Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1900-01-11
THE CAPTAINS
"REMINISCENCES
Is A H. THE good old days have gone"
BY George AIDE


A IL, The good ola days nave gone,
~ said the former captain of til
shell crew. mo matter how far on
into the country you get everybod
knows about the gold brick and tn
green goods, and as for three-car'
monte and the little ball, why the farm
hands go out in the barn and practice
those tricks. So what chance have VT
got? The only thing that we can de
now is to stay in town and speculate IN
grain.
"Ill always maintain that the gold
brick game was the best one ever in
vented. l can't explain why, but the
boys used to get men with the brick
that you couldn't have touched with
any kind Of a gambling proposition.
You'd think a pawnbroker would be
pretty hard TO fool, wouldn't you?
Well, the first gold brick ever handled
in Chicago was sold to a pawnbroker.
Two of the wisest guys that ever got to-
gether came into Chicago with the brick
and the scheme. They'd got it out west
somewhere. The first thing they did
was to let Chicago man into the game,
and they picked out a good one, too
Wen call him Johnny, but that wasn't
his name. He had a saloon and plenty
of money and a pull, and after they'd
swelled around with him a week or two
they had great standing. Then
Johnny introduced them to the pawi-
broker and they sprung the gold brick
on him. He knew they had just come
from the west and figured that they had
come by this gold crooked and couldn't |
dispose of it themselves. but for pawn |
broker who mefts up old jewelry and |
so on 1t was cinch to get rid of any |
amount in the lump that way. He ex-
amined the brick and figured on the
weight, and finally, think, he offered
them $500 for it. OF course they
passed him phoney brick. He must
have been suspicious and nervous, for
he got wise before they had time to
duck.
The two of them and Johnny we're in
the back room there at Johnny's saloon
ipiittin' up the coin, and just as they
walked out to 60 up to the bar and take
4 drink to celebrate the good haul in the
front door comes the pawnbroker. His
lat was off and he was the eraziest man
sou ever saw in your life. He came
Town along the bar like an express |
rain, but before he could grab either
II these fellows Johnny caught him
round the waist and held him fast and ,
'egan TO yell: What's the matter?
What's the matters? Well, this fellow
ried to answer, but he was so mad all
e could do was splutter and choke and !
ry to break away. The two smooth
Joys knew their business. They were
nut the back door and up an alley like ,
he wind.
There was the pawnbroker trying to ,
ct to the back door and follow them 8
nd Johnny hanging on to him and |
baking him like a rat and hollerin': \
Nhatt the matter? What's the mat q
err Then when the pawnbroker tried ,
tell him he would slam him around s
nd beg him to keep quiet and tell what i
'as the matter. At last the pawn /
roker managed to say that these fell =
'ws had robbed him. Then Johnny Z
as good and surprised. why didn't i
on tel! me that before p he SAYS. Come 4
n, and we'll see where they've gone to- \
that time these fellows were two /
lies away. OF course Johnny was $
IRE. lie kept sayin': why didn't you
III me what was the matter when YOU
rst came IMP Then all the pawn
roker could do was weep. And the fun I,
lest part Of ii was that he never got on !.
johnny"
Then the ex-captain told Of the palmy b
lys Of open gambling and taking at b
lie county fairs. h
'for two or three years handled a is
hole crowd of workers" he said. 81 d
ouId pay a certain lump sum for the II
.aiung privileges at a fair, and then "
1 divide up my men TO work all kinds d
schemes. We used 10 run a wheel and h,
ay the shells and sell iewelry and Il
oney In little boxes, and buy back gold | II
atehes and buggy whips for twice ",
nat we sold them for, and so on. oh. OF
erything that was ever invented 10 ic
parate a sucker from his money. W
The funniest experience I ever had ia
hen was in that line was out in Iowa. ri
e had 10 jump all the way from Penn W
wanna 10 make this fair in Iowa, and W
was paying big salaries 10 a crew f,
men, and had paid the fair associa-
on $500 for the privilege. ! was = little
lXious to GET out there on time and M
work. You understand, Of course "a
lat grating is managed on strict bust sp
'ss principles. Every man that was hi
.th me received a fixed salary. and at
Md depend upon him to turn over 70
e all tia: be got from the suckers "a
say. it was a long jump from Penn fit
lTania 10 Iowa, and we didn't reach
n town until the second dav OF the %
: gs..s hss. 3