The Savannah morning news., 1903-01-04

Senator Che always enjoys joke sol
laughed again. Again the cabman
didn't.
Il find haven't any money. my
good man." he said. land you'd better
take me to the station. can get some
there"
Now, at last. the cabman laughed
and his laugh was long and loud and
bitter.
Git money there!" he exclaimed
with sneers. "Hfd like to see yerl"
and he drove on.
You see the cabman meant a police
station, while our Chauncey thought
he meant the Grand Central Station
of his own dear railroad.
1t is recorded by the officer who
was called out when the cab reached
the Central Park station. that the
Senator for a moment was wholly
speechless. But he established his
identity and the cabman took him to
place where he could get some cash.
Mr.. Depew asked that an officer in
plain clothes might ride with him,
however. so that should the driver
once more grow suspicious he would
have a companion.
you see. there are two OF him
himself and the other animal-the one
between the shafts the Senator ex-
planned when asking for this escort.
An astonishing thing, win probably
come out of the formation of the ship
trust. This is nothlky less than the
establishment of an ocean rogues'
gallery. The gentlemen whose por-
traits will grace this Photographic
collection are the professional ocean
gamblers" who make a regular bust
ness of crossing the sea frequently
for the purpose of robbing the I'M
wary by dishonest card playing.
The CAPTAIN of a ship has supreme
power while at sea, but he has too
many other things to attend to to
make it possible for him to bother
with smoking-room gamblers. Be
sides, he could hardly prove one man
to be an honest and the other a dis
honest player So the ocean gambler
is practically safe, at present The
steamship companies will never for
bid card playing. Those which did
would lose many of their most profit
able passengers. A large proportion
of the men who cross the ocean like
to play cards for money in order to
relieve the tedium of their voyage
Dozens of the best known business
men in the country who never gamble
when on land play stiff games while
at sea.
But what the combined companies
will try to do will be to protect their
passengers from professional gam
blers. That such men are dis
honest there can be no doubt They
cannot be refused transportation on
the ships if there is room for them
and they have cash to pay their pas
sage.
But most of them are we'll known to
steamship officials; also most of them
have bad records and have been in
trouble on land, thereby getting their
photographs into rogues' galleries on
one side or the other of the ocean. The
present proposal Is to collect these
photographs from the police of all
countries and to furnish each to the
trust with a set of them. Where Ber-
tillon measurement slips can be OBJ
tanned which twill be in most cases)
they will also be kept on file. The
photographs will probably be kept in
cases open for all to see in the smok-
ing-rooms, while other records will be
kept IN the captains or purser's cab
ins.
WooIly lambs who will not believe
that they are being shorn will be ask
ed to step up to this floating rogues'
gallery, and, If there they see the por-
traits of the men who have suggested
card playing and learn that they have
at some time been in forceful contact
with the law. the lambs will likely
bleat and go to gamboling on the deck
instead of gambling in the smoking
room.
Many of these professional ocean
card sharps make handsome Acomes.
l personally know one who no longer
sails the strenuous seas.
One of his tricks was to simulate
seasickness by dosing himself with
some nauseating compound after he
had made a handsome winning. This
would excuse him from giving the
other fellow a chance to make
good" He is now living in highly
respected and wealthy retirement in
this city.
Sometimes the bitter gets bitten, and
here is a case. This particular sailor
Of fortune was a shabby little chap.
unobtrusive and apparently shy. He
got into game In some way and was
clever enough to say at the start that
he had little money and therefore
would be unable to play high, and
would be forced to drop out II he lost
very much. This of course. disarm-
ed suspicion. and another thing which
a.. A.. g.