The San Francisco call., 1904-09-11
HOTEL 0W NER
LOSES $4,000
Joe King, Proprietor of the
New Western, Passes Big
Sum : to Five Bunko Men
POLICE AFTER CROOKS
Genial BOniface Falls an
Easy Victim to a Crooked
and Costly Game of Poker

Joseph King, card expert and pro-
been victimized to the extent of near
ly $4,000 during the last five days. King
has long enjoyed the name of being
one of the shrewdest local dealers of
cards in poker game. San Francisco
is not a mining camp, and gambling
! is against the Iaw-at least that's the
way the law reads-but a friendly
little game can be found at any time
in almost any back room Of the hotels
about town.
| Poker games have run frequently in
the past at the New Western Hotel,
and Joe King has embellished his
comfortable bank account with shin
! ing double eagles on various occa-
sions, for Joe understands the funda-
mental principles OF poker playing-at
least he did before five men sold him
! a few dozen packs of cards, registered
later at his hostelry, got him into a
game of poker that lasted for five
days and pocketed $4,000 of Kings
hard earned money.
This bunko game was one OF the
smoothest that has come of in San
Francisco for many days. About two
weeks ago a card drummer dropped
casually into the New Western. en-
gagged room and bought the affab1e
King several wet dishes. He was SELL
ing cards-best made, durable and fine
to the touch
Yes, we use cards once in a while
here" said King. I'll take three dozen
packs
Eight days later five men, some
colonels from Kentucky and some
other things from other places, reg
/ istered at the hotel. They didn't know
one another That night King was
looking for the customS-y little game.
He found five willing hands. During
the following days and nights the
| game was fast and furious King won
once in a while, but generally one of
| the other fellows just beat him. If
/ Joe would draw to a straight and fill,
| Colonel Nomdeplune showed down
| four of a kind. Joe Kings arm is now
/ slightly paralyzed from constant dig
I giug into the cash pocket.
At the end OF five days King dis
covered that he was $4,000 to the bad
and almost simultaneously that the
/ cards were all marked. The work was
| clever. Each card had a mass of scroll
work on the back. On the upper right
! hand corner, either way, was a groove,
| family cut but not impalpable to the
! touch. The ace had one groove, the
! king two and so on down the line.
I Many curious little grooved emblems
of the downfall of the unsophisticated
had their place on the corners of the
( pasteboards.
King notified Captain Martin and
offered him half of the $4,000 if he
could get it back. Barney Conlon,
/ clerk in Judge Cabaniss' court, with
Detectives Ryan and Taylor, spent the
night at the New Western in the hope
of getting some of the crooks. King
said that two of them were still at
! the hotel, but they did not show up.
! The police and King refused to talk on
I the subject or give the names of the
men wanted. Detectives Ryan and
| Taylor have good descriptions of the
men and hope to get them soon. 1t is
said by the police that the same five
/ crooks have been operating extensive
/ ly elsewhere.
At an early hour this morning the
detectives arrested one of the alleged
: crooks who bunkoed King. The man
was caught at the New Western Hotel.
The police refused to give his name or
any other information about the case.