Shell Game
James Miner, nicknamed “Umbrella Jim,” was one of the best-known shell game men on the Mississippi River.
He was called “Umbrella Jim” for his habit of beginning his con game under an umbrella, indoors or outdoors, rain or shine. He also utilized a little gimmick of introducing his game with a song, earning him the additional moniker of the “Poet Gambler.” The shell game, also known as Thimblerig, Three Shells, and Pea, is portrayed as a gambling game, but it is nothing more than a fraudulent sleight of hand trick.
The game uses three shells, often thimbles or walnut shells, and a small round ball about the size of a pea. Played on a flat service, the swindler places the pea under one of the shells, then quickly shuffles the shells around. Afterward, he “bets” with his audience to see if anyone can “guess” the correct location of the pea, and if they win, they double their money.
In the meantime, the swindler, using a skillful sleight of hand, has moved the pea, and the gambler rarely, if ever, wins unless, of course, the swindler chooses for him or her to win. In bunko slang, this famous swindle is referred to as a short-con because it is quick and easy to pull off.
Umbrella Jim always began his con game with this little diddy:
A little fun, just now and then,
Is relished by the best of men.
If you have nerve, you may have plenty;
Five draws you ten, and ten draws twenty.
Attention given, I’ll show to you,
How ‘Umbrella’ hides the peek-a-boo.
Select your shell, the one you choose;
If right, you win; if not, you lose;
The game itself is lots of fun,
Jim’s chances, though, are two to one;
And I tell you your chance is slim
To win a prize from Umbrella Jim.
Confidence Game
© Kathy Alexander/Legends of America, updated December 2022.
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