Democratic Sentinel, Volume 5, Number 44, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 9 December 1881 — Sharp Roulette and Poker Players. [ARTICLE]

Sharp Roulette and Poker Players.

Tom Ochiltree tells a story of a Jew out west, who bought all the privileges at a country fair, and among othora that of having a roulette table. He had an ingenious mechanism worked by a wire stirrup beneath the table, with which he could with his foot regulate tho revolving wheel so as to make the ball drop in black or red, just as it suited his advantage. He had so much other business that he had to leave -a brother Ismelite in charge of the wheel. As luck would have it, there came along a reckless man just then, who put down about S2OO upon the red, and won. The Jew came running up in great excitement, exclaiming with'an oath to his employe: “Vat for you gif me away so for?” “Don’t hit me! Don’t hit me!" said the man behind the table. “You must excuse me, Isaac, my foot was asleep. ” Another of Ochiltrees stories, that of tho jjoker player with the patent vest, is worth telling. According to Tom, this man cleaned out Texas, including Tom himself and the late Col. Jim Major, well known in Missouri. He bent every crack poker player in the country, and the natives were perplexed. Finally he went away, and Tom began to think over his tricks. He made up his mind that the man had an improved method, and getting on his track, followed him up and won his confidence. Then the poker player confessed that he' wore a. patent vest, lined with delicate mechanism and worked by wires leading to the ,toos; that by dropping a poor card into his sleeve he could work up one to suit the others that he had from the pasteboard arsenal he had next to his shirt. A musical young friend of ours, ■wishing to bespeak his mistress’ attention to the suppliant posture he had taken up at her feet, sang with thrilling effect tins, his earliest exercise: “Dora, me for solace do Timet.