22. The city declared the game which had been played was illegal
When the fleeced miner made it known that he had lost his fortune in a game of three-card monte, the opponents to Smith were outraged. Three-card monte was a game in which playing cards are used in place of the pea in a shell or thimble game. The gambler must pick where the target card lies after several manipulations by the dealer. It was fixed with both palmed cards masking the target card and by getting the gambler intoxicated as the game went on. Reflexes slowed by the effects of alcohol made it more difficult to follow the flying hands of the dealer. As in many hustles, a little bit of winning led to much more losing.
The vigilantes were called to a meeting to be held the following day at which the manner of dealing with Soapy was to be discussed. It wasn’t long before one of Soapy’s minions heard of the meeting and informed his boss. At first Soapy shrugged it off. Then he reconsidered. Always enamored of his own skills at persuading others to do his bidding (which were obviously considerable) he decided to attend the event. Whether he believed he could win over his opponents to his way of thinking is doubtful, since he opted to take a rifle with him.
