Canada Bill Jones

William Jones was born around 1837 in a Romanichal tent in Yorkshire, England. He learned the techniques of card sharping at a young age and honed his skills into his late teens. In 1860, he emigrated to Canada, where he perfected three-card monte while traveling with Dick Cady as a “thrower.”

Heading south to the United States, Jones found success as a Mississippi riverboat gambler, teaming up with George Devol, Holly Chappell, and Tom Brown. The group’s share reportedly totaled $240,000. After they disbanded, Jones and Devol continued working together until the outbreak of the American Civil War, when each accused the other of cheating.

Jones was described as “as gentle as a woman and as cunning as a fox” by a detective. He often played the fool—appearing as a gawky, shuffling simpleton with a squeaky voice and ill-fitting clothes—to lull victims into underestimating him. Allan Pinkerton noted that his ludicrous appearance was key to his success.

After the war, Jones moved to Kansas City, partnering with “Dutch Charlie.” After winning $200,000, they worked trains between Omaha and Kansas City until the Union Pacific Railroad cracked down on three-card monte. Jones famously offered the railroad’s general superintendent $10,000 to $30,000 a year for exclusive rights to run his game, but was rebuffed. In 1874, he moved to Chicago, teaming with Jimmy Porter and “Colonel” Charlie Starr to open four gambling houses.

Despite his earnings, Jones was addicted to faro and routinely lost his profits. He once said it was “immoral” to let suckers keep their money. Fellow gambler George Devol noted that Jones was a kind man who once gave $50 to a nun on the street.

Jones died penniless on October 22, 1877, in Reading, Pennsylvania, and was buried at public expense. Later, fellow gamblers from Chicago raised funds to repay the city and erect a marker for him. He has been called “the greatest of confidence men” and “without doubt the greatest three-card-monte sharp ever to work the boats.”

His story serves as a cautionary tale about the perils of gambling addiction, even for those who master the art of deception.