Federal Writers' Project – Life Histories/2015/Fall/Section 020/North Little Rock Thief

Overview
The North Little Rock Thief was an unidentified gambler who operated during the early 20th century. The only record of the North Little Rock Thief is his interview with Walter Rowland of the Federal Writers' Project