Virginia gazette. [volume] (Williamsburg, Va.) 1893-192?, 1902-11-22
STEAMSHIP FAKERS.
Cheating Card-Players Who Fleece
Passengers En Route.


ard sure hing men N-ho {nfest
t'cesO Ftea mships and tTansconti- /
osHt0l sailroad liner it "a imposaibls
sscSurstsly 20 estimate. but
t>carcsiy big ocean liner which en-
foys fashionable vogue reaches port /
either on this Eide OF the Atlantic or !
sAs other without furnis hing q tale Of /
sigh gambling carried on during the |
Grip In che smoking room. writes /
Sew York sponG<ut Of the Iri- |
an0e
great many OF fhese fales end also /
With : statement that there vas more
2f less suspicion ~ not sctual proos /
az crooked" play. and the number of /
tnftaDces would be much create II /
- we're not for the fact that the VIC |
rims are selected ~ith discretion. and !
ara IN the Vast ma jority Of cases men !
- no would rather lose q few hundred /
4 dollars than face the publicitv uhick /
n would FOLLOW their accusation OF un- /
Asir play. The police know nearly ell
che operators Who fleece ocean pas
s~ngcrs in the smoking rooms. but are
4 ~eldom able 70 put them where they
e~long. This Is owing 20 two rea-
sons. Que OF which a. the dificultv OF
getting complaint made against the
r@svals while within the Jurisdiction
81 The HetFoPolitsn police. Theother.
and more startling reason. is The ac-
\ cGsations from Capt. Titus. the chies
or detectives. ~ho saNs' that many of
q t1r stewards 80 the liners stand in
with fbe sharpe ~. even carving
supply of marked cards. and The
4 porterF do ths same on the railway
lines
j The "blaokleT" players are divide
srto two classes. "decpuater gam
blsrt" che steamship opcrs tors) and
Il the cross road fellows" (the railway
II train gangs). In both cases poker is
Il TIE principal game. the stronghold.
although other games may be resorted
-. hy way of variety. when tie -us-
Il picions Of the vic inns are arouse
These men are an capital cnterisin-
srs. They are the life and the ,.nl
81 trasel-GulleG compa rs. z ley cr,.,
"a well and look well-bettcr than thty
II Go IN tie police pictures. where they
appear under the stress Of disadNan-
a tagrous circum>ta noes. and in the
~ ea-y. good comraoeris which prevails
IL "a ro ship. 10 i- easy for them 10 Get
acquainted with the jovial good fell
low" type of man who makes the
|se 2siest victim TO fleece. and the one
II lcast likely go "squeal" when the oper-
Il alton has been completed.
II John IL. Allen assistant I'm the ha-
81 reeu or records at the New York po ice
headquarters. has made a study of the
gamblers.
eve are glad 10 have an opportunity
OF airing this matter and of warming
( the travelling public" be- remarked tle
other day. "Of course. the public
won't heed the warming. but we can't
help that. Some fools seem 10 eni Joy
being heeced. 1t is only once in "a
while that we get 'squeal' and
where one victim complains hundreds
90 not. About a year ago the presi-
dents of the steamship lines indulged
in some talk about stopping the sw n-
ding games. but j don't think any
thing came of IL but talk. One of the
suggestions made then might well be
carried out. II was that the detective
bureaus Of this and Of other countries
should furnish 10 the steamship lines
photographs OF the professional card
sharps, simple but effective for each
steamer should have 80 'rougeS gal
lery'
The first thing these professional
gamblers do when they get aboard
ship. or aboard the train Ohey feel
more secure aboard ship. is 10 become
acquainted with the crowd. They gem
orally pass for high rollers or sports.
or for frst-rate business men with a
Dad of money, who are of on a vaca-
1ion and willing to pay for little fun.
One OF them some time ago repre-
ented 10 his fellow pasSe ngers that
be was the king of the Klondike. and
many OF them believed i'll The sub
ject OF little game was introduced
Joy them cautiously, by suggestion
more than plain hint
u may state that they never work
ingiy. They work generally in cou-
pies. and only one 81 them j. q winner
The other cusSes the luck and won
lers az his pals winnings just as hard
IS any OF the real victims do. and he
sraws the crowd off the scent II They
Tuspect anything wrong. But ne is
9n expert dealer. and on his fiimfiam
eals his partner wins every time lie
|hrelws him the cards. you see, even il
ae himself has nothing but bobtailec
lush or an ace high hand OF rags and
oddities. The dealer IN the working
Eombinatior never wins the money
he rogues will take turns about al
sinning--or will work il judiciously
20 as 10 win without arousing suspi-
ion too suddenly. II the man that
aast xxara IN win every tirxe than fhs