The enterprise-recorder. (Madison, Fla.) 1908-1933, 1910-01-06

Aeath oil Couu1
u oso town of Granada, in Spain' a
tne Sho took one fling with fortune
MAJ non never to play again.
sDu Vas IN the good old days when
ia was one of the greatest gam
ma cities in the world that the
punt D,,n0 was called there on some bust
~ matters which he hoped to nnish
ue'e a week or two, and then return
ny Nc home in Spain. Fate willed
,nry,se. and decreed that the game
" NE life should be played in Cuba
,hot the stakes should be COM
aatence for life or ten years in prison.
whether or not he was a really
mt is a matter of no Importance |
~ In Havana he was known as |
,,onco and as Blanco he will prob |
~, he for a long time remembered
90 me man who carried through one
Of the biggest card swindles in his
tory
1tappears that upon the occasion OF
a.. erst visit to Cuba the Count real
,yed that the whole island was practi-
"ollv given over to gambling, from
A, enc contagion of which he did not es-
come He had the misfortune to fall
into the hands of some fashionable
sharpers, who ieeced him so unmerci-
fullv that his resources were nope
lessly crippled for the time being, SO
much so mat the object of his trip
had to be abandoned.
When he mentioned the matter to
b,s friends they simply laughed at
MIN and showed so little sympathy
that he determined TO be reyenged
unon the whole town If 1t should cost
him every cent he had. Night and
dav he brooded over his misfortune
and turned over in his mind scheme
y after scheme for getting even with
the people who had robbed him and
then laughed at him.
It was during one of his walks
about the capital that he got an idea
The more he thought about it the
simpler it seemed; all it needed wal
patience and courage, with a littl'
luck in getting things started right
The idea was to use marked card
and to make unwilling confederate
of the tradesmen in Havana by com
4. melting them to supply him witt
those cards under such circumstance
~ as to,leave him absolutely free iron
- &s6iciQ1. He made inquiries as t
sN &h9ettylg'' and make of the cards use
a. in'.the'pfRntipal clubs, the prices
w which, they ~sre sold and the agencie
W @rotgh which they were purchased
,tI0uietly and obtrusively he gathere
:, up this information and then departe
for his native land.
Within two years he was ready Il
his revenge. He had purchased emo
nous quantities of playing care
of the style and pattern in vogue
Havana. Every pack of these cart
he had carefully opened, and he
marked the back of every card Il
sequence and suit, using an ink whit
is made for that purpose, and whit
sinks through the enameled surfa
without leaving the slightest ira
that can be detected by holding {
card to the light. He could read {
backs of those cards as clearly as
they were face up. He was ne
! ready to spring the trap.
Renting small Office under
false name in another town, he beg
by mailing sample packs of unmark
cards to dealers in playing cards
Havana and to such of the clubs II
bought direct. He represented the
cards as bankrupt stock, which mi
be sold at once, and the prices
quoted were irresistible. In t
months he sold them all.
OF course the Count was not lc
in following up his goods. He put
at the best hotel, called on his
friends and spent his money fret
He was welcome in all the clubs,
was received in the best society,
intended victims showed him ev
attention, and no one was INK
enough to remind him Of the revei
Of fortune that he had suffered
his last visit. Perhaps they thou
ne had forgotten.
He lost no time IA sitting dowr
play, and finding his own cards re
to his hand wherever he went,
made no bones about the size OF
stakes he played for. Within
he had repaid himself for all
losses on selling bankrupt stock
low cost and was piling up profit
a great pace In month he W.
have made fortune. "Trot as
a heat as you can while the mai
on her laps - hn lDant saving to