Red Centaury. _Chironia centaureum._
Dedicated to _St. Paul_.
~June 8.~
_St. Medard_, Bp. 6th Cent. _St. Gildard_, or _Godard_, Bp. A. D. 511.
_St. Maximinus_, 1st Cent. _St. William_, Abp. of York, A. D. 1154.
_St. Clou_, or _Clodulphus_, Bp. A. D. 696. _St. Syra_, 7th Cent.
_Thimble and Pea._
On the 8th of June, 1825, a publican in the neighbourhood of Whitechapel
was charged at the Public Office, Bow-street, by Mr. John Francis
Panchaud, a foreigner, with having, in conjunction with several other
persons, defrauded him of a 10_l._ note, at Ascot Heath race-course, on
the Thursday preceding. The alleged fraud, or robbery, was effected by
means of an unfair game known among the frequenters of races and fairs
by the name of “the thimble rig,” of which J. Smith, the officer, this
day gave the following description to Mr. Minshull, in order that the
worthy magistrate might perfectly understand the case:--A gang of seven
or eight, or more, set up a table, but they all appear strangers to
each other, and unconnected with the game, except one who conducts it,
and who appears to be the sole proprietor. This master of the ceremonies
has three thimbles, and is provided with a number of peas, or
pepper-corns. He puts one under each thimble, or perhaps only under one
or two, as the case may be. He then offers a bet as to which thimble a
pepper-corn is or is not under, and offers at first such a wager as is
eagerly taken by those round the table, and he loses. He pays the
losings freely, and the other members of this joint-stock company affect
to laugh at him, as what they call a “good flat.” Having thus drawn the
attention, and probably excited the cupidity of a stranger, who appears
to have money, they suffer him to win a stake or two, and get him to
increase his bets. When he seems thoroughly in the humour, the master of
the table lifts a thimble, under which is a pepper-corn, and turning his
head aside to speak to some one, he suffers the corn to roll off; and,
seeming to be unconscious of this, he replaces the thimble, and offers
bets to any amount that there is a corn underneath that particular
thimble. The stranger having seen the corn roll off “with his own eyes,”
as the phrase is, chuckles to himself, and eagerly takes the bet; the
thimble is removed, and behold!--there is a pepper-corn under it still,
the fellow having dexterously slipped another under it when the first
rolled off the table. “So that the plain fact is, sir,” continued Smith,
“that the stranger, fancying he is taking in the master of the table,
cheerfully stakes his money with a dead certainty, as he supposes, of
winning, and he finds that he has been taken in himself.” Smith said, he
had known instances of gentlemen getting from their carriages, and in a
few moments ridding themselves of 20_l._ or 30_l._, or perhaps more, and
going off wondering at their folly, and looking uncommon silly.
It appeared that Mr. Panchaud went up to one of these tables, at which
the defendant and many others were playing, and after winning two or
three times, the trick above described was commenced. The conductor of
the game offered a bet of 5_l._, and Mr. Panchaud having seen the
pepper-corn roll off, took the wager, and put down a 10_l._ note. In a
moment after there was a general hustling, the table was upset, and the
whole party speedily disappeared, together with the 10_l._ note. When
the bet was offered, the defendant, who stood next to him, jogged his
elbow, and said eagerly, “Bet him, bet him; you must win, the ball is
under our feet.” Mr. Panchaud had no doubt, from his whole manner, that
the defendant was concerned with the others in the trick. The case stood
over for further investigation. It is only mentioned here for the
purpose of showing a species of slight of hand continued in our own
times to defraud the unwary.
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