The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1910-08-26
CARD SHARPS
ON MONGOLIA
Trio of Gamblers Stunned, but
They Stopped OFF
Here.

We're you trimmed at cards when the
Mongolia made her recent trip from
San Francisco to Honolulu Probably
not, for the trlmmers We're spotted
early on the voyage and the thumb of
disapproval turned downward. That is.
most of the passengers who inclined to
poker and bridge did not sit in the
games proposed by the wouldbe trim
came across d lamb OF TWO and sheared
them close to the skin.
Three card shaIps were aboard the
Mongolia, according to various passen-
gers who arrived on the liner, and it
is said that the captain of the steamer
kept them under surveillance. Two
days out a trio of plausible passengers
fitted about the smoking room, willing
to. engage in any games OF chance.
They did get into few games but it
was whispered that they were pr0fes-
SIGNALS and after the second dav they
received little encouragement to sit in.
When they found that poker games
could not be butted into they proposed
bridge. but even in this society game
they had no chance. Finally they came
across dapper little Belgian, who is
said TO be IN the diplomatic service OF
His Belgian Majesty, and proposed
bridge He did not know the game
but said he was willing to learn
Half an hour afterward he emerged
from a game in which one Of the trio
had engaged him, dummy playing an
important part III the proceedings, th;t
half hour of instruction having cos1
him exactly $l4. That was the last
bridge game the trio played in with
other passengers.
Later they devoted themselves to the
varied games of chance played by the
Chinese. These games consisted OF
fantan, paikau, chuckaluck and even
poker But even the Cinnamon sus
pected the sharpers. for eventually &
wOrdv discussion was heard in this
celestial Monte Carlo and passenger:
crowded about a chuckaluck table K
ascertain the difficulty. The Chinese
dealer announced that he would pay NJ
more debts to the suaVe member of til,
trio, and refused TO have anything t
do with the $40 gold piece lying on the
| table. and put his dice in his pocket
The stranger saw that the crowd o.
| onlookers comprised some Of the mel
| with whom he had endeavored to pla,
poker and bridge. so he pocketed hi
coin and chagrin and went TO the cabin
| section.
A young Portuguese, returning hom'
from California, and travelling in TIL
steerage was the next mark of the trio
! 4 Well-knOwn Honolulu business mai
saw the Portuguese after he had hal
a short play at dice with one of tn
| trio and WAS asked how the game end
| ed. He said il was satisfactory. H
was warned that the trio We're sharpers
| The next day the Portuguese wore
mOurnful countenance. and vine
| quizzed explained that the stranger
had trimmed him the night before Q
| about $500
The trio, it is reported, landed here
| Several months ago three passenger
| came over on one of the Pacific Maj
| liners and were detected as being car
sharps and given tie cold shoulder, bu
not until they had picked up about $40
from card-playing lambs aboard. Thes
! strangers remained in Honolulu, but til
story Of their crude work on the steam
er served to give them a cold shoulde
here, and they departed for the main
| land without having an opportunity t
| operate here.