Barre evening telegram. (Barre, Vt.) 1898-19??, 1901-09-25
THREE CARD MONTE
cANEER OF THE MAN WHO INVENTED
THE SMOOTH TRICK.


He Imposed ON Many Men Of High
Standing In the Nation, Made .
Barrel Of Money with His Swim
ding Game and Died q Pauper.
Lew Houck was the inventor of this
notorious three card monte trick and
about the cleverest card sharp In thu
world. Houck was we'll known In Kan
sas City, where he operated on ana
of for 20 years, making the city
sort Of way station OH his trips cas-
and west.
The last time Houck was here he had
Just returned from European triE.
He produced papers and letters ~
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 Il 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 wris-
ers who might meet him. And these
letters were genuine. Their authentici-
ty could not be doubted. Houck haG
a way Of getting entrance into the ex-
elusive clubs Of Washington, PhiladsA-
phia, New York and other cities, ane
IN his role of gentleman of leisure" be
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 introdue-
ton that helped him to fleece the arts
tocracy Of Europe.
Houck invented the three card monte
game before he became Of age. This IL
a trick with cards that has feeceG
more people out of money than any
other game ever practiced. The trick
Is played with three aces, two blact
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
fies them about and drops them face
down upon the table, offering to bet
any amount Of money that no one can
pick out the red ace.
At this point the operator turns his
head 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. ar-
parently all unseen by the operator
The operator again shuff1es the three
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 r.
is a black one, and he has lost his
money.
The operator, when he picked up and
shuffled the cards carelessly the sec
ond time. with deft movement of hix
fingers removed the crimp in the res
ace card and put similar crimp in
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 ali
the country. They paid thousands up
on thousands Of dollars to railroad meE
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-
monte game, 1t became Improbable
and was given up by Houck. But about
that time an ingenious English cockney
invented the three SHELF game, whict
was even more productive than three
card monte, and Houck took it 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 fog
the operator to crook his knee over the
head of cane that stood upright OF
the ground and move a small seeG
around between three thimbles Oh top
of his leg. Offering to bet that no one
could pick the thimble under which
the seed was hidden.
The lesson taught by the lives anG
deaths of Houck and Canada Bill unG
all the rest of their kind is that ii never
pays to be dishonest or to live by ones
wits. These men may get great Sims
Of money by sharp practices in the
course of lifetime, but they all die
poor, and most Of them die in prison.
Canada Bill, who worked with Houck
on trains out of Kansas City amt
made probably 100000 in his life,
died pauper in the almshouse H.
Lebanon. Pa, and Is buried in a pau
pers grave. Houck dropped dead oE
the street in Durango. Mexico, and hfE
widow In Ohio had to solicit aid to ge.
his body home to give it decent bu,i
kansas City Star.