Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1912-06-29
A GAMBLING
DEVICE
.,g
By JAMES B. BRlCE

for cOppers on the streets. and from
them up to the wealthiest there is one
ronfinued chain of hazard. During the
railroad building that started Ia that
republic some years ago ! was employ
ed as an engineer ON one OF them ana
had an opportunity to witness this and
other Mexican characteristics.
There were railroad followers who
preycd upon the wOrkmrn. taking espr.
cial care to he on hand when puy day
came round. On an evening OF one Of
these pay days went into a tent
where | had seen one of my men go.
young Mexican whom ! employed for
an axman. | was Interested in him.
for knew that he had wife and
some babies who kept pace with him
as he passed from one end OF the line
| 10 the other, for IN Mexico there are
persons who have no homes. sleeping
| in the open air. father. mother. children
,nd dog huddled together TO keep GU"
| mother warm.
| Manucl-that was my aSman's nam"
was IN the tent seated before table
| shaking dice with the man who ownel
| he outfit. There were several other
| workmen in .he place who had within
| few minutes been cleaned out of the
| pay they had that day received. !
stood looking on. Quite likely had !
not been there the proprietor would
have mGde short work OF Manuel: but.
seeing me. he put Off the denOuement.
permitting the axman TO get little
ahead.
But soon noticed that whenever II
was for the rascal's interest that the
dice should fall with large numbers vi
they invariably did so. In short II
looked TO me that he had some power
over the dice to make them fall as he
wished. Manuel's pay was very small,
and he had not much to lose. While
he was playing. little woman. rather
pretty. came In with Il baby In h"I
arms and stood over him. lie looked
up at her. and ] felt sure she was hi
wife. She had not come there to 20,
him away. She was rs infatuated Us
he
Doubtless she had been living with
her little one for weeks In this way
he losing his weekly wages every
. saturday night. both expecting thaj
he day would come when they wou,
| nave run of luck aud win enough
| honey To 20 t. hulliight..
After she came in the proprietor le,
Manuel KIN 'ittip,. The. gambler wa
draId thai | might exert influence I,
ave him sent away, So he did every
hing temporarily TO favor his victim
confess | was more interested in tho
lice than the victim. II they wcr,
hmpIy "ioir,ied" he could not manipu
ute them us he did; they would nj
Ways roll high. At least 1t was III!
| .DiniOn that no skill In throwing wOul,
vert thls. 1t occurred to me that tin
gambler had some way of cuntruilin;
ne die that was not visible.
Living in scientific times, was no
Ong IN forming theory. There mus
De some electric connection bctwcci
him and the dice. Then ! bethough
, myself of "A pocket compass which nj
ways carried and which | continual!
needed in my out of door work TAX
, | ing position back of the gambler
where he would not see me, tool
, out my compass and looked at 1t.
Q The needle vibratcd violently.
My. theory was confirmed. Their
must be a magnet somewhere near
y STOPPING, / looked under the table. ]
had four legs, and In Its center was
box attached to the underside. SO ia
so good. That box contained the mag
. net.
That I felt sure Of. l knew yer.
e well that by attaching metal plat
to one side Of die and rolling tn
die above the magnet while the cul
rent was on the metal face would b
held to the table. leaving its opposit
:, face up. If there was no current Oh
the dice would roll by chance. Some
Il times the current was on; sometime
1t was not.
! now brought my watchfulness I
bear upon the gamblers movements
noticed that every time he threN
high there was slight movement o
u his right leg. The leg was not readil
-, | seen, being uuueT tHe thDlss Dul wa
" Interested ana did my best to see.
a was convinced that attached to th
4. leg of the table was IN electric Ike
% and that when he pressed his le
against the key the current was turf
D.. ed GU
r So absorbed was ! IN my puzzle tina
| failed TO notice that Manuel had bC
. u few cOpprrs left when had rrachr
" my conclusion. | whispered To him I
20 to the chief engineers office an
ask him to send me II few men. Will
he was gone | sat down ut the tall
TO play till he came back. On his r,
turn with the men | lifted the top %
the table and exposed magnet aud
dry battery Just where | expectc,
~ Attached to the table leg was the Ike!
le ordered the gambler to return III
money he had won FROM Manuel an
j. the others and Ia get away from on
'- proximity us soon as possible or
- would have him locked up. lie n
u turned the funds, and ! saw him u
- more.
, But, alas When the next pay dn
came around | saw Manuel. accompi