CARD-SHARPING

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 2, Issue 303, 17 August 1932, Page 3

CARD-SHARPING

ORGANISED GANGS OPERATE ON ENGLISH TRAINS SEASON RAILWAY TICKETS Complaints of card-sharping by organised gangs 0x1 the main line trains between Birmingham and Wolverhampton were investigated by tbe "Daily Mail" recently in tbe- interests of unwary passengers who, during a 20-minute journey, conld lose as much as £5. Although the railway police do their utmost to baulk the sharpers, who are well known to them, the evil continues largely because of the reluctance of victims to appear in police court proceedings. • The bestknown gang numbers six, the members of which have season. tickets and use both Great Western and London, Midland and Scottish trains. They particularly favour the holiday season, when people are most lilcely to carry substantial sums of money, and choose their prey with unerring instinct. By astute conversation the intended victim is interested in the threecard trick, and when he sees money changing hands freely he is frequently tempted to play. The sharpers are very audacious. Railway police and officials keep a keen look-out for them, and when they are seen to enter a train the people in the compartment are warned as elearly as possible. But even this precaution has failed.

On one occasion two of the gang had chosen three likely-looking travellers, when an official opened the door of the compartment and said: "There are card-sharpers in this train." One of the gang looked up and said: "I suppose it is the old threecard trick. I have heard a lot about it. but have never been able to master it!" Then in front of the official he produced a pack of cards and said: "I'll show you how I think it is done." In a few minutes serious play was proceeding at the expense of the innocent. In another case a man jumped out of a train at Wolverhampton and complained to a dective that he had been cheated of £2 by two fellowpassengers. The detective seized the men, hut one of them handed two £1 notes to the victim, saying: "Ilere's your money." The man then declined to prosecute as, he said, he had urgent business to attend to. As bona-fida season tieket-holders the card-sharpers cannot ,be challenged. Without the active co-operation of victims the only possible ground of action of the police is that they "interfered with the comfort of a passenger," which is difficult to prove. One of the most despicahle practices of the sharper is to victimise soldiers on furlough and young men on their annual holidays.