CARD-SHARPERS AND THEIR WORK.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XXIX, Issue 120, 23 May 1895, Page 4

CARD -SHARPERS AND THEIR WORK.

(Harry How, in the " Strand Magazine. There are degtees of card-sharpers. There is the little trio of enterprising fellows who are to be found in railway carriages on their way 10 the racecourse — and they are at times even to be found on the racecourse itself. . One of them,, at least, is always the most innocent-looking of bucolic countrymen, the tppical modernised John Bull, who invariably wins the stakes, and so induces the " outsider" to try his luck also ; and I have heard that before now an individual has been clothed in all the habiliments of a clergyman and staked his shilling or two on the picture, and, what is more, has won. What more natural to the passenger ? Here is a beneyo-lent-looki 3g parson joining in the game — surely he does not know much about cards ?— he wins. Why should not the passenger have a little flutter with the pictures ? He does ; and is sorry for it. All this is the common side of carp-sharp-ing, and is popularly known as the three-card trick. It is worked in many ways, one favourite method being to turn up the corner of the picture card which the victim-to-be endeavours not to lose sight of. Then the clever hands of the manipulator of " the leaves from the devil's prayer - book," with marveHous dextericy, straightened •the tamed -up corner of the merry little queen of hearts, and turn up the corner of the two of clubs. Most sensible people would think that this would be sufficient to warn the poor player, who is to be poorer still before he has finished. When the turned-up corner has been played sufficiently, a little bit of mu'd or dirt, is substituted as. a blind before the cards are dealt. There is no getting away from it. But there is no mud on the picture card when you make your choice, and you will fiud that somehow the inud has disappeared from the court card to one of very insignificant value. Ihis is very simply done.' One gentleman working the trick ■will shuffle the cards, show the one with the mud one, and hand the cards to a confederate, who removes the dirt, and puts it on another member of the pack, when they are displayed to entrap the speculative, though innocent, player. A set of card-sharper's apparatus which "used to be frequently in use by astute Yankees on the American liners, is most ingenious, before proceeding to diagnose the various items which go to make up this truly fearfulJy and wonderfully made set of apparatus, it may be said that there evidently exists in America a' recognised trade for turning out this particular class of work. We are ready to admit that our friends across the "herring pond " are exceedingly well gifted in the art of originating ideas, and it seems a pity that that they should permit such contrivances as are about to be described to be ma'de with impunity in their country. This is a somewhat sweeping assertion, but 1 have had an opportunity of examining closely and minutely the apparatus, and the discovery was made of the name and address of the firm' who made them, with a strong recommendation to all cardplayers to have them in their possession, and so be like Tommy Dodd— sure to win. First, examine the packs of cards to be used by this particular cardsharper, and in examining them kindly remember that you are dealing with a man who is an artist himself at dealing a pack of cards. There are five or Bix packs of them, and they are contained in a nice looking mahogany box, and kept intact with a lid. The packs of cards have partitions between them. There is a small brass knob at the left hand end of the box, with a screw attached, which is connected with the first partition of the first pack of cards. The proud professor of this box knows that, by turning the knob, "he screws the cards together. Now, there is method in this screwing. Every alternate card has been previously rubbed with a little sandpaper s >hence two cards Btick together. Now comes the dealing. It is very easy for a smart dealer to either deal one or two cards. When he is dealing to a man he is desirona of swindling, he gives him one card and deals himself t wo. This gives him a choice of two cards, as they are very easily separated by the person working the oracle. A further examination of these cards heightens the mystery considerably. The back of each card haß some secret hieroglyphic on it, which tells the card-sharper its exact value. Theae hieroglyphics lie hidden away in some part of the design on the back of the card, and $he secret of the same is possessed alone by the owner of them. Hence, there is a card-sharper's alphabet of fifty - two designs— so that, apart from the sharper having an exceptionally quick hand, he needs also to possess a very retentive memory. Seeing that the sharper will frequently have two cards, one of which he will use, while tho other may possibly be useless, the question arises as to how he is to dispose of the surplus card. The sleeves of his eoat may probably form a refuge for the non-usable card, and there is ho doubt that even your sharper who sharps from the most artistic point of view by "no means despises the coat-sleeve as a convenient " stowaway." But he has a far better and prettier method of getting rid of the superfluous card. Close beside the box containing the packs is a piece of machinery, consisting of two steel plates, very slightly curved. This is placed in the waistcoat pocket. It also has a strap, in case it may be needed to fasten it anywhere about the person, i The interior of the plates contains a ■ pair of whafc might bo described as tongues, which will either snap up a caid or give out one, as may be required. If the player desires to take a. card from tho table, all lie has to do w tp .Svork a pair of small pulleys, by means of a piece of catgut, which runs down the leg of his trousers and as fastened Inside his boot. By mov- ■. ing his. foot ho manipulates the , pulleys, the tongues slip out and ..-receive the card, and bo dispose of it. • I<» is a very easy matter in the .excitement of the play to remove the : card from the tongue of the machine and place it in the pack again. -Although this particular apparatus is '.more often than not used for getting v a ' card out of the way.it may, of course, he utilised for holding an ace, or a king, or a queen, or even a useful little jack within its grip, which will bob up serenely when the , catgut -is pulled. But it is more often than not used to cause cards to

, Possibly the reader may remember that, some fifteen or twenty years ago, a very favourite toy for the little ones was a number of soldiers stuck on a series of workable pieces of wood, which could be pressed into a j small space, or shot out into a lengthy column. Here we have tho exact principle on which this latter apparatus works. .Whether its inventor founded it on the toy or not it is impossible to tell, but the operations of working are exactly identical. In this case the instrument is constructed of brass, to which a strap with buckles is attached. This is worn just below the elbow of the left arm,' and is usually called into play when a player wishes to hide a card, or to call one into action. More often than not, it is used for a reserve force of aces, kings, queens, and jacks. The pictures are placed in a clip, and, when the apparatus ib not in action, are completely hidden by the swindler's sleeve. He is just in the midst of a game, For . once his unlucky partner has got the best of it ; it all depends on the value of the last card played, and fortunately— or unfortunately — it is the sharper's turn to play. He knows the value of the card he has in his hand, he is fully aware of the fact that it is only a wretched four of diamonds, and he stands to win or losp £50.. Possibly he has not been ablp, for once, owing to the shrewdness of his opponent at this exciting moment, to tell the value of the card from the. hieroglyphics amongst the flowers on the back, but he knows it all the same, for he has a little glass .disc, which is resting on his knee — a precious little disc, a trifle bigger than a sixpence, and into this mirror he reflects the value of the card, which is instantly revealed to him. • His innocent opponent lias played the jack of clubs; but, bless you! the sharper has a queen of clubs up his. sleeve, in more ways than one. By a clever little piece of legerdemain the four of diamonds disappears into the waistcoafc.piece of mechanism. He presses his left arm on tb.9 table,"' the spring of the apparatus jusfc described is released, the crossed steel bands, a la the soldier toy, spring out, and in less time .than it takes to tell, the queen of clubs is in the' hand of the player. Quickly raising his arm ftom the table, back go the steel springs, and her majesty of clubs caps the jack.