The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-09-06

why. he's crafty Carlo; but II he doesn't
why. tiien. he's Just a sauealer-thats AZ.
y was once on board q ship on which
an even mora adroit scheme was worked
| TO make the swindler disgorge, but IN TINS
| case the victim showed himself TO be no.
came to observation-disclosures and his get-even
stunt was not viewed with indulgence:
| THE heaviest loser in the four hand
game Of poker which the cheat had got
going after the ship left this side was
| Chicago fellow who wore the Indian sign
| Of the hard loser all over him. There was
| no excuse for that particular game, or any
| ot her game between men unknown to each
OF her, being In operation at all on that voy-
aye for az soon as the liner worker lad come
over the side we spotted him and stuck up
the warning placards, notifying all hands
| that professional gamblers were on board
in all parts Of the ship ret aside for the male
had no difficulty in getting the four handed
game arted-they hardly ever do have any
difficulty in this respect and the three
suckers that he assembled around him
looked like pretty good picking
His unerrng eye told him that the Ihi-
cago man Of the party would stand TO lose
the biggest wad and so he directed his game
part icularly at that player. setting him
back more than two thousand before the
game was forty eight hours old, The
gamblers lnerring eye wasn't good enough
TO tell him what the Chicago man was gong
to do about il. however. When 1t comes 70
that. dare say that no man on earth could
have doped ont In advance just what the
Chicago man did do near the close OF the
third day Of the game, when he found him
self more than three thousand to the bad.
1T took him three days to reach the con-
clusion that the swindler who had or
gained the game was one OF the persons to
whom the warming placards referred. men
he watched the sharper closely. and snagged
him In the act Of dealing from the bott ON
Of the deck. He didn't say anything about
his discovery. But when the game was
adjourned for luncheon. he got hold OF one
Of the discarded decks with which they had
been playing. The cards all came from the
ships st ores, and all had the same kind OF
backs. The Chicago man went to his state
room and carefully marked, with his finger
nail, all Of the aces and picture cards OF the
discarded deck. Then he slipped the deck
into his pocket and went to luncheon.
when the game was resumed after the
meal the Chicago man waited till II came
players In conversation with regard to the
pools on the ships daily runs, and while
this talk was on he substituted the deck
which he had marked for the deck with
which they had been playing. and shuffied
and dealt the marked deck When he
picked UP the deck to dish out cards after
the discard he began to scrutinize ne BACKS
worked himself into pretty good imita-
ton Of lather The swinder and the other
two PLAYERS observed him narrowly
This game Ia of. shouted the Chicago
man. pushing back his chair and jumping
to his feet. These cards are marked
and he tossed the cards TO the middle OF the
table. backs UP, and pointed out the finger
nail markings which he himself had made
We've been played for suckers he went
on, stormy, addressing the other two
good things, and there's the sharkG
"He pointed TO the flushed swindler
1t wasn't finger with which he pointed:
1t was a short-barrelled gun that he flashed
as he accused the swindler.
"'Shell out the three thousand that you We
tapped me for, you short -carder. or III
drill youp the Chicagoan howled at the
swindler, sticking the gun right into the
mans face.
1.-THE gun wins said the sharper. pretty
pale. and he pulled out his roll and skinned
three thousa nd from it pushing the money
held him under the gun. All the same,
you're a dirty scut and damned sight
worse tnan I ever was or ever will be. You
know that / didn't mark those cards.
And it was at this stage OF 1t that the
Chicagoan made his mistake.
Yes, he said. lowering Ms gun ana
sticking the money that had been passed
back to him by the gambler into his pocket.
II do know that you didn't mark the cards
Il marked them myself But do know
that you're a professional swindler. and
when I stack up with that kind it's case
of dog eat dog with me.
ard advise you two fellows, he wound
I'D, as he started to leave the card room,
to make that shark dig up what he has
cheated you out Of
"'He's welcome to what he got out Of
me- one Of them replied, gruffly. and in
my opinion us stand-of between the
tuo III Won ~