Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-01-07

his portion in one nice tidy sum, and then,
with his recovered health. in the spring, to
go to Chicago and start a legitimate busi-
ness that he had In mind. So. during all
OF the winter season. he let his one-fifth
accumulate in the New York gambler S
hands. only drawing on the house to the
tune Of about 81 600 for current expenses.
He kept in touch with the people from
whom he had acquired the gambling privi-
lege, and at the end OF the season, when
the club was about ready to close, they
told him that their fifth had amounted to
about $4,000, which indicated that the
net profits had been about $4,000, so
there was approximately $4,000 coming to
the young man from Chicago on the day
the club was scheduled to put up the
shutters for the season, leaving the New
York gambler the extremely nice thing of
$4,000 for his, all of it, except the ex-
penses OF fitting up the. old mansion, just
rank velvet as good asf presented to him
by the young man who had dug him UP in
New York and let him in on the concession
good thing.
-Four days before the club was booked
TO close its doors for the season some
thing happened.
Broke" the Bank.
Half a dozen strangers, all of them
toggy men in evening clothes appeared at
the club in bunch and began to bat the
faro tables.
They appeared to be swell players, and
they took 100000 out of the club in two
nights play. The next night they raped
were turned on them then. The club clos
ed its doors two days before it was sched-
uled to close.
well. we got walloped. and good said
the New York gambler to the young Chi
cagoan who had started him in Florida
when the latter called for his settlement on
the basis of $4,000. Those gentlemen
plungers. swooped down upon us and clean
ed us proper-all the profits gone in two
nights, to say nothing Of $4,000 of the bank
roll with which 1 started in down here. I'm
sorry, son. Just as sorry for you as I am
for myself Better luck next time
The young Chicagoan scratched his head
and felt badly over it. The possibility that
he had been chiseled by a man of whom
he had always heard as one Of the 'squarest
gamblers on Manhattan Island never en-
tered his head.
1.-THE New York gambler dismissed his
staff, closed up the club and hiked back
to New York.
Then the quiet Mobile gambler who had
been acting as representative for the people
who granted the concession took the young
Chicagoan off into corner.
How It Was Done.
" Son. said the old Mobile gambler to
the young Chicagoan, 1T wasn't any of my
butt-in, and, moreover l wasn't around
the works, as l understood my Job, to
watch out for the interests of anybody ex-
cept the people who engaged me. I got ev-
erything that was coming to them, right
along, as you are aware. But that New
York gam made you the Patsie-the bag
holder; don't suppose you know that"
THE astonished young Chicagoan desired
to be put wise as to how the thing had
been done.
WELL, said the old Mobile gambler,
you know those gentlemen plungers who
came down and put the game on the crimp,
wiping out the profits in two nights whang-
ing at the bank? They weren't gentlemen
plungers, son. They were bum faro bank
dealers dressed up in evening apparel. They
were brought down here from New York
by your New York gambler friend and
partner, just to go through the motions of
cleaning out the clubs profits. The money
was handed over to them just as if they
had really won 1t in bank play, but they
all passed their winnings right back to their
boss as soon as they got off into a quiet
corner together. That's how it was done.
The profits were $4,000. approximately, on
the season, and you're minus your $4,000
on new kind of shred gag, that's all
All of which was exactly true.
Overreached Himself.
''The New York gambler with the reputa-
ton for 'squareness was not only not
hog in the bargain.
Moreover, he was worse than hog
he was a fool. He confidently expected that
he would get by with it, and he figured
on returning to the Florida resort last
winter and starting up the game again,
with the young Chicagoan left out
But he didn't do that. The young Chi
cagoan to whom he had fastened the can
the year before had the game all to him
self in that resort last winter with the old
Mobile gambler for his manager, and he
cleaned up just as big on the season as the
New York gambler had done the year be-
fore. He's got the game again this
year, too, and so the bad deal that he re-
ceived at the go-off won't be such a bad
job for him in the long run-isnt now, for
the matter of that, seeing that he's about
100000 to the good right now.
But the next. square gambler who fits
before that young man from Chicago will
have to show him. "