Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1909-11-19
CHEATING AT CARDS.
Some of the Methods Employed BY In
qenious Sharpers.

Some of the Methods Employed BY In
genious Sharpers.
In the card sharping fraternity there
are men who on no account whatever
would use mechanical aids when fieec-
ing a victim. Neither would they work
with a confederate who employees SUCH
Their motto is, Don't carry any evil
dences Of guilt about YOU And that Is
why they rely, for the most part, on
false shuffies, cuts and bottom deals to
enable them to stack the cards, !. e., to
place them so that when dealt out the
trickster or his partner gets the best
hand.
This merely entails certain sleight-
Of hand cleverness. On the other hand,
it is highly inconvenient, as a we'll
known crook remarked a short time
ago, ito be found with 'puncher' "a
steel point used for marking cards),
sinners (tiny mirrors, by means OF
which the faces Of the cards dealt to
an opponent are revealed) or bug "a
V-shaped holder, with sharp point on
one side which can be thrust into the
lower surface of the table ledge and
made to serve as a sort Of shelf to hold
cards. "Out west" he continued, ut
Is Wall street to popcorn that you
would be loaded If any such aids to
the gentle art of rocking were found
on your person"
Nevertheless, mechanical aids to
card -sharping are not only largely used,
but they are actually advertised for
sale. The writer was recently shown,
as a curiosity, the catalogue Of a GER
tain Chicago store, in which was listed
a reflector which could be attached to
the lower surface Of the card table by
a metal spur. The mirror was convex,
and came to the edge Of the table, SO
that the cards could be read as they
were dealt out. The glass could be set
at an angle and turned back out Of
sight in an instant.
Another very efficient form Of re-
flector consists Of a small convex mir
ror cemented to a piece Of cork shaped
to fit inside the bowl Of an ordinary
briar pipe. The Sinner Is carried sep
arately in the pocket until needed,
while the gambler smokes the pipe.
When he stoops to knock out the ash
ee, he presses the glass into the bowl
Of the pipe, which is then laid upon the
table with bowl facing toward the
owner a little to the left Of where he
is sitting. In this position the mirror
is visible to no one but himself.
Sometimes tiny refectors are inserted
in the interior Of a large quill toothpick,
or may be attached to a ring on the
finger or glued to the palm. OF course,
on account Of the minuteness Of the
mirrors, good eyesisht is needed to
distinguish the cards as they are re-
f1ected. But card-sharpers are nothing
IL not keen sighted.
One Of the most wonderful mechani-
cal aids to card sharping was that un-
earthed in London gambling den a
short time ago. 1t consisted Of a spe-
cially constructed table containing a
secret and invisible drawer in the top,
which could be opened by q spring
worked by slightly pressing the edge Of
the table. Covering the action with his
hands and cards, the sharp dropped the
cards he wished to transfer to his con-
federate into the opening and a second
spring shot them along secret passage
to the other side Of the table, where
there was another secret opening
whence the confederate contrived to
take them.
1t reminds the writer Of a marvellous
roulette table by which a clever Amer
lean scoundrel fieeced many wealthy
residents Of Long Island Of thousands
of dollars about twelve months ago.
The roulette wheel contained a network
Of electric wires, so arranged that by
the manipulation of switches carefully
concealed inside the cash drawer cleo
tro-magnets hidden within the very
structure Of the wheel itself would be
so thrown into circuit as to draw the
ball, which contained soft iron core,
into any group Of pockets the dealer
might desire.
Endless, however, are the tricks of
the professional card sharper. They
have all sorts Of lodges for marking
cards. Giving a card a rough edge by
a mere scratching with the finger nail
is to them sure means Of identifica-
ton. Some wear an innocent looking
ring, called a trepan, which is really
hollow, full Of ink, and has a tiny point
on the inner side whereby an almost
imperceptible dot can be put on a card.
Others prefer to use simply a tiny
aluminium or steel tack, which can be
affixed instantaneously to the thumb,
point outward, by means Of q small
piece Of court plaster. The shaft of