Most collectors know this: The AG with denomination in hatch chips were made across the Ohio river from Newport, KY in Cincinnati, OH.

I ran across the above chips in the USPC records while formatting the file for upload to the Chip Guide. What you read below is a composite of what Jim Linduff, Roy Klein, our "Friend Of The Hobby, and I could find out about the chips.

I've been sitting on the info for well over a year, for 2 reasons. Number 1, I was hoping to find one of the chips before I let the info out. Number 2, I put out a lot of feelers to Northern, KY and Southern, Ohio hoping for more info. I've talked to every old timer I could still find alive, (wasn't many) and contacted several newspapers and libraries without much luck other than what Jim and Roy found. 89 years ago is a long time.

If you are looking for a Club name for the chips, you can stop reading now. We did not find one we felt safe with.

If you are a collector of illegal gambling history you will want to read on. Somewhere along the line Paul Newman got this same info and was inspired to make the movie "The Sting," based on the people that more than likely played with or used the AG with denomination in hatch chips in an unnamed operation.

Take it away gang!

Going through USPC records, Gene Trimble noticed the chips pictured above. Roy Klein and I (Jim Linduff) did some research on Goulet and the Newport, Kentucky connection and found him to be deeply involved in the gambling, booze and extortion scene as early as 1918 and continuing into the 1920’s. While there is no way to connect Goulet to a specific gambling club, and given these chips may have been for home use (we do not have quantities), we can conclude that Goulet had a connection to several clubs in the area, about as close to determining these chips to be Illegals as we are likely to prove.

I disagree with the home use of the chips. From what I read Goulet was a hustler. He did whatever he had to do, to make $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$! The culture in Newport, KY nourished and fed off of "unfettered criminal capitalism,*" bootlegging, gambling, and pro$titution, almost from its beginning in 1795 when river pirates based out of Newport.
* Per Wicked Newport, Barker-Potter-Meglen.

The people of Newport rejected the reformers with their votes many times over the years. The economy was based on the hustlers. When I was a kid all the shops on Monmouth Street were open all night including the butcher shops. The "marks" from Cincinnati bought a lot of T Bone steaks to take back across the river at 5:00AM.

29 March 1918

Covington police: Goulet, a bartender at a Pike Street bar owned by Harry “Chub” Gahan (more about him later) was arrested for shooting a patron at the bar, Thomas Gibbons. Goulet went to trial for the shooting, but was acquitted in May, after asserting he shot in self- defense.

My note: Being born in 1942, 1918 is a little early for me. I can tell you there were many bars on Pike Street in the 1960's and most had some form of gambling, race books, sports books, poker, some random BJ, and craps. Most poker, BJ and craps were cash games, no chips. One exception was the Magnolia Club at 118 Pike Street that had chips. A few doors west was the corner of Pike and Russell streets. On the SE corner was Howard Donnley's Depot Cafe. Howard and Brownie Noel had poker games all through 1950's-70's, all cash games. This game moved 1 block south on Russell St and operated through the 1980's into the 90's. Last time I played there was 1991 while I was home visiting my mother. On the NW corner of Pike and Russell was the train station. On the NE corner there was a business maybe a TV repair or a furniture store, memory is bad. On the 2nd floor was a real nice club in the late 1970's that used chips in a BJ and a crap game. I did play there a couple times but do not remember the chips. It had ties to the Magnolia Club owner. Entry was by invitation.

And now : "The sting."

12 April 1919

Goulet was indicted in a race book scam that involved convincing a mark that a “past post” of a race could be conducted. The mark, a retired Kentucky contractor, lost $25,000 in the deal and because some of the transactions crossed state lines, a Federal Court ruled on the case. Albert Goulet was acquitted for “lack of evidence”. Roy Klein found findings by the court on appeal. His files are attached to the eMail.

A summary of the conviction is below.

My note: Frederick Gondorf alias Fred Graham is being tried under the name Fred B Grant. How is that for a federal trial?

12 April 1921

Goulet was shot in the arm by an unknown assailant. No details of the incident survive.

3 February 1921

Chub Gahan, a fired Covington Detective and the owner of the bar on Pike Street where Goulet shot a patron, leased The Cedars, a resort on Madison Pike. Goulet was a bartender there. The resort became a favorite place for race track patrons and although prohibition was in place, it was not enforced and The Cedars became notorious for all night parties catching the eye of the local law boys.

12 December 1921

The Cedars burned to the ground in the early morning hours. Arson was suspected, but never proved.

My note: The Cedars was a new name to me. I have been meaning to look into it but have not as yet. 92 years is a long time. I don't remember anything out Madison Pike I could call a "resort." The "Log Cabin" was out there but I would not call it a "resort." They had poker games as late as 1965.

All of this is what remains of a life “in the game” for Goulet. The chip order in 1924 fits the timeframe and his life style. Whether ordered for a joint or for home use we will never know, but we have attributed for less. Call it what you think best.

What follows is the findings from the trial. It is dry reading but tells us the plot of what would become the movie, "The Sting."

Here’s some stuff to add to the Goulet file:

Albert Millard “Jake” Goulet
Born Sept.18th 1884 Kentucky
Died Feb.19th 1943 Cincinnati, Ohio (resided at 313 York in Newport at time of death).

