Card Sharping

[Guest Reddles]

Hi All,

One of my relatives died as a result of the hexthorpe rail crash in 1887, during my research I discovered that he was travelling from Sheffield to Doncaster to speak at his son's trial. His son had been convicted of 'card sharping' at Doncaster races. The Sheffield Star reported that an officer proved that he "was involved in a 3 card trick and that he saw money pass" He was sentenced to 21 days imprisonment as "The magistrates intended if possible to supress the constant praying on the public by trickery in cards and other games" He was later granted a reprieve from the Home Secretary following representations made by the Vicar of Sheffield due to his fathers death.

Can anyone explain what a 3 card trick would have been then? Similar to todays 'magic tricks' ? Was gambling in the street with cards common?

Would this indicate my relative was a hardened criminal, cheat and vagabond or 'just a bit of a lad'?

Apologies to admin if this is in the wrong place!

Many Thanks

[SteveHB]

I have always known it as Find the lady, link to wikipedia

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[vox]

Hi All,

One of my relatives died as a result of the hexthorpe rail crash in 1887, during my research I discovered that he was travelling from Sheffield to Doncaster to speak at his son's trial. His son had been convicted of 'card sharping' at Doncaster races. The Sheffield Star reported that an officer proved that he "was involved in a 3 card trick and that he saw money pass" He was sentenced to 21 days imprisonment as "The magistrates intended if possible to supress the constant praying on the public by trickery in cards and other games" He was later granted a reprieve from the Home Secretary following representations made by the Vicar of Sheffield due to his fathers death.

Can anyone explain what a 3 card trick would have been then? Similar to todays 'magic tricks' ? Was gambling in the street with cards common?

Would this indicate my relative was a hardened criminal, cheat and vagabond or 'just a bit of a lad'?

Apologies to admin if this is in the wrong place!

Many Thanks

They still work this con in some holiday resorts abroad. I've seen it done a few times

Below is a short extract from Wikipedia article

Three-card Monte, also known as the Three-card marney, Three-card trick, Three-Way, Three-card shuffle, Menage-a-card, Triplets, Follow the lady, Les Trois Perdants, Find the lady, or Follow the Bee is a confidence game in which the victim, or mark, is tricked into betting a sum of money, on the assumption that they can find the money card among three face-down playing cards.

In its full form, Three-card Monte is an example of a classic short con in which a shill pretends to conspire with the mark to cheat the dealer, while in fact conspiring with the dealer to cheat the mark.

This confidence trick was already in use by the turn of the 15th century,[1] having a great deal in common with the shell game; they are the same except that cards are used instead of "shells"

[vox]

Too late again

[vox]

The way they're doing it in the video seems a lot more complicated than what I've seen.

[Guest Reddles]

Ohhhh, so he was probably a hustler or a conman. According to the Star he 'indignantly denied the charge"!

Perhaps not a moment of glory for the family particularly since it ended in tragedy!

Thank you guys, as always an outstanding information source.

[DaveH]

The way they're doing it in the video seems a lot more complicated than what I've seen.

OK, so which of these 3 upturned plastic cups that I have just shuffled around contains the hidden £10 note?

Psssst, - hey vox, its under the left hand one , don't tell him I told you.