The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1907-05-10
Three Card Sharks Trim "a
WinOna Man Nicely.
He WON BET BUT LOST CASH
Charles Rupert Is Made the Victim of
Game So Very Old That 1t is
Now MOSs-GrOWn.

WmOna. Nav S.-jhafleS Ruppert, Il
retired farmer. formerly residing in the
Waumandee valley in Wisconsin, but
who makes his home in Winona and is
reputed TO be worth 100000, was swim
died out of 5000 in this city on the old
three-card monte game. He won all
right. but the other fellows got the
money. He won his bet. but in place of
the money he supposed he would receive
he secured only tin box filled with pa
per and brick.
Mr.. Rupert sees the mistake he made
now in engaging in a betting game with
strangers He takes his loss philosoph-
icaIly. but is hopeful the offenders may
be apprehended and given the punish
ment they deserve. The authorities have
been placed in possession of all the facts
and are now out after the men who took
the money. They had livery RIG and
at o'clock this had not come in. 1t is
hardly supposed the men will come back
to the stable with the rig, but 1t is
thought they will leave it somewhere.
The game was worked in the West
Burns valley. and the men who did the
trick were traced from there to Sugar
Loaf. They did not cross the Alankato
avenue road into the city, and it is
supposed they have gone in some other
direction.
Mr.. Rupert has been living in Winona
for a little time, and yesterday after
noon met Il stranger who spoke about
farming land around Winona and said
if he had a good opportunity he would
like to invest. After some little CON
versation they separated. This morning
Mr.. Rupert was working on some
property he owns near the st. JOseph's
church, when along came the stranger
he had met yesterday. He was in rig
and said he was going out into the
country south of Winona to look at
some farming land, and invited Mr..
RUPERT to. make the trip with him. Mr..
Rupert was nothing loath, and got into
the rig and started off together. They
went out to Sugar Loaf and then into
the West Burns Valley.
After they had gone several miles
along this valley they met rather
rough looking stranger coming down the
hill in front of them. They stopped to
pass the time of day, and the stranger
said he was kentuckian. He flashed
a bio roll of bills that he had in red
handkerchief, and Mr.. Rupert says he
noticed they were done up in bundles
marked $1,000 He said he had $4,000
more in bills upon his person, around
his belt and in other places. He said
he had something he would like to show,
and drew out the familiar three card
monte device.
The man with Mr.. Rupert at once be-
came interested. The cards displayed
were. an ace of diamonds and jack of
spades and the jack of clubs. The Ken
tuckian offered to bet the others could
not pick out the ace OF diamonds. The
stranger with Mr.. Rupert tried it sew
eral times on $40 dollar bets, and invari-
ably won, as did Mr.. Rupert. Then the
Kentuckian led up to the big game. he
drew out one of his rolls marked to con-
tain $1,000. and offered to bet it against
Il similar amount put up by the other
two that they could not locate the card
the next time. The man with Mr.. I,up-
pert wanted to make the bet but could
only scrape together S2.360 Mr.. Rup-
pert. who had become interested, offered
to make up the rest, and while the Ken
lev road the other two drove back to
Winona and Mr.. Rupert drew S2,640
from the bank.
On driving back to West Burns valley
the Kentuckian was found where they
mad left him and the bet was duly pro-
ceeded with. The money of all three
was placed in a tin box which the Ken
tucllian provided and was placed under
the wagon seat
At this point Mr.. Rupert insisted on
holding the money, and that the box,
which was partly concealed under the
seat by Il blanket be given into his
charge. TO this the other assented, and
this was where the fraud was worked.
The accomplices had two boxes exactly
alike, and made a clever substitution
here, giving the wrong one to Mr.. Rup-
pert As it looked just like the other he
supposed he had the money. The card
game was then worked and the Kentuck-
ian lost.
Mr. Rupert supposed he had all the
money in the box. Surprising this he
made no objection to the request of the