Rensselaer Union, Volume 7, Number 7, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 5 November 1874 — Among the Monte-Men. [ARTICLE]

Among the Monte-Men.

We are gliding through the canyon of the Truckee River, at night, nine out of ten of the passengers are doling, when suddenly the door opens, and in with the cola night comes the queerest specimen of humanity I ever saw. One side of the slouched hat is pinned up, and by the lamplight discloses a face that is young and not unhandsome, a pair of honest blue eyes and a good forehead. The beard is unshorn, however, the hair unkempt, and every lineament of the countenance betrays unmistakable verdancy. It requires no particular knowledge of character to decide that the fellow is a green Missourian, fresh from the primitive precincts of Pike County. One leg of the corduroy pants is stuffed into the top of an old cowhide boot. These, and the woolen shirt, and the dilapidated vest and coat, render his costume decidedly seedy. As if totally oblivious of the situation and surroundings he begins humming in a low, musical voice—

“Away down South in Dixie, Away, away.” Keeping time to his weird song, he waltzes with a light, shuffling step the entire length of the car, and in a twinkling has disappeared. He has molested no one, noticed no one, and yet everybody is awake and talking about this strange personage. He had not awakened them by his humming song or shuffling dance so much as by his strange, indescribable tone, manner and conduct. The boy on the front seat is convulsed with laughter, the young miss across the aisle giggles with glee, broad smiles overspread the faces of men and matrons, and the more serious mutter, “ Poor fellow! he is crazy.” They are unconscious of the personage at whom they have been looking as of the, scenery through which they have been gliding. Ah! that good wife would scarcely have aw’akened her drowsy husband to “ look at that fellow,” had she imagined for an. instant that it was the “terrible glim Jim,” chief of the monte sharps. In a little time he returns, and with the same abstracted air proceeds to walk through the car. Impelled by curiosity, several of us follow him into the smoking-car. He is surrounded by a group of laughing fellow’s who are listening to his story. At Truckee, he said, a lady had stepped up to the ticket office to buy her ticket, and found that her purse was missing, JSte had asked him for forty dollars, and promised- to pay when she got aboard the train. He let her have the money, and now had gone “clean through” the cars without finding her. He told the story in such a droll manner that everybody laughed, even w’hile they pitied the poor fellow’s loss. He seemed to care but little, however, for he drew from his pocket a large leathern bag, fully eighteen inches in length, that was half full of shining gold pieces. He told how he had been swindled out of some of his money by the fellows called “monte sharps,” and proceeded to illustrate the manner in which they fooled him. Believing that he had thoroughly learned the game from the rascals, he offered to bet that no one could tell the ace of diamonds, and in less than five minutes he lost S4OO to well-dressed gentlemen who stood around. His hands moved so awkwardly that a child could pick out the right card.. - _ - -

No man ever saw SIB,OOO placed con veniently within his grasp who was not tempted to covet the lucre. So it was with the black-visaged man who sprang eagerly from his seat as soon as the greenhorn began losing his money. Of all the men in the car this man was the most perfect villain if God’s handwriting in his countenance was not wholly unintelligible. Carried away with the one idea of stealing the Missourian’s money this fellow planked down his cash, his watch, his gold chain and —lost! All this occupied not over ten minutes, including the waltz, the game and the winning. Just as the fellow turned the wrong card a low whistle from the further end of the car announced the coming of the conductor. Quicker than “scat” the cards disappeared, the * cappers and all hands dropped into their seats. Slim Jim drew his hat down over his eyes, and the victim, after glaring fiercely around for a moment, settled back into his seat in moody silence. The conductor entered ami passed slowly through the car, but not a single hint did he obtain of the fact that a game had been going on. Hardly had he left the car before the villainous-looking victim demanded another chance to bet. From another pocket he had drawn twenty dollars, his last cent, and eagerly asked for “ a sight.” Coolly disregarding his importunities, Slim Jim said, “No, sir, I don*t want to break you.” In another minute he had disappeared thrbugh the door, dancing and humming “Away, away.” A quarter of an hour later we found Slim Jim and his best capper, Mr. McClellan, seated in the forward passenger coach operating on an old Oregon farmer. The man conscientiously believed that Slim Jim was a half-witted fellow, who had in some way. become possessed of SIB,OOO. He further believed the poor fellow had been fleeced by the monte sharps, and was bunglingly attempting to imitate the game. He saw’ the capper win three or four hundred dollars, and had even turned the card once or twice that won a hundred dollars. At last Slim Jim refused to let the capper bet any more because he was too lucky, and the latter slipped $l5O into the olff man’s hand, which he bet, won, and instantly returned to the capper. After this he was too honest to bet. “ I know’ I could win your money, young man, but I will not burden my conscience with such a crime.” Once he -took out hik pocketbook and showed a check for a thousand dollars and several gold coins, yet he would not bet a dollar. He was going back to visit his old home after many years of absence, and his family sat near him. Perhaps the pure, upturned face of his sleeping little girl, or perhaps the trusting look of his dear old wife, helped to restrain him: but, at all events, his conscience would not let him rob a halfwitted fool, and thereby, all unawares, he saved a cool thousand. I believe the man’s sterling integrity touched the monte men's hearts, ,ior they made no further effort to play until they reached Reno.

Here we met the western-bound passenger, and I had an excellent opportunity of watching the entire “ working-up” process. Slim'Jim and his three cappers appeared to be total strangers. They never met, spoke, or even looked at each other. Strolling leisurely through the train, each “ spotted” his man that inhis . opinion was most “gullible,” and sat down by hint. The cappers are genial, pleasant, whole-souled fellows, who win your confidence in five minutes’ chat, and by the time the conductor has gathered up the tickets Slim Jim comes along, and you are easily led to try your luck at

what appears to be a dead thing. The most skeptical Californian “ will believe ! his own eyes,” and herein lies the beauty ■of the game. At one time I sat with my eyes not twenty inches from Slim Jim’s hands, and 1 could not possibly detect him in the act of cheating at cards. Sometimes the corner of the winning card would be crumpled up so that all could see, and with a single movement, while you were intensely watching the corner would be straightened and another card would have the crumpled appearance. A grease spot, a pencil or a drop of ink marked the card no surer, for the soft, delicate fingers would give a quiet little shuffle, and the spot, the mark or the ink would be in the corner as before, but upon the wrong card. Once Slipa Jim seemed, to have discovered the spot, and in his simple, foolish way tore off the corner, spot and all. I watched closer than ever, and when the card lay on his lap just as before, minus the corner, I’d have staked my existence; yet a fellow from Idaho bet a SIOO check, and lost. The deft fingers of the monte chief had concealed the mutilated portion of the winning card and clipped the corner off another. — Cor. Sacramento Record,