The Neihart herald. [volume] (Neihart, Mont.) 1890-1901, 1900-01-06
THREE CARD MONTE.
CAREER OF THE MAN WHO INVENTED
THE SMOOTH TRICK.

He Imposed on Many Men of High
Standing In the Nation, Made n
Barrel of Money with His Swim
ding Game and Died "a Pauper.
Lew Houck was the inventor of the
notorious three card monte trick and
about the cleverest card sharp in the
world. Houck vas well known in Kan
sas City, where he operated on 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 a wealthy and
travelled American. He had letters,
too, from Secretary Olney, Secretary
Carlisle and other leaders of the Amer
lean political world which recommend
ed him in the highest terms not only
to the American representatives
abroad, but to any friends of the writ
ers who might meet him. And these
letters were genuine. Their authentici-
ty could not be doubted. Houck had
a way of getting entrance into the eX-
elusive clubs of Washington, Philadel-
phia, New York and other cities, and
in his role of gentleman of leisure" he
had so imposed OIL men of high stand
ing in the nation that they thought
him all he represented himself to be
and gave him the letters of introduce
ton that helped him to fleece the aris-
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 out of money than any
other game ever practiced. The trick
is played with three aces, two black
ones and one 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
f1es them about and drops them face
down upon the table, offering to bet
any amount Of money that no n can
pick out the red ace.
At this point the operator turns his
head a 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 it to
the victim, "crimps' the corner of the
card and slyly lays it down again, ap-
parently all unseen by the operator.
| HNhn nnorotnr aTain ShIffinS fhn thrao
cards and throws them upon the table
face down. There lies the card with
it's crimped corner. The victim sup
poses, of course, that it is the red ace
and bets and picks it up to find that II
is a black one, and he has lost his
money.
The operator, when he picked up and
shuf1ed the cards carelessly the sec.
Ond time, with a deft movement of his
fingers removed the crimp in the red
ace card and put a similar crimp In q
black ace card. That was all there
was to the trick. Houck worked it fol
years in hotels, IN billiard tables, al
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 al
the country. They paid thousands up
on thousands of dollars to railroad mer
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 caro-
mont game, it became improbable
and was given up by Houck. But abou'
that time an ingenious English cockney
invented the 'three SHELF game, whicl
was even more productive than three
card monte, and Houck took 1t up. Tht
three shell game is a modern improve
ment on the ancient thimbleriggins
game that was worked at English fair,
for many years. The old way was foI
the operator to crook his knee over tn,
head of a cane hat stood upright OF
the ground and move a small seet
around between three thimbles on to]
of his leg, Offering to bet that no on
could pick the thimble under whicl
the seed was hidden.
The lesson taught by the lives ant
deaths of Houck and Canada Bill an,
all the rest of their kind is that it neve
pays to be dishonest or to live by one
wits. These men may get great sum
Of money by sharp practices in tn
urs Of a lifetime, but they all di
poor, n most Of them die in prison
Canada Bill, who worked with Houcl
On trains out of Kansas City an,
made probably $%1,0O0,000 in his life
died a pauper in the almshouse Il
Lebanon, Pa, and is buried in a pau
per's grave. Houck dropped dead O.
! the street In Durango, Mexico, and hi
= widow in Ohio had to solicit aid to ge
, his body home to give it decent buria
Kansas City Star.
Valuable Hair.