In the Black

Never get into a card game with a guy named Canada Bill. That was a word of caution for folks who traveled the Mississippi in the steamboat era, or who frequented Old West saloons or gambling houses. For Mr. William Jones—Canada Bill—liked to fleece the sheep. He didn’t look the role; Jones was not a sharp dressed man. Instead, he usually wore clothes that were two or three times too big. Another gambler called him “chicken-headed … who, when his countenance was in repose, resembled