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Show "KING" PATTEN MTESJPING Man Who Made Fortune Speculating Specu-lating in Wheat Turns Preacher. WARNS AMERICAN YOUTH NOT TO PLAY CARDS Yet Believes It Perfectly Proper to Take Chances on Prices of Stable Commodities. By Leased Wire to Tho Tribune. NEW YORK, Aug. 20.-lamc3 A. Patten, the Chicago wheat king, who arrived hero from Europe with a mighty grouch, after three card sharps had tried nearly all the way across tho Atlantic ocean to engage him in a gamo of freeze-out poker, recovered from his pcovo sufficiently after landing to issuo is-suo a warning to tho American youths against tho soductivo evils of poker and sundry games of chance with cards. Mr, Tatten is a deacon in his church, a supporter of tho Evanston, 111., Y. M. C. A. and a financial supporter of several sev-eral charitable institutions in his homo town. cHo admits he speculated, but as forcgambliug on the high seas "Never play cards," said Mr. Patten. "That is, don't play cards for money. It is an evil pastime and one that will lead to degradation and ruin. Men have had their fortunes swept away and have died in disgrace through the fascination of playing cards. Jt, seems to 1110 that insufficient yearning is given to tho youths of tlib laiid against the seductive charms of gambling. gam-bling. Defends Speculation. "Let a boy win and tho fever is up on him. A man may safely speculate in substantial commodities' and win without ha-rm., Stable business men mako fortunes in that way. A man must give something in return for the money ho gets by speculation. Ho must givo much thought to broad and underlying conditions, which cause pricos to go iip and down. Ho must road and travel and loam the conditions condi-tions that make tho laws of supply and demand. "With card playing it is different. The boy or the man who plays cards to win is attempting to get something, for nothing. Ho is not working for' his gain, he is giving nothing for the return ho hopes to get." m The three card sharps who tried to inveigle Mr. Patton into a gamo of cards disappenrod as soon as tho ship touched the docks. Ono of them was identified as a card sharp of international interna-tional renown, known as "Ace-in-thc-Hole" Harry. This man is a crook of deceptive appearance and has long been under surveillance by tho secret service1 bureau. In appearance ho is well groomed, with iron gray hair and a military mustache. Ho drosses in tho hoight of fashion and is well known at Monte Carlo and in certain sections of Paris, London and Vienna. Prince Among Sharpers. In New York " Acc-in-the-Holo " Harry could easily be mistaken at the Plaza or .tho Waldorf-Astoria as a rich broker "or a retired business man. Immaculately Im-maculately attired, speaking English and French faultlessly and distin-guishpTl distin-guishpTl in bearing, ho finds it comparatively com-paratively easy to mislead chance acquaintances. ac-quaintances. Whether " Aco-iu-tho-Holo" Harry and his pale were scared off by the knowledgo that Mr. Patten was a deacon dea-con in the church or whether they wero suddenly -appalled when thoy learned the identity of tho man they wero trying try-ing to dupe, is not known. Sufficient is it to say Mr. Patten has recovered from his grouch, which he brought in duty free, and ho is ready to go back to Evanston and pronch to tho Illinois youths against the evils of gambling, for ho has plenty of time, having given up the wheat pit and tho cotton game. |