Johnson obeyed. Still the cryptic
hierograph did not appear. The Judge stared at his pupil. "Do you
see," asked his lordship, "a tiny mark on the corner of the card at
the back?"
"Oh, I see it!" says Johnson, with a face beaming with delight and
simplicity.
"That means _the ace of diamonds_" said the Chief--"ace of diamonds,
Mr. Johnson!" And thus, after a while, the cards and their secret
signs were explained to the counsel for the Crown, who, on the
intelligence of the Brighton magistrates, declared that, so far as the
_cards_ were concerned, he must acquit these card-sharping rogues of
all intention to deceive.
In all cases the back of the card showed what was on the face; that
was the simple secret of the whole contrivance, although the Brighton
magistrates could not discover it, as the whole of them combined had
not a hundredth part of the intelligent cuteness of Lord Chief Justice
Jervis.
Two of this gang were standing near me, and I heard one of them say to
the other,--
"Joey, how would you like to play blind hookey with that ---- old
devil?"
"O my G----!" exclaimed Joey.
The prisoners were convicted principally upon the evidence of the Lord
Chief Justice, and sentenced to long terms of imprisonment. My client
Johnny got away. He read about Jervis and this trial in the papers,
and declared he would sooner abandon his profession than be tried by
such an old thief.
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