Canada Bill Jones facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
"Canada Bill" Jones
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| Born |
William Jones
c. 1837 |
| Died | October 22, 1877 |
| Burial place | Charles Evans Cemetery, Reading, Pennsylvania |
| Occupation | Riverboat gambler |
| Known for | Three-card monte skills |
William "Canada Bill" Jones (born around 1837, died 1877) was a famous gambler and trickster from England. He was known for being one of the best at a card game called Three-card Monte. People who wrote about him often called him "the greatest of confidence men" and "the best three-card monte player ever." He traveled a lot, playing cards on riverboats in Canada and the United States.
Contents
Life Story of Canada Bill
Early Life and Learning the Game
William Jones was born in a Romanichal tent in Yorkshire, England. From a young age, he started learning card tricks and how to play games. He practiced his skills as he grew into his teenage years.
In 1860, he moved to Canada. There, he became very good at playing Three-card Monte. He traveled with another player named Dick Cady.
Gambling on Riverboats
Later, Canada Bill moved south to the United States. He found great success as a gambler on the riverboats of the Mississippi River. He worked with other famous gamblers like George Devol, Holly Chappell, and Tom Brown. One report said Tom Brown alone earned $240,000 from their games.
After this group split up, Jones and Devol continued to play on the boats. They stopped working together around the time the American Civil War began. Both accused each other of cheating.
A Unique Personality
Many people who knew Canada Bill said he was a kind and generous person. A detective described him as "gentle as a woman" but also "cunning as a fox." He was very good at winning against new players. George Devol once saw Jones give $50 to a Sister of Charity on the street.
Allan Pinkerton, who started the Pinkerton Detective Agency, described Canada Bill's appearance. He said Jones looked like a simple country person. He was tall, about six feet, with dark eyes and hair. His face was smooth, full of lines and wrinkles. He could make many different funny expressions.
Pinkerton also noted his long, loose arms and thin, shaky legs. He walked with a clumsy, shuffling step. His head was often bent forward, turned a little to one side, like a curious owl. He usually wore simple, cheap clothes. This look always made strangers smile or feel curious about him. Pinkerton said that Canada Bill truly was as simple-hearted as he seemed.
Moving Around and Later Years
After the Civil War, Jones moved to Kansas City. He partnered with a player called "Dutch Charlie." They won $200,000 there. Then, they started playing on trains between Omaha, Nebraska and Kansas City, Missouri. However, the Union Pacific Railroad began to stop card players on their trains.
Canada Bill even wrote to the railroad's manager. He offered to pay $10,000 a year to be the only person allowed to play monte on their trains. Other stories say he offered $1,000 a month or $30,000 a year. But the railroad turned down his offers.
In 1874, Jones moved to Chicago. He teamed up with Jimmy Porter and "Colonel" Charlie Starr. He opened and worked in four different gambling houses there. He would win and lose large amounts of money, sometimes as much as $150,000 in a year. He sometimes lost money to other professional gamblers. He then moved to Cleveland with Porter, where he continued to win from his marks but lose to other pros.
Final Days
In 1877, Canada Bill moved to Berks County, Pennsylvania. He became very sick with consumption, which is another name for tuberculosis. He had no money, so he was taken to a charity hospital in Reading, Pennsylvania.
He died there on October 22, 1877, at about 40 years old. He was buried in Reading's Charles Evans Cemetery. The mayor of Reading was later paid back for the funeral by gamblers from Chicago.
Canada Bill in Popular Culture
Canada Bill Jones has appeared in books and movies.
Stories by Karl May
The German writer Karl May wrote two stories about Canada Bill Jones. These were Ein Self-man (1878) and Three carde monte (1879). In these stories, the narrator meets a young Abraham Lincoln. Together, they try to stop "Kanada-Bill." Later, May changed the second story to be part of his book Old Surehand II (1895). He added a made-up reason for Canada Bill's death.
Movie Quotes
In the 1998 poker movie Rounders, the main character is played by Matt Damon. He quotes Canada Bill Jones, saying, "It's immoral to let a sucker keep his money." This quote suggests that it's wrong to let someone who is easily fooled keep their money, implying it's better to take it from them.
American Gods
In Neil Gaiman's book American Gods, the character Mr. Wednesday tells a story about Canada Bill Jones. He calls one of Canada Bill's sayings "the finest line of poetry ever spoken in America." The saying is "it's the only game in town."
