White Pine news. [volume] (East Ely, Nev.) 1920-1923, 1923-01-21
COVER[Y NDCONFEDERA7Es
I ROB PUNCHb0ARDS IN ELY

An organized gang OF punchboard
sharps who have operated over this
and probably neighboring states, who
also were marked card gamblers and
surething artists, seems to have been
scattered and interfered with IL not
broken up by the murder here jan
uary IL of Jesses B. Coverly by a
woman passing as his wife. who since
has given her name as Dawn Marga-
ret Williams.
Some three months ago travelling
representative of Cans Brothers of
San Francisco, owners of punch
boards. called on the pool hall own
ers of Ely. These boards have 5000
holes and offer cash prizes of s175.
There are three prizes of $40 each,
four of SO and fifteen of S.. The
charge for punching each hole is 10
cents, so that the gross return "a
$500. The boards were let out on
commission to the pool halls. the
rate of commission being about 35
or 40 per cent of the gross.
Shortly after the punchboards
were placed Mr.. and Mrs. Hutch
ings came to Ely. register of their
arrival showing that they reached
here October %. The same day Mr..
and Mrs. Frank Buster showed up
at the same rooming house. claiming
20 have come from Las Vegas. The
Hutchings and Busters were imme-
diately in each others company but
made pretension of not knowing
each other. the pretense being trans
parent to persons who saw thcn.
Hutchings was young man OF
about medium height. slightly sIen-
der and wore a suit that showed age,
being somewhat faded. He wore a
small and tight-fitting cap. puster
was large man, tall and inclined to
be corpulent.
Within few days of their arrival
a man answering to the description
OF Hutchings appeared at the Cosmo-
politan pool hall. bought a drink OF
soda water or cider. then asked for
tho punchboard. He said he wanted
to buy four punches. laid down 40
cents and started punching. Then he
held the numbers that he had punch
ed out in his hand and said
Here's No. $50. Does that win
THAT wins 500" said n. J. Car
penter, the proprietor, after looking
it up.
Mr.. Carpenter admits that he was
much excited but says Hutchings
showed no excitement whatever,
which caused him TO realize at once
that he had been buncoed.
In a day or two the customer call
ed again and said he wanted to buy
some more punches. naming the num-
ber and laying down the money.
NO" said Mr.. Carpenter. 'I
can't sell you any more punches
WHY" asked Hutchings.
You're too lucky" he was told.
Mr.. Carpenter then called on 9TH
ers having punchboards and gave
them warning. At the Roy and
Chris soft drink place Hutchings had
made two winnings of $50 each At
another place he had won $40.
A few weeks later Buster appeared
at the Cosmopolitan pool hall He
was roughly dressed. unshaven and
appeared like a rancher, except that
his face showed the marks of dissi-
patton. Like Hutchings, after ray
ing for soft drink he said he want
oh hA h rI .
handed to him he said he wanted to
buy three punches. He laid down 80
cents and was handed 20 cents In
change before he started punching.
He won $40.
After being paid he showed little
sign of eagerness and said IT was
mighty lucky, as he had a car in
the garage being repaired and until
he won this money he did not know
how he was going TO get the car out.
Mr.. Carpenter suspected him and
watched him as he left. He went
across the street TO the De Luxe ser
vice station.
This happened in the morning.
That evening Coverly showed up at
the same pool hall. He sat around
about half an hour, talking casually.
He said he had been working at the
new high school building. He was a
smaller man and was dressed as a
labor.r Finally he asked IL he could
buy drink Carpenter told him he
had only soda water and sweet cider,
IL either would do. Coverly said he
did not care what, that either cider
or soda water would be fine. After
taking and paying for the drink he
asked for the punchboard and said
he wanted to buy five punches. Mr..
Carpenter was suspicious and watch
ed Coverly closely. He noticed that
Coverly held the board with his left
hand. underneath and partly closed,
catching the numbers as they fell.
The pool hall man says he knows for
a fact that Coverly punched only four
times, yet he drew out FIVE numbers.
One of them won $40.