The sun., 1909-02-21


paper and was possessed of more than tho
! ordinary intelligence Of gamblers.
| In It's improved form this trick is known
as the black jack and ACE. and II Ia con-
sidered the most Ingenious swinde ever
invented with a pack Of cards The writeI
market place at Shreveport, la. In 1879
| for a syndicate bet OF 81 800 which they
had put up against the game. the gam blere
who worked II being the famous johnson
brothers Of Little Rock.
The operator begins by proposing To
/ show q trick that he saw another man
/ do not long before. This consists In pick
ing out from the pack the ace and jack
spades, showing them to the company
l. putting them into the pack together and
making them come out together. That
IL What he says he can do. at any rate.
| The pack is divided into two parts, as
| in the five ace trick, but the operator holds
UP the ace and jack In his fingers 80 that
the company can see the faces OF Dotn
curds He then asks every one to feel
them 40 as to be sure that he has no card
between them and that there ls no deoep-
ton In any way
Then no lays the two cards on the top
Of one part Of the pack and covers them
with the other part; takes the pack into
his left hand and deals on cards one by
one until he comes 70 the jack OF spades.
which no throws on the table az soon
as he turns II up.
The rest Of the pack ia laid on the table
and the operator offers 10 bet any amount
that the next card is the ace Of spades.
Before any one has time to make any
remarks or to take the bet he turns il up.
shows that il ia the ace, picks up the tack
with it and Immediately proceeds to do
the same thing again.
BY the time ne has repeated this per-
Torrance two or three times without
even stopping TO take breath the com
pany are pretty well convinced that he
ia chump.
why, that's no trick says one. cor
course they come out together. How
else could they Gomez"
Another will perhaps encourage him
hy telling him that he has that trick down
fine and ought TO 60 on the stage.
This opens the way for the operator
70 remark that there are several ways Of
doing it, For instance. he can lay the
acc and jack on the table face down. so
that he does not know which is which
and still make them come out together.
This Of course looks equally simple
hut If tho opcrat or ia a good actor he will
pre- tend that he thinks il is quite trick
TO do It that way. g.
Next time he says he will show still
another variation in which he leaves the
ace lying on the table and picks up the
jack and one-half tho pack He then
pretends to show some person standing
behind him how he has arranged the cards
40 that he shall know when he is getting
near the place that he has put the Jack and
ace.
During the moment that his back is
turned a confederate deftly picks up
the ace of spades and sticks 1t into the
middle Of the part Of the pack that is
left living on the table saving in a whis-
per let us fool this fellow once" at the
same time taking a card from the top Of
the pack which he shows, and laying
down where the ace was. This card
may he the ace Of hearts.
When the operator is done showing
his friend how he has stacked the cards
he returns 10 his trick and picks up what
he imagines 10 be the ace Of spades With
out looking at il he places II In his fingers
with the jack and asks the company
to he sure that there is no card between
them. Putting these two cards, the
jack of spades and eight OF hearts, on
tho top Of one part Of the pack he places
this part on the top Of the other part and
deals of the cards as before.
1his time, when he turns up the jack
OF spades the confederate shouts, hold
on, nowl Not so fast. I'll just oct you
$40 the next card is not the ace Of spades
winking at the rest Of the company at
the same time to keep still. OF course
he wins the money and is crazy 10 get
the disconnected operator, who SAYS
the trick never failed before. TO try il
again for double or quits.
BY this time every one In the crowd
Ia digging into his pockets or sending
10 the bank for money, and the operator
pidity that he gives them ample time to
get all the money they want TO bet.
You said yourselves that IL must come
out every time. What are you 80 crazy
10 bet ior?' he demands.
When every one is ready he starts to
do the trisk again. This time il is the
jack that is left on the table, while two or
three onlookers are only too anxious
to pull his sleeve and be shown how he
arranges those cards, as they zee it is
vital TO give their friend chance 70
make that little change. This time the
ten of diamonds is the card laid of and the
jack that is buried in the pack.
he cards are dealt OF one by one as
before ana the moment the jack is turned
over from the top of the pack big stick
is laid over the rest Of the pack to insure
its not being interfered with, and the bets
are raade.
Any one can turn up the next card.
There you arel 1t is the ace Of spades!
-Of course it is remarks the operator,
It be anything else2 You said yourselves
it must be the next card If they went in
together. How could it be anything else?
Nellini says this is the finest confidence
card trick in the world The beauty Of it
is that the victims think they have a man
beaten AT his own game.
How is it done? Why, when the con-
federate slips the jack Of spades into the
pack and lays on the ten of diamonds
no one knows just where the jack lies.
but by dealing down TO it the operator
will find il. When the two cards are
picked up and shown the ten Of diamonds
is placed in front Of the spade ace. so that
if it were really the jack. the ace would
come out first. but no one notices little
things like that when looking at a trick.
The part Of the pack with the ace on 1t
is placed in the operators left hand and
the part with the jack hidden in it s placed
on the top Of the ace; but the operators e
little finger is on the ace. 80 as TO keep
its place.
The top cards OF the pack are turned
face up one by one until the operator
comes to the jack. AS he throws it on
the table. he shifts the cut with one hand.
brin ging the ace under his little finger 10
the top.
OF course they come out together.
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