The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1906-01-05


to do II. but he also wanted To know
how We managed 90 win and when w
told about Il pa said IL was no sin II
beat a slot machine. cause il was an
inanimate thing just a machine. and
anybody who could bea, a nickel IN the
Slot machine az his own game was
equal 60 a Rockefeller.
So after everybody had got excited
about our nickels | told them how 70
heat the machine. told them didn't
get excited and so r~hing in where
angels fear % tread and feed the
slot machine on good hard earned
nickels OF my own but waited until the
countrymen and tenderfeet had fed II
on nickels until IL vas too full for ut
terance. When the machine swelled
out like II was blowed up. and il kind
OF wheezed, ike IL was ready TO cough
up. ana was only waiting for an ex
cuse. put a cough lozenger about the
I size OF nickel in the slot and turned
the diaphram The machine shud-
dered a minute and then had a regular
/ hemorrague. and coughed up n tin cup
I full Of nickels into my hand. and the
4 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 10 find a
slot machine. and finally they bought
nearly all my cough. lozengers. and
went out into the night. and pa and
went along. cause pa said he under.
stood all the slot machines were
owned by Rockefeller. and he made
more money on them than be did on
Standard oil and the money that he
gave away TO schools and chur hes
was from his rake-off on his slot Ina
chimes. Pa said it would be a good
thing If someone could break up the
reprehensible practice by beating the
blasted machines TO a finish
SO pa he got bag to bring back the
nichels in. and a BUNCH OF us went 10
a store where one whole side OF the
place was filed with slot machines.
/ and the way the people were playing
i the game was scandalous. Pa watched
a machine until the players had fed ii
50 It seemed IS though it would die I'm.
less 1t 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 1t in. and by ginger the machine
began to heave up nickels like it was
In the trough Of he sea.
Pa was so excited he forgot 10 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 a law officer took pa in
charge because he had put cough loz-
enger in the slot machine. and he
searched pa and found a lot more
bronchial trochees. and "a was IA for
II 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 a back room and
searched him some more. and found
his roll. and then a man who said he
was a lawyer offered to help pa. and
keep him out Of the penitentiary He
told pa the law Of Kentucky made the
crime OF tritiing with a slot machine
the same as breach Of promise, or ar
son, and that he would be lucky IL he
got of with ten years in the pen, with
80 days solitary confinement in a
Turkish bath cell. with niggers for
companions
Pa turned blue and asked the lawef
il there was 20 way out OF II. and the
lawyer told him that for 1920 in spot
cash he would let him go, and fight
the case after the show had got out
OF the state A hundred and twenty
FIVE dollars was the amount they found
, on pa. and he told them that inasmuch
as they already had II. they better
Keep the money and let him go. and
he would be always a living example
OF the terrors OF gambling.
So they let pa go and all the way
to the train he told us ne hoped this
experience would be a lesson 10 US not
to covet the money Of the rich. and az
far as he was concerned. John D.
Rockefeller could 60 plum to thunder
with his money after this
Then we got to the car, and found
about a dozen OF the circus men who
had been out 70 beat the slot machines
broke flat and had to divide my shot
bag Of niokels with them. that ! had
won before / let them into the game
before they would let me 90 to bed.
Dad says this circus life is making
me pretty tough.