The Opelousas courier., 1899-09-30
GAMBLING S%TRATAGEMS.
CLEVER DEVICES TO ENABLE CAME.
STEERS 70 ROB THEIR VICTIMS.

-
One OF These Social Hishway,nen r1sec.d
Guests by Means Of n Specialization.
strueted Card-1,oom-Ingenious Com.
trivance of European Dressmaker.
Considering that gambling is only q
polite form of thieving, it is not yerv
remarkable that confirmed gamesters
should stoop to fraud as a means of
enhancing their chances of winning;
but 1t IS remarkable that other game.
sters should be so blind to the devices
invented by more ingenious fellows.
y 1t IS not often that a gambler is suf.
fciently enterprising and mean to have
a card-room specially constructed to
facilitate his fleeing his victims and
visitors; but to even this length went
aman now deceased, who, despite his
vast private fortune, systematically
preyed upon the pockets of his Wealth.
acquaintances:
The room was constructed so small
that only sufficient space was allowed
for a square table and the chairs of
four players, the object of this being
to prevent onlookers or anyone stand.
ing behind the particular chair which
the host always took.
s. The room was magnifcently decor
ated, and hidden in the deeply-caryed
black oak psneling 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 a con-
federate of the host was always watch
ing unseen from these holes, having
his finger upon On electric button.
= This button communicated with O
larger button hidden under the carpet
just in front of the hosts chair, and by
this means the confederate was able to
communicate with his master what
cards were in the hand of his tete-a-tete
player.
ss Sitting down in his chair, the arch
soundrel put his toe on the invisi-
BILE button under the table and re-
ceived the news. It was the confed-
crates duty to first wire what was
strongest suit in 'thand" before him.
Thus, with n push the button in
formed the arch-thief that his tete-a-
-tete's strongest suit was hearts, and
SO IN. When it had been communi.
Gated how the suits stood in strength,
it was the confederate's duty to wire
what the cards were starting with the
highest in the highest suit, and going
to the lowest in the lowest. So quick
~ could this scheme be worked that
very often the host knew his tete-a-
tete's cards before the latter had prop
erly arranged his ''hand."
r After the strength of the suits had
been communicated in this way, the
host felt twelve rapid taps on the sole
OF his shoe, and he knew this meant
the queen of hearts. A short pause.
and then ten rapid taps told him the
next highest card was the ten of
hearts. And go ON It is said that,
thanks to this ingenious scheme, which
was never discovered during the in
ventor's life, many wealthy persons
were brought to the verge of ruin,
while their host entertained them in
regal style. %@ssss,sA
A somewhat similar, but less sue
e%essful, scheme was that in the prac-
tice of which a certain Continental
dressmaker was detected. This wom-
an, like many others Of her calling,
made it u custom to entertain her
customers at gambling in the secrecy
OF her private apartments, and she
probably found it infinitely more lu-
cratlve than her professed trade. to
which it attracted customers. Her
plan was to stand her husband out
side the room, which vas built in an
other room, SO that a passage ran be-
tween the two Ewalls on three sides
and through AN Unseen opening all
round the edge of the ceiling the man
could see the cards of all players but
his wife, who sat with her back to the |
single wall.
+ Walking in the passage the man ex-
amined the cards of the unsuspecting
players, and opening a small trap in
the wall exhibited similar cards drawn
from a pack he carried. Owing to
the light which was thrown down
upon the table and into the faces of
all players but the dressmaker, the
exhibited card could be seen by her
only. Her eyes shaded from the
glare of the lamp were accustomed to
the dim light in which the cards were
exhibited, but to the other players
glancing from the glare such dimness
would have been as impenetrable as
the darkness of night. In this way |
the man was able to show his wife ex-
actly what cards were in the ''hand"
of the player behind whom he stood,
and when one hand had been disclosed
in this manner he moved on to the
next.
: But it was too clumsy to be entire
~ successful; victims became suspi-
cious of the dressmaker's extraordin-
airy runs of luck and her habit of con-
stantly looking up at the walls; and
one day a victim contrived during
her hostess's absence to fix the gas
shade to suit her own eyes, and dur
ing the game followed the schemer's
eyes the moment she saw them rise.
Then the cat had escaped. The dress
maker vanished.
Many attempts have been made to
invent q system Of ornamenting the
backs of cards in such a way that a
person knowing the secret al read
them. But the difficulties in the way
are manifest, and gamblers who have
attempted such frauds have generally
been speedily detected.
It is q pretty well-known fact, how
ever, that a notorious American crook,