Chapter I: Front Matter

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This version of the text cannot represent certain typographical effects. Italics are delimited with the ‘_’ character as _italic_. The location of images are given here as , and merely , where no caption was given. Those for full pages, as well as several full page tables, have been moved to the nearest paragraph break.

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FOOLS OF FORTUNE

OR
GAMBLING AND GAMBLERS,

COMPREHENDING

A HISTORY OF THE VICE IN ANCIENT AND MODERN TIMES, AND IN BOTH
HEMISPHERES; AN EXPOSITION OF ITS ALARMING PREVALENCE AND
DESTRUCTIVE EFFECTS; WITH AN UNRESERVED AND EXHAUSTIVE
DISCLOSURE OF SUCH FRAUDS, TRICKS AND DEVICES
AS ARE PRACTICED BY “PROFESSIONAL”
GAMBLERS, “CONFIDENCE MEN”
AND “BUNKO STEERERS.”

BY

JOHN PHILIP QUINN,

WHO MODESTLY, YET WITH SINCERITY, TENDERS TO THE WORLD WHAT
HE HOPES MAY EXTENUATE HIS TWENTY-FIVE YEARS OF GAMING
AND SYSTEMATIC DECEPTION OF HIS FELLOW-MEN.

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WITH INTRODUCTIONS BY HON. CHARLES P. JOHNSON, EX-GOVERNOR OF MISSOURI,
AND REV. JOHN SNYDER, D. D., OF ST. LOUIS, AND CHAPTERS CONTRIBUTED
BY REVS. PROFESSOR DAVID SWING AND
ROBERT MCINTYRE, OF CHICAGO.

CHICAGO:
G. L. HOWE & CO.
1890.

COPYRIGHTED, 1890,
BY JOHN P. QUINN,
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

W. B. CONKEY, ELECTROTYPED BY
BOOK MANUFACTURER, G. M. D. LIBBY,
CHICAGO. CHICAGO.

TO
HON. CHARLES P. JOHNSON,

EX-GOVERNOR OF MISSOURI, AND AUTHOR OF THE ANTI-GAMBLING
LAWS OF THAT STATE;

THE CITIZEN,

WHO RECOGNIZES, AS A BOUNDEN DUTY, LOYALTY TO THE INTERESTS OF
SOCIETY AND THE STATE;

THE STATESMAN,

WHOSE EXPOSITION OF THE EVILS OF GAMBLING RESULTED IN
A LAW WHICH BRANDS THAT VICE AS A FELONY AND
ITS “PROFESSOR” AS A CRIMINAL.

THE LAWYER,

WHOSE FAME IS GROUNDED EQUALLY IN ABILITY AND
INTEGRITY, ARE THESE PAGES RESPECTFULLY
INSCRIBED BY

THE AUTHOR.