OF he
| private apartments, and she proba bl,
found IL infinitely more lucrative thai
| her professed trade, to which 1t at
tracted customers. Her plan was t,
| stand her husband outside the room
| so that passage ran between the tw,
walls on three sides, and through al
unseen opening all around the edge o
/ the ceiling the man could see the card
o. all the players but his wife. VIII
sat with her back TO the single wal
Waking in the passage, the man ex
amined the cards OF the unsuspectin
/ players and opening a small trap Il
| The wall, exhibited similar card
drawn from a pack he carried.
Owing to the light which throw
down upon the table and into tn
faces OF all players but the dress
maker. the exhibited card could b
seen by her only. Her eyes, shade
from the glare OF the lamp were ac
eustomed 70 the dim light In whic
the cards were exhibited. but 20 tn
other players. CHANGING from tn
glare, such dimness would have bee
as impenetrable as the darkness {
night. In this way the MN was abb
10 show his wife exactly what card
were in the hand" of the player be
hind whom be stood ard when on
hand had been disclosed In this mar
ner he moved on to the next. But
was too clumsy to be entirely success