The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1906-01-05

said It was gambling, and we ought not
to do it, but he also wanted to know
how we managed to win, and when we
told about itpa said It was no sin to
beat a slot machine, cause it was an
inanimate thing, just machine, and
anybody who could beat a nickel in the
slot machine at his own game was
equal to a Rockefeller.
So after everybody had got excited
about our nickels told them how to
beat the machine. l told them didn't
get excited and go rushing in where
angels fear to tread, and feed the
slot machine on good hard earned
nickels of my own, but waited until the
countrymen and tenderfeet had fed it
on nickels until it was too full for ut"
terance. When the machine sWelled
out like it was bowed up, and it kind
of wheezed, like it was ready to cough
up, and was only waiting for an ex-
cuse, put cough lozenger about the
size of a nickel in the slot and turned
the diaphram. The machine shud-
dered minute and then had regular
hemorrague, and coughed up tin cup
full of nickels into my hand, and the
machine seemed to rest easy, and take
nourishment again from the silly fell
lows, who thought they could beat it:
Well, sir, the whole crowd was SO ex-
cited they could hardly wait to find a
slot machine, and finally they bought
nearly all my cough lozengers, and
went out into the night, and pa and I
went along. cause pa said he UNDER
stood all the slot machines were
owned by Rockefeller and he made
more money on them than he did on
Standard oil, and the money that he
gave away to schools and churches
was from his rake-olf on his slot ma
chimes. Pa said it would be a good
thing II someone could break up the
reprehensible practice by beating the
blasted machines to a finish.
So pa he got bag to bring back the
nickels In, and bunch of us went to
a store where one whole side of the
place was filled with slot machines,
and the way the people were playing
the game was scanda:ous. Pa watched
a machine until the players had fed it
so it seemed as though it would die I'M
less it got air, and ne stepped up and
put in loZenger and turned the wheel,
and held the bag under the spout for
the coin, but it didn't come. Some
more fellows put in nickels, and the
machine gave little hacking coughs and
coughed up three or four nickels, but
nothing that seemed at all in the
nature of financial hemmorague,
when pa took another lozenger and
put it in, and by ginger the machine
began to heave up nickels like it was
in the trough of The sea.
Pa was so excited he forgot to hold
the bag, and nickels went all over the
floor, and everybody made a grab for
them and pa was showed aside, and he
swore he would have the place pulled
| and just then law officer took pa in
charge because he had put a cough loz-
enger in the slot machine, and he
searched pa and found a lot more
bronchial trochees, and pa was in fol
it on a charge of malpractice, for Civ.
ing cough medicine for the stomach
trouble of the slot machine, instead Of
pepsin tablets.
! They took pa in back room an(
searched him some more, and found
his roll, and then a man who said hi
was lawyer offered to help pa, ant
keep him out of the penitentiary. HI
told pa the law of Kentucky made tn
crime of trit1ing with a slot machin,
the same as breach of promise, or ar
son, and that he would be lucky if h.
got off with ten years in the pen, will
80 days solitary confinement in
Turkish bath cell, with niggers TO-
companions.
Pa turned blue and asked the lave
if there was 10 way out of it, and tn
lawyer told him that for $500 in spo
cash he would let him go, and f1gh
the case after the show had got GU
of the state. A hundred and twenty
five dollars was the amount they foun'
on pa, and he told them that inasmuc]
as they already had it, they bette
keep the money and let him go, an
he would be always a living exampl
of the terrors of gambling.
So they let pa go. and all the wa
to the train he told us ne hoped thi
experience would be lesson to us no
to covet the money of the rich. and a
far as he was concerned. John Q
Rockefeller could go plum to thunde
with his money after this. ]
| Then we got to the car, and foun
about dozen of the circus men VIII
had been out to beat the slot machines
broke flat, and had to divide my sho
bag of nicl1els with them, that ha
won before I let them into the game
before they would let me go to bed.
| Dad says this circus life is makin
me pretty tough.