313 York would have been halfway between the Yorkshire and 633 (Flamingo) across from each other and the old Sportsman Club that Screw Andrews had Chin and Frankie Boy burn for the insurance. The new Sportsman rose from the ashes like a Phoenix.

20feb1943:

Appears to have been a suicide.

My note: Shades of Screw Andrews going out a hospital window. I wonder what ever makes these guys think they can fly?

Leave it to our "Friend Of The Hobby" to top off this story.

When I saw in the info you sent that Goulet was involved in a “past post” con it reminded me of the movie “The Sting.” While reading the article I noticed that one of the guys involved in the scam was named Frederick Gondorf and I wondered: where have I heard that name before?

Then I remembered that Paul Newman’s character in “The Sting” was named Harry Gondorf and I thought: what a weird coincidence. Turns out it was no coincidence at all. Apparently the guy who wrote the screenplay for “The Sting” named Newman’s character Harry Gondorf after Frederick Gondorf and his brother Charley. The past post con in the movie was inspired by the method the Gondorf’s had perfected over several years of fleecing suckers in New York City using fake pool rooms, fake Western Union employees and fake police raids (the Gondorf’s even used the line: “I said place--not win!”).

Another article on the con in Kentucky from the Washington Post—16april1919:

I know you’ve mentioned Screw Andrews on the chipboard before but I wasn’t familiar with the details of his death--there are some similarities with Goulet. The reason I said that it appeared to be a suicide was because the coroner had stated that Goulet had been “ill” prior to his death which I assumed meant that he’d killed himself (mental or terminal physical illness).

I was going to check what the coroner’s “official” verdict was on the cause of death but oddly enough Goulet doesn’t have a death certificate in Ohio (his death doesn’t show-up in Kentucky either). It’d be interesting to know if people thought there was foul play in Goulet’s death in the way people think there was with Andrews. Both guys ill prior to offing themselves by jumping out of a high building.....or thrown off.

My story about Screw.

I don't know about Goulet but I can tell you no one I knew thinks Screw went out that hospital window on his own.

I can't say Screw was a friend. I am not sure he had "friends." I knew him and he was always OK with me. There is a picture of him kicking a reporter in the a*ss outside of Glenn Schmidt's that says a lot about him.

When Screw went on a federally paid vacation to Terra Haute, IN. in the 1960's, he turned over the Sportsman Club to 2 friends from St Louis and me, to operate a bingo. Only rule was his family got to play free bingo. You wouldn't believe how many Andrews there was.

His nephew Frank "Chin" Conforti was a friend of mine until his death. Rest easy "Friend." Chin started his career in gambling at the Arrowhead Inn in Branch Hill, OH as a box man/dealer circa 1936 and worked Caesars Palace and the Caribbean for many years after Newport closed. He liked to tell the story about him and Frankie Boy burning the old Sportsman Club. The fire bomb went off early and him and Frankie Boy barley made it out with only singed hair and eyebrows.

Chin might have been the only person I knew that could have known Albert Goulet. Chin passed about 5 years prior to this research. His input on my Arrowhead Inn articles was invaluable.

Mickey, Chin's daughter a retired school principal in Las Vegas is still my friend. Chin made many visits to Las Vegas to visit Mickey. We always got together. Mickey and my ex brother in law (no rest easy for him) were an item in the 1960's during my involvement in The Sportsman Club bingo.

Sammy A was Screws "get the job done guy," We were friends. Rest easy "Friend." Sammy was transporting one of Screw's race horses to PA once. He got on a bad streak and sold the horse.

Screw's brother Cy was a friend, Rest easy "Friend." Cy was a real hustler. He traveled the east coast taking off bingo's. His partner Bingo Betty won more bingo games than any other person in history. BTW, the larger bingo games at the Sportsman was always won by a "house" player.

Martin Miller operated the gambling at the Merchants Club in Newport pre 1961. We were friends until his death, Rest easy "Friend." Martin started me collecting chips during a poker game in the early 1960's. Martins ex wife Nicky Ball went out a window at the Desert Inn, in Las Vegas and is said to have been the inspiration for the book, Syndicate Wife. I did not know Nicky.

None of the above thought Screw jumped out the window. I personally think Martin knew the truth but I never asked him.

Notes: The Feds raided the Charity Newport bingos in late 1960's. Several operators including Martin Miller got a 1 year paid vacation in the Lexington, KY prison farm for interstate transportation of gambling paraphernalia. Bingo cards.

Roughly the same time the Feds gave Brownie Noel and Howard Donnley the same 1 year at Lexington for paying the Covington KY Chief Of Detectives to protect their poker game. The game stopped for that year then proceeded to run into the 1990's. My wife's picture made the front page of the Cincinnati Post during this trial. They said she was a Connie Stevens look alike. Geeez, as if she wasn't already hard enough to live with. I served 40 years with her before I got parole.

Lots of reading. After all of that, the AG with denomination in hatch chips are still out there.

I WANT ONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I will not say "Cough It Up" if you have a trader. To date I have not found any one that has one.