The Sharper Detected and Exposed

ing the countryman-Table d'h?te-The pellets-A good farce-Deception-The thre

I have just been describing, and, if I may be allowed to draw the comparison, I should say, that the Greek of

he may; but I may venture to say, that, although under no circumstances should I like to be robbed, yet, if I am t

elieve, that the former is not even aware of the existence of the latter. Men of this stamp all resemble each other more or less; most of them are miserable spec

longer sleight of hand, it is a sort of cheating, for which there is no name. The

l after finishing the fifth or si

rink and smoke to any extent, without being affected by it. The con

the scene of his exploits. His victims are drunken labourers, countrymen visiting the capi

in his man?uvres. Their operations require the assistance

f a thousand sim

plice. He calls for a bottle of wine, which he empties at once, and begins talking to his neighbour in a loud voice, so as to attract the attention of the whole company. He puts on an appearance

near, and approach

he joking of his neighbour, and proposes

soon lost. He holds his cards so awkwardly, that it appears as if he had

hted with his triumph, wins ev

ewails his loss, and testifies his anxie

and win as they expected, but the rascal, far from being discouraged, takes from his pocket a handf

anxious to have his share of a booty so easy to acquire. They play again, and again win several games, and this additi

arse sort of sleight of hand. He gains with an air of such stupid simplicity and "gaucherie," that no one has the slightest sus

of his adversaries, retires for want of combatants, and

abulary of Greeks, termed

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bberies conducted American fashion, and particularly in those of the kind specified above, the duped are as guilty as the dupers? Would they not have taken advantage of the poor foolish coun

f the public-houses the hero of this work; but as I have every reason to believe, that most of my readers will never com

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at a shilling a head. In the course of the repast, the Greek, who, by-the-bye, seems a jovial sort of fellow, offers

f gain, than to irritate the men who lose, and from who

me tumblers, and affects to play a jugg

diculously "maladroit," that t

they say, one sees the string

goes on with won

a plate; well, I will make it disappear without your seeing anyt

plate, he knows well enough, that by a particular mot

k he is about to show them, as he does not even require to approach the table to do it. Whilst gi

ound, picks it up, and puts it openly in his pocket, at

e pellet is no longer under the plate. He'll be sure to

fy the mystifier, who, far from declining, bets a large sum, and offers, moreove

eady taken in. They rub their hands in glee with hopes of being revenged, and feel s

. When the plate is raised, beho

er has wo

nd, the cunning fellow had very clever

eagerly offered to

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instance of the adroitn

r public thoroughfare where the Parisian cockneys were likely to be met with, a man was to be seen on his

ay, the seven of hearts, the king

s right hand, the first-mentioned in his le

the order in which the cards were placed. Then turning them over

rts is designate

of spades

ace by

ds for some time, to draw off

them, he asked him

, and followed it closely with their eyes, p

uch annoyed at not being ab

ffered to make a large bet, tha

t, when one amongst them, braver than the rest, a sort

h an oath, "I bet you twenty s

ng over the card pointed out by the countrym

peasant, satisfied with his winnings, retired. The rest of the spectators,

is offers of betting, three or four of them, ta

an was an accomplice, and that the money he had prete

irely changed his tactics. In throwing the cards on the gr

ad of letting fall the king of spades on No. 2, he slipped the card

d of course, when the shuffling was all over, and the card named by

ermined to try and take their revenge, seld

m of cheating; in which case the accomplice, who, from a distance, had watched t

ublic-houses, as the police have interdicted th

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called Thimble-rig. Three thimbles are placed

bewilder the spectators. And, as in the previous trick, the rogue has an accomplice to ai

r loses, for in pushing about the thimbles he artfully manages to mak

y an act of sl

reek of the low gambling-house is, to a certain extent, different from his