Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-06-09

n Majestic reading the notice tackeo
ON the wall which warned all per-
sons not to play cards with strang-
ers. He is the father Of two boys in their
2o's. and he did not forget to put his sons also
on their guard.
Tt was dun weather out Of Southampton,
and the trip promised TO be dull. He met an
affable stranger big copper man from Ndoh-
tana-in the smoking room, and becoming
friendly. the good-hearted and genial west
erner warned his Scottish friend aoout IhS
gamblers who were sure to be on board
Some other people drifted in, friends OF the
man from Montana or mere shipboard &C
quaintances, and they chatted into soclaoi@
game of hearts. -.
Macleod won sos. They played again next
day and when the crowd scatereo Naacheou
was 500 to the good.
Meeting in the tearoom OF the restaurant
another day play was resumed Before Mac
Ieod knew 1t he was in stiff game
THE play was fast. Macleod began to owe
money and offered his check. They assured
him his paper was good and persuaded MIN 70
stav i'm the game. Before he woke up SUM-
ciently to quit he was out $4,000 and drew
check for that amount.
Macleod was not licked yet. He wanted 10
get it back and the next day he lost $o''oo
more.
ont $40 600 Macleod remembered the warn
inc on the board and decided he had been
trimmed Not having any false pride, MACLEOD
determined to find out If he had lost In an
honest game or to a gang OF CROOKS. he re-
norted his loss as soon as the boat docked ana
found that he had been playing with proles-
SIGNALS. -,
PAYMENT was stopped on the checks out
Macleod still had the $165 which he had won
in cash This was turned over TO seamans
charity. n,
u Mallon. chief special agent Of the 1nterna-
4ional Mercantile Marine, who investigated the
Incident 1.-THE game of the gamblers is to take
a mans money in one big sweep Tor a cleanup:
Invariably the loser does not play again. ano
if he suspects he has been bilked he fears that
exposure of the fact will injure his business
standing so he does not report 1t.
But Macleod came back second time, ana
IT was his loss then that made him suspicious
:MacIeods experience is not an isolated case
although it is impossible to figure the sums
because much of the playing takes place In
private cabins, yet we are certain that the
gamblers winnings each year run up into very
large amounts.
evidence of the fact has never been I'M
Covered, but all our experience leads us TO
believe that syndicate or syndlcates with
HEADQUARTERS here and abroad are behind the
$50 to 200 gamblers who constantly work the
transatlantic liners
whether they win or have been unable to
hook sucker this fraternity always seems to
the ocean is an expensive luxury, somebody
must stake these men to the cost of the trips.
1.-The professional gambler is not type. He
may look like anything from bum to bank
president, but he always has plenty Of money
and spends it freely.
"A trip back and forth across the Atlantic
with hotel expenses in between boats win cost
a man 81 900 or 81 500. We have a record
here of one gambler who made dozen cross
ings between the list Of February and the 1st
of July
These sharpers do not work alone. Gam
bling is their business and they plan to take
o profit out of every trip. When you sit down
in a game with them it is usually three against
one and, since they are highly skilled in their
calling, it is no longer necessary for them to
use crooked methods in order to xDb the sucker.
"As individuals they are generally much bet
ter players than the person they are playing
with so that when three Of them combine to
make killing the victim rarely realizes that
he has been skinned.