The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1900-02-09
THREE CARD MONTE.
CAREER OF TIE MAN WHO INVENTED
THE SMOOTH TRICK.

Standing In the nation. Made "a
Barrel of Money with His swim
ding GnE,e and Died a pnuper.
Lew Houck was the inventor OF the
about the cleverest card shlIp In the
world. Houck was well known In Kan
sas City. where he operated Oh and
Off for 20 years, making the city a
SORT OF way station on his trips east
and west.
The last time Houck was here he had
just returned from a 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 English society. He
had passed there as u wealthy and
travelled American. He had letter.
too. from Secretary Olney. Secretary
Carlisle and other leaders OF tile Amer
lean political world which recommend.
ed him In the highest terms not only
to the American representatives
0OIOuus WV W ouJ LElSI0S VI luV WIN
ers who might meet him. And these
letters were genuine. Their %autllentici.
ty could mo- be doubted. Houck had
q way Of getting entrance into the ex
elusive clubs Of Washington. Philadei,
phia. New York and other cities. and
In his role OF gentleman Of leisure he
had SO imposed on men of high stand.
ing In the nation that they thought
him all he represented himself to he
and gave him the letters Of introduc.
ton that helped him to fleece the arts.
tocracy Of Europe.
Houck invented the three card monte
game before he became Of age. This Is
q trick with cards that has. fieeced
more people II OF money than any
other game ever practiced. The trick
Is played with three aces. two black
ones and II red. 1t Is always played
with a confederate TO help, or ''stall."
for the game. The operator takes the
three cards between his fingers. show.
ing them to the victim. and then shut
fes them about and drops them face
down upon the table, offering to bet
any of money that nc one can
pick out the red ace.
At this point the operator turns his
head a moment to spit or to speak to
some n In the crowd behind him.
and In that moment the confederate,
picks up the red ace card. shows it to
the victim. ''crimps'' the corner of the
card and slyly lays 1t down again. ap.
parently all unseen by the operator.
The operator again shuffies the three
cards and throws them upon the table
face down. There, lies the card with
Its crimped corner. The victim sup.
poses, Of course. that 1t Is the red ace
and bets and picks 1t up to find that It
Ia a black one, and he has lost his
money.
The operator, when he picked up and
shutied the cards carelessly the Sec
ond time, with n deft movement Of his
fingers removed the crimp In the red
ace card and put a similar crimp In a
black ace card. That was all there
was to the trick. Houck worked it for
years In hotels. on billiard tables, at
fairs and circuses and on railroad
trains and steamboats,. He taught the
trick to Canada Bill. a noted gambler,
and the two worked together over all
the country. They paid thousands up.
on 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. 1t became Improbable
and was given up by Houck. But about
that time an ingenious English cockney
Invented the three shell" game. which
was eve more productive than three
card monte. and Houck took 1t up. The
three shell game is a modern improve.
ment on the ancient thimblerigging
game that was worked at English fairs
for many years. The old way was for
the operator to crook his knee over the
head OF Il cane that stood upright on
the ground and move a small seed
between three thimbles on top
Of his leg. Offering to bet that no one
could pick the thimble under which
the seed val hidden.
The lesson taught by the lives and
Of Houck and Canada Bill and
all the rest Of their kind is that 1t never
pays to be dishonest or to live by ones
These men may get great sums
Of money by sharp practices In the
course Of n lifetime. but they all die
poor, and most of them die In prison.
Bill, who worked with Houck
on trains out Of Kansas City and
made probably $1,000,0O0 in his life.
died a pauper In the almshouse In
Lebanon, Pa. and Is buried In a pau. .
per's grave Houck dropped dead c
The street In Durango. Mexico. and his
In Ohio had to solicit aid to get
his body home to give 1t decent burial. ,