The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1909-09-17
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
PLAYS CHECKERS
FOR A LIVING
Man Who Plays From Forty
10 ST. Cameo an Hour.
a

Ihis Is the story OF a man who
turned his chief recreation into a
means or livelihood. The mans name
IS James McEniee, and he halls from
Rochester. n " In 1873 he began
TO play checkers for amusement. To
day he plays checkers for his bread
and butter and does II so well that
he has 70 employ an assistant But
here's his own story. Just told il at
Coney Island one afternoon last
week.
grew up in the show business and
was crack piano player in the days
When the crowd sang the chorus OF
Nellie Was a Lady Old Black Joe
and Massa's in the Cold. Cold Ground
Many ballad singer who made good
IN The Blue Alsatian Mountains and
After the Bali did | play accompani-
ments for, but when ragtime came in
| was too old TO master its kinks !
mad TO find something else TO do, but |
knew I'd have TO stay in the show
business. That had been my living for
too many years to drop il in my old
age. For years my one recreation had
been checkers. and when | was not
playing for folks 10 sing or dance |
was licking somebody at checkers.
Men came from far and near around
Rochester 10 beat me, but they
couldn't. | had not only studied out
thousands OF moves for myself. but |
had read everything written on check
ers, worked out all the difficult games
tod about in newspapers and met
every champion that came my way
Il said TO my checker board Here,
you've got to ray back with interest
the years of work I've given you And
the wise old board just seemed 10
shake with gee at the idea. took
out a concession permit and went to
country fair TO try my luck. | spread
out couple of boards Players who
won game from me did not have TO
pay. those who lost gave me cents
Well, | didn't get rich that first season,
bui that winter | got so that I could
run six boards, or rather play against
six people. at time. The next fair
season that one idea made a hit. and
1t was not hard TO keep six players at
the boards most OF the time
We'll. OF course. If you make good
anywhere else YOU want TO get TO the
big town; so came to Coney Island
Wise ones said: Too tame for Coney
Island but they were wrong Coney
likes a little OF everything. and men
who hadn't seen a checkerboard since
they got to wandering down the Great
White Way seemed right glad to see
me. Farmers and out-oftown folks
generally said it felt like home to
meet up with checkerboard
ION bright day III play from 40
TO so games an hour. and have about
three Of four right busy hours each
afternoon. Some folks think | must
get tired. but, while the game is al
most mechanical with me and | can
almost always foresee just what each
players next move will be- you never
get tired of studying people and their
temperaments. There's the young man
who wants TO show his best girl what
sport he is. even at checkers | lick
him to a finish but let the girl beat
me. and that just tickles her TO death.
Then sometimes a husband and wife
will come along. and the wife will just
sit and chuckle watching me beat her
husband. or she may get spunky and
PAT MISC
make him play TO show what he can
do. That sort OF woman takes il so |
seriously that you've got to let her |
husband win or she'll worry him TO /
death about IT,
Everybody may not know that |
checkers is one of the oldest games in /
history and antedates chess. Egyptolo- I
gists have discovered traces OF its be- \
ing a recreation $500 years ago. so
you see there is nothing new, not even
a game. under the sun, only il is a
new idea for a man to make his living /
by it-New York World.
ITINERANT MONARCHS