The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1908-06-19
ACHIEVED NATIONAL
REPUTATION AS GAMBLER
Cleared One Thousand Dollars
a Day for Weeks al
a Stretch

,Des Moines, Ia, June 19.-Once the
most expert shell game artist in the
ountry Hamilton Thompson. worth
Ortune, died last week in the iear of
lis barber shop az No 303 East Wal
iut street
With the memories of the days wnen
ie won over $1,000 day with the
,lusive pea and the three walnut
hells viwdly reeounted by his old
ial Doc Shields Thompson gave up
ne ghost. Shields, now known to de-
3ctives all over the country came to
les Moines on his way To the Nassau
aces. near Waterloo. He went to see
Butch as he lay dying and talked
yer old times.
Caief of Detectives Colonel John
ton left Shields in peace till he bade
arewell to mis- old mate. Then he
rrested him.
Three hours Doc" said Johnston.
"All right, Johnston. I'll go"
shields has heard the word before He
yent And 'Butch" died a few hours
ater still mumbllng and laughing
5ver the refreshed pictures of his
oung life when he was the prince OF
le circus gamblers.
Butch died when his morphine
gun" failed to bring relief For sew
raj years he has had to take shot
iyery few hours His present wife, a
forn little woman WORKING out her
fe for her husband, has had to use
hypodermic on him OF late.
Twenty lears OF use Of tue poison
llecting needle had punctured every
il OF skin On the mans bady within
each Ills arms grew insensible to
ae morphine long ago Then he tried
is legs. They too, We're more net
ngs And "Butchs" breast was used
ntil 1T was one great, raw mass. His
aithiul wife used the gun on his
ack where relief came to the old
amhlc:
In SIX hat and frock coat elegant
Is the prince of fashion, Hamilton
thompson made name iOr nimsell
"a the 70s and sos. He followed the
ohm Robinson circuses: he allied
imsell with group OF bloods that
followed the big circuses, TO their
-eat annoyance Thompson was an
rtist in gambling With three shells
made from English walnuts and a
can or rubber ball he grew deft
syond belief Farmers ana gamblers
ike guessed as to whore tae pea was.
would be there until Thompson saw
ow much money they had. And then
Thompson always won.
He cleared $1,000 a day for weeks at
stretch. Sometimes he lost az the
aces. Sometimes three or four days
lolle- sitting would leave him with J.
}. US" aggregating a fortune, Some
lines he Won and won until he seem
"a likely to become a mlllionarie at the
aiming table.
Thompson came to Des Moines with
circus thirty years ago. He made
ome friends here and after the death
his first wife he came here to live
ie remarked in pes Moines and
lrifted away with little money. lie
rever told how he lest it. But he
anne back seven or eight years after
Yard, his wife gone and With thou
ands to his credit He lived nigh In
)es Moines. lie played the biggest
ame.
Bat he had the morphine habit Sew
ral times Thompson left the city foi
year or so. But he always return
ID. each trip leaving him more than
syer a victim of the drug.
Then he became at last mere
Butch Thompson He married q
Wrs. Howard They settled down tc
just living" Butch st his luck
He turned barber He drank toe
nucn. He got into police courts. And
oday lie died rs his Wife raised hin
ease tho pain Of the body. He died
b her arms. smiling a little with the
praises of old DOC Shields OF the
night before stili soothing bis cars
On the table near was "A little bo'
With some Of the torn letters and bits
# walnut she'll with a little blaekenee
ruhher,baH. hard from age and greasy
irum handling e9c
And beside the pastaBoafAt hoNs Fs
a hyooaerinic syringe, a morphin'
gun." that had 'shot" the life out Of
.he man who Wes once rich and hand
some and sober
Butch was 53 years old, lie was
lmarriei three times, but no ont
knows where his parents are o.
whether or not he left any children
Thc body was taken by Coroner lyei
Newien Aud at the police siatiOn q
score of old officers are svanpine
arms ahoni the days when Hamilton
Thompson was bic gambler
- EHRKERFS