[Ads-l] three card monte (UNCLASSIFIED)

[ADSGarson O'Toole]

Excellent citations, Bill. The citations below do not antedate the
term "three card monte" but they may illuminate related terms.

In December 1850 an article in "The Newport Mercury" called the
game/scam "French monte". California lawmakers referred to the game as
both "French Monte" and "Three Card Game" sometime between January and
May 1851. In May 1851 "The Merchants' Magazine" called the game
"French monte", I believe.

Date: 1850 December 28
Newspaper Location: Newport, Rhode Island
Newspaper: Newport Mercury
Article: The Result Of Gaming
Quote Page 2, Column 5
Database: GenealogyBank

[Begin excerpt]
THE RESULT OF GAMING.---Thimble
riggers and dealers in the game of French
monte are to be met with at the corners of
nearly every street--they throng the side-
walks, crowd the levee, and surround the
horse-markets. It is astonishing that men
are to be found who are credulous enough
to "buck' at these games, as the better
stands no chance of beating his opponent.
When he succeeds in winning, it is at the
option of the dealer for him to do so, and
only to induce him to larger bets as well as
to give a show of fairness to the game.
[End excerpt]


Year: 1951
Book: The Statutes of California Passed at the Second Session of the Legislature
Book subtitle: Begun on the Sixth Day of January, 1851, and Ended on
the First Day of May, 1851, at the City of Sam Jose
Quote Page 166
Printer: Eugene Casserly, State Printer
Database: Google Books Full View
https://books.google.com/books?id=jKM3AAAAIAAJ&q=Monte#v=snippet&

[Begin excerpt]
License not to extend to certain games.

4. No license issued under the provisions of this Act shall be so
construed as to allow the playing of the game known as "French Monte"
or "Three Card Game," or the game known as "Loop" or "String
Game," or the game known as "Thimbles," or the game known as
"Lottery," which are hereby expressly prohibited under the penalty
mentioned in the first section of this Act.
[End excerpt]


Date: 1851 May
Periodical: The Merchants' Magazine and Commercial Review
Volume: 24
Article: Commercial Cities and Towns of the United States. The City of
San Francisco, California
Start Page 540, Quote Page 543
Published at 142 Fulton-Street, New York
Database: Google Books Full View
https://books.google.com/books?id=03w4AQAAMAAJ&q=monte#v=snippet&

[Begin excerpt]
The dealer of French monte, with his table placed in front of some
cigar divan, assures the passers-by that he "will bet a hundred
dollars that no gentleman can pick up the ace of spades," while the
thimble-rigger ventures to hint that he will risk the like amount upon
an anxious search for the "little joker."
[End excerpt]

Garson

On Wed, Apr 8, 2015 at 4:53 PM, Mullins, Bill CIV (US)
<william.d.mullins18.civ at mail.mil> wrote:
> ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       "Mullins, Bill CIV (US)" <william.d.mullins18.civ at MAIL.MIL>
> Subject:      Re: three card monte (UNCLASSIFIED)
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Classification: UNCLASSIFIED
> Caveats: NONE
>
> _Spirit of the Times_ 26 Apr 1851 p 114 [American periodicals]
>
> "Those who prefer the keener excitement of gambling can have their choice, =
> from "three card monte," to any game of chance or skill at cards, or otherw=
> ise, they may select."
>
>
>> The OED has an 1854 cite for "Three card monte", taken from a quote in
>> an 1=3D
>> 863 work.
>>=20
>>=20
>> _New York Times_ 4 Jan 1853 p 6 col 6
>> "In the Police Court of Boston, Thursday, three young men named
>> Augustus Ro=3D gers, Charles Bennett and Simeon Clough were examined  on
>> a complaint conta=3D ining two counts, charging them with conspiracy to
>> cheat one Catherine Wise=3D  of her money and gold locket, by an unfair
>> game called "three card monte."=3D  "
>>=20
>
>
> Classification: UNCLASSIFIED
> Caveats: NONE
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

------------------------------------------------------------
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