The Ordway new era., 1909-10-08
NO POSSIBLE SHOW TO WIN
Once Famous Gambler Tells How the
Grsenhorn 10 systematically
Fleeeed.

A little white.haired. black-coated.
bespectacled old gentleman. who looks
and In the personification of benevo-
lence. that is Mr.. John Philip Quinn,
once notorious AZ the prince of Amer.
lean card.sharpers," but for the last
20 years a reformed man. Mr.. Quinn
IL now appearing at st. Georges hall
In his most interesting performance
consisting OF an exposure OF the meth.
ods by which sharpers despoil their
victims. This 10 what he says:
l was born and raised. brother. in
the southern state OF Missouri In days
when slavery was still In force. and
my father himself owned many slaves.
was wild lad: nothing could keep
me at school. and by the time l was
l5 was the associate OF professional
gamblers and sharpers. and before
very long l had definitely thrown In
my lot with them. had an accursed
skill at sleight Of hand. and for IS
years lived by my wits and on the
money OF fools. or suckers" as we
call them.
Was I ever caught? I was prose-
cuted II times as a professional gam
bier. but those were days when
graft" was rampant. and l always
managed to buy my freedom.
But In the end l went to gaol, and
the irony of II. for an ofrense OF which
was entirely innocent. was &C.
cused Of completely in a gold-brick
swindle. but although I was by no
means new to this form OF fraud, and
had worked 1t successfully more than
once. l had nothing to do with this
particular case. l went to prison for
IA months, and during that time l be-
came a changed man.
My little boy died while I was In
prison. Although l was a sharper l
loved him passionately and his loss
broke me up. When l came out Of
prison went to the house where l
had left my wife and children, only to
find them gone.
The woman Of the house did not
know at first for whom was inqui~
lug. and then she said:
You mean the lady who had a little
boy that died"
YES" said. land l want you to
show me his grave. have something
to settle with my conscience there"
Then she recognized me and said:
why don't you live to be fit to
meet him In another place."
Il WILL" said. and for the last 22
years l have been trying to get ready
to meet my boy"
l went of to Chicago, took a room
in basement, and started writing my
book, Fools of Fortune which such
famous men - DR.. Talmage and DR..
Lyman Abbott, editor of the American
Outlook, to. which Mr.. Roosevelt 10
contributing, have described as the
best sermon against gambling they
ever read.
One day got wire from a brother
sharper. telling me to come to st.
Louis Quick-there was "a horse for
$6,000," which, Of course, meant .
sucker" to be sucked dry.
took no notice, and then one day
in walked my old confederate. What
are you doing here, John?" said he. I
told him and he scoffed. He tempted
me with the promise Of $4,000 for my
share. II would stand in with him.
and he offered me q hundred dollars
down.
AS l had about so cents in the world
Just then, that 800 bill looked mighty
big and good, but put it away, and
In the end he shook hands, the tears
standing in his eyes. and insisted on
my taking SO to help me along. The
last heard of him he was doing ten
years, poor fellow. Well. since then.
brother, have devoted my life to
stopping people from gambling by
showing them how impossible 1t is for
them to win against professional gam
blers.
Now. here's point: At my per.
formance people know that am
cheating, yet they can't detect how It
is done. But when man goes gam
bling he thinks the game is straight or
he wouldn't play-he is not looking
for trickery, and what chance then
has he Of finding 1t when, AZ say,
people right on the stage, watching
me as close As they can, can't see how
/ cheat them.
Well. brother. guess my times up
never, newer play cards with strAn-
1sf1 ~ ypd,n 1sire % lcss. That y
Wh9t NJ : clneh. Pearsonss