SLIPPING THE CUT.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 51, 21 July 1914, Page 8

SLIPPING THE CUT.

CARD 'SHARPERS AT SEA. Aliabi.hy, conversationai powers above tlic ordinary, and something Of a 'Ucau Brummel appearance go towards the* make-up of a successful eard--■!tu rpor who carries on his illicit profession among the travelling public. The l mirth essential is deceptive deftness •j| (-'. it' lingers and that is acquired onlv after many hours of practice. Throe men, all fullv qualified, and one whose iuconi])h'te Rebooting eompeiled him to r'.'.V upon clever marking of a pack, emptied the pockets and saddened the heart,-) of passengers aboard the «t«»mer Kanowim on ho- la-t Ui|> lo .Melbt.unic. as briefly reported by telegraph at the i'me. ■ - The quartette (ravelled iirstefaß, anil the leader, a handsome mail of line' phyfqiie, picked the gang's "marks" as the vessel proceeded down the harbor The strangers soon made friends. 1 on tics were discussed, and once on 1 , side the Heads, a "game" was surestoil Someone wanted solo, and one of the gang was ill favor of bridge. Nap as tinned down, and linally drawpoker was agreed upon. A s,platter '-"I tile cards to Ins liking for «nvllile. He Ivt liiMvi.y an won—but not for ">»£• Hie cut was '-slipped" and four aces certainly -beat four kings. The squatter 10-t. Someone e'se «us anMOUS for a hand, and three other tables were worked, the sharpers bein<» reprc'l' i 11 1 T h - * V < -' ornnifll ' ( -' ill l traveller j who should have known better— fei: into the snare. Fo, lr (|V ie Cns i,, (1 ]nto'!,;!;;: 1

ent T " int ' V i)oumls -"" <?ric ' l '"s oppontort!' gM ' ?il 3l ' C ' V ° U '" Cilme f,le re " "Two pairs," said the sharper as his table ratt,od fiU ' w ( ' ow 'nwards 'on the (rnv,!',/!. the jubilant •V.I t f mkod i« the money. 1 ve got four queens." riien it. was the sharper's turn.''Wait of kings/'" tW ° I>airK ' but the y aK His "opponent flung the cards away "i 'l'sgust and strode off. And so the game proceeded with im-ov, 1 • f '?r f iV ml ' l 'l s 111 'he second-class mssenw.-' <'v!-r n v S trS m "f "T " ,>lnyer wll ° fnew <IV tn-l, of I,°k«.. r . He let .but vait- <• A deal f 1 oi" H„. ] )ottom ft] awJ Uo \r c *< )0 lli " "ttuntion, and aI, ost simultaneously. ],i 3 ( , uitl . ; on

aml °w th - e hn ß i„e M . n - -w ; nt q ' e 1 !iilltion ' ,"' w " Ut '"t round like wild-fire and "™" "" V.'illiamstowiT'amf'nol' 1111^ "ashed to kZ"' J P " hn o!l,et ' rs I'oardt •■< Kanowna from a. launch. The r<^: :J vr 'I' 0 " X ' not want to court publicity.' Two "■lhSm ]mt " i!,p ■viiintered down the Iw a cii'lrnl 1i 1 an r! ua .Y smokiii" V pro"'; . " J to himself] | r «-«w not b,- foluld , and luui api r v ;l uss j r ,e str w™ to ."""•""e tup, but were lucky ' u, "y did- y th^ame"'.if I™, 01 ;' f^ m " in •■rations has eh'iiiired' fr "" ii° ne ° f 0p " rr IH'HS O r ' • IV looseis an old lit 1 an'l ■ th e «'t' : , l( IO P onc-iv. L tim\TZunP' r Tv l:td * miy -M. f S'u'tter !l ? tnnSC P ack -»» al'oard a train, and a "lattle wn,■! ,••• usually lives fom'fnrtal)]y , Wl '° 'T* " YaiU -< 1 t,l( - tunes ( in' »i °" ■ onil 'dable f or . uni um- jn po/nt is the miln>f toot" w " hvn told at thv ^ o(l,ce. A well-know,, train nlav er. whom the New South Wales iloliee 10111" ed out of the country, worked Ills »<iv to Auier.ea. and was soon on liis At hi'tic i'in'/ 1 /'''""'."S a " l 'onnt. Tho ti< liners brought him «o nin-h money that he paid hi-, outstanding Austra ,a„ debts, which were coSe^ I wli >' for ■ 11,111 children. He is „„ w i iv . "ig en tue lat of the land somewhere in I'-ngland, mingling with -ocietv and Posing as a wealt-h, Australian squatter A prominent Sydney (h'tective. wilo at work on America,, boat-,, and has eoinr in contact with hen, ~, ,hat City in his criminal tracl mg- t.novs some interesting sidelight., on t.ie crooks business.

1 l'«Vf seen a lot of il„,„ ilt wol . k; . --.ai.l. 1111(1 am eonvinee.l that the A,iHtiali.au :, ll , iir !"' v >'" .leivivr an,l nun; plaus.hl,. tlian the An:,,;,an „r W li.-n our majiMiicn start t'"' thev W.»rk it lor ail It worth,- ami sehloni fail. \y,. li-nv practically exterminate the tiain Worker. hut lt«- must live, ami ha*. ; slutted Ins profession to the con still ami inter-.statr lioats. A sliarpcr knows his murks, ami lias tin- working ~f v " tu « ''»<■ i'»t. Tin. man who lu>< money, ami win, only thinks lie f' vn '< 1 's Hit' inevitable victim', -* K* m " " f ' M s"W<t<-il. but tlu' Si.iipei sees to it that his opponent is dealt siu'iess,\ ely rielt poker hiui.ls which never fail to Ih-mir fr.»m th,- 1.0M.-r I wish It was poker,' At last the crook

1 agrees to play poker, and then it is that his man begins to pay out. Commercial travellers as a rule fight shy of strangers when cards are suggested, hut one was caught 011 the Kanowna for a goodly sum. "The able sharper generally makes jnoney. There are times, though, when .his is on Ins beam ends. But usually has friends, who are willing to lend him money, simply because he never fails to repay. The card-crook is invariably pleasant company, usually being such a jovial, irresponsible, happy-go-lucky fellow. At business, he is just the same, and who. is the 'mug' who will ever dream that this line chap has his cards cleverly marked, or is using under-hand deftness to take his hard-earned money. But it still goes on in the same old way, and 'mugs' won't be told, and men won't be taught to steer clear of being made 'mugs.' It is not long since that Nemesis overtook one sharper, who made himself popular with a team of footballers on their way to a country centre. He told sibme good .stories of the old Redfern railway station while the train was waiting ;c> move, and casually mentione.d that he was going to where the team was going. lie slipped away to purchase a ticket, and on his return was asked to join the party. He suggested cards, ami five "others played draw-poker pounds SujipmM} uy -iuii[ tpi.u two of tho travellers, and then suddenly a third lopt from his seat and landed a smashing blow 011 the guest's jaw, sending him into oblivion. The man was a sharper, and had been caught dealing with the bottom of the pack. An examination of the pack revealed wholesale. clever markings. Things went hard for the crook, who was ejected at the next station, and allowed to remain there with barely his train fare back to Sydney.