The search for Kitty Blonger has heated up recently, and this week she poked her head into some research I was doing on a completely different topic. There were brief sightings in Cripple Creek in 1885 and Durango in 1890. But the prize account takes place in Aspen, Colorado, about a year after Kitty was acquitted of shooting a man in a bordello in Peach Springs, Arizona. And, no surprise, she’s up to some funny business. But in this report from the May 9, 1889 edition of the Aspen Daily Times, the real comedy is the colorful language used to describe the incident.
Uncommon gamblers.
Perhaps nowhere in the United States but in a mining camp could a scene similar to that which transpired in Justice Robert’s court yesterday have been witnessed. The case was that of the People of the State of Colorado on the relation of Michael McCreedy against H. B. Higgenbotham, Edward Talbot, Marcus Cicero Kearse and John Johnson, and the offense charged was “obtaining money from said McCreedy by the use and means of brace faro.”
The testimony showed that the enterprising quartette of defendants were strapped in Aspen. And unlike Micawber proposed to turn something up and not wait their turn on fortune’s wheel. At this crisis in their affairs Kitty Blonger, a woman of hand painted beauty, satanic morals, angelic manners and a gift for clairvoyancy was taken into their counsels. She suggested that her friends extract the continuation of the vertebral column from the man eater of Bengal, as the game they determined to attack was popularly referred to. But, Mr. John Bennet having attempted the same game last week, $1,700 worth, and failed, Miss Blonger‘s proposition was poo poohed. Being crossed, the clairvoyant for revenue only, fell into a trance and described a scene in a Tourtelotte park saloon, at which a tall dark man was dealing faro, when two dark men and two light men walked in with a combined bank roll of $12 and a dealer’s box with a cold deck in it. The tall dark man after shuffling his cards and placing them in his box, got up to trim the lamps. While he was acting the part of the wise virgins, the wise men that came in to eat the feast made by the tall dark man slipped their box with the cold deck in it in the place of the dealer’s box. Having trimmed his lamps and put his house in order the tall, dark man returned to the deal. In ten minutes afterwards, the four visitors “cashed in,” took $520 outside of the house and divided it.
The testimony in regard to the manner in which McCreedy’s bank was “busted“ was simply a repetition of what Miss Blonger saw in her trance.
The defendants did not attempt to deny anything. They wouldn’t even gainsay McCreedy‘s assertion in regard to “shifting“ the box with the “cold deck“ in it on him. Not a bit of it. On the contrary, Marcus Cicero Kearse gave a lecture on gambling while on the witness stand that it would do everyone inclined to wager his money on the turn of a card to heed. It was substantially as follows:
“I am a gambler by profession. I chose this method of making a living ten years ago, because I liked it and saw that if a man was going to gamble the only way he could keep it up was to make a profession of it.“
“What did you think when you struck McCreedy‘s Bank?“ asked the district attorney of the witness.
Answer: “I thought I struck an incipient bonanza. The only objection I had to McCreedy‘s bank was that his bank roll wasn’t big enough.“
Assistant District Attorney Warner in his address urged a conviction because the state had proved its case and the defendants had not even taken the trouble to deny it, but the court thought otherwise and discharged the defendants.
Then Assistant District Attorney Johnstone arose to his feet and asked the court to hold a prosecuting witness and defendants, as well, as “common gamblers,“ as required by the statute under the circumstances. Up to this moment, the courtroom, and the two adjoining rooms as well were packed so full of men that though the windows were up the air was suffocating, but Mr. Johnstone‘s words had the magic effect of clearing the room as quickly as if four men had broken out with small pox among them. First, the defendants vanished, followed by McCreedy, then the entire audience made a break and stopped not on the order of their going, but went.
If you’re like me and are scratching your head trying to figure out exactly what happened, you’re in luck. I asked ChatGPT to transform the article into a modern news story, and the results were just as lifeless as the real thing. But I do have a better idea of what went down.
Four Men Accused of Rigging Faro Game Walk Free After Bizarre Courtroom Scene
ASPEN, Colo. — A routine fraud hearing turned into a spectacle Thursday when four men openly admitted to rigging a faro game, only to be released moments later — prompting nearly everyone in the packed courtroom to flee before they could be labeled “common gamblers” under state law.
The case centered on a complaint filed by Michael McCreedy, who accused H.B. Higgenbotham, Edward Talbot, Marcus Cicero Kearse, and John Johnson of cheating him out of money by using a “brace faro” setup — a rigged version of the popular gambling game.
According to testimony, the four defendants were out of money and looking for a quick score. They sought advice from Kitty Blonger, a well‑known local figure described by witnesses as flamboyant, sharp‑tongued, and claiming psychic abilities. Blonger allegedly advised them to target a high‑stakes gambling house, but when her suggestion was dismissed, she entered a “trance” and described a detailed vision of how the men could cheat a faro dealer by swapping in a pre‑arranged “cold deck.”
Witnesses said the method she described matched exactly what happened to McCreedy’s gambling bank.
In a surprising twist, the defendants did not dispute any part of the accusation. One of them, Marcus Kearse, even delivered what amounted to a lecture on the realities of professional gambling.
“I’m a gambler by profession,” Kearse told the court. “If a man’s going to gamble, the only way to keep it up is to make a profession of it.” He added that when he saw McCreedy’s operation, he thought he had found “an incipient bonanza,” though he complained the bankroll “wasn’t big enough.”
Despite the admissions, the judge dismissed the charges, disagreeing with prosecutors who argued the case had been clearly proven.
But the real chaos began moments later, when Assistant District Attorney Johnstone asked the court to formally classify both the defendants and McCreedy as “common gamblers,” a designation required under state law in certain gambling‑related cases.
The reaction was immediate. The four defendants bolted for the door. McCreedy followed. Then the entire audience — which had filled the courtroom and two adjoining rooms — rushed out in a panic, apparently unwilling to risk being legally identified as gamblers themselves.
Within seconds, the courtroom was nearly empty.
Authorities did not pursue the fleeing crowd, and no further charges were filed.