The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-12-09
TRIED THE CARD TRICK.
PatrOlman GOdbolt Arrested Negro
SwindIers just in Time.

patrOlman GOdbolt Arrested Negro
swindIers just in Time.
Charles Mitchell and George S.
Brooks, both colored, are held at the
police station house, charged by Pa
troman Godbold with trying to swim
die a country negro nasned Jacob
Hamilton, within the shadow of a
church The complainant is also held
as a witness, and the prisoners Will
be given a preliminary examination by
Recorder Myrick in Police Court this
morning.
The men were trying to work the
So card trick on Hamilton when Pa
trolman Godbold placed them under
arrest. The prisoners made an effort
10 get away. but Godbold turned one
over to officer Goodman and got along
very well with the other one. The
game which the negroes tried to work
is an old one, although Hamilton had
never heard tell of it yet" The coun-
try negro only had 40 cents and would
probably have parted with that but
for the opportune arrival of the officer.
pair of sharks had victim near st.
Patricks Church, and had sneaked up
to where the three men were stand
ing before they realized what was hap
pening.
Hamilton, who lives on a rice plan
tation several miles from the city, had
been to the depot to see his sister off,
and was crossing West Broad street
when he was accosted by one of the
IL
negro learned with great satisfaction
that Hamilton resided in the country,
and had not become contaminated by
city life When the two men reached
st. Patri"k's Church corner the third
approached with a new deck of cards,
which he offered for sale. Hamilton
did not want them, and refused to
make the purchase, relating that his
parents had taught him to shun cards
as he would a viper.
The other negroes began bargaining
for the cards, and the man with the
deck let one drop to the ground He
pretended not to notice this, and the
first negro picked it up and placed it
in Hamilton's pocket. In the mean
time Hamilton was carefully noting
what had happened, as 1t was intended
he should do The negro that he first
encountered felt the pack of cards, and
declared that they were too light, and
that he would wager there was not a
full deck OF 81 cards. The owner of
the cards was willing and anxious to
bet all the money he had that So cards
were in the deck. 1t looked like a
cinch bet to Hamilton, as 1t would have
to anybody else who did not know that
for the purpose of skinning the I'M
wary an extra card had been placed
in the pack, making 50.
The man who had picked the extra
card from the ground expressed a per-
feet willingness to put up 81 all the
money that he had, and assured the
negro from the country that it was
just like finding money, and that he
would let him in for what coin he had.
1t was at this time that officer Cod
bold appeared and spoiled the game.
But for his arrival Hamilton would
probably have permitted himself to be
separated from his money. He was dis
mayed when told by the officer what
would have happened and hardly
wanted to believe it. The fact, how
ever, that the prisoners begged to be
released, and offered to buy both Ham
ilton and the officer proved to him
conclusively that he had been picked
out as a good thing.
When searched at the police station
HOuSe Wy al Oiiiioh SHioe'SLi a Jun
my lock was found on one of the men
and the lock game. which is almost
as old as the SO card racket, is believed
by the police to have been worked on
country negroes by the prisoners. One
of the men is suspected of having
passed a raised 81 certificate on a cab
man when the Harris circus was in
Savannah. A cabman gave a man an
swerlng the description Of one of the
prisoners $40 in silver for a 81 bill that
had been clumsily raised. The police
are looking for the cabman who was
fieecd at that time in the hope that he
will be able to identify one of the men
under arrest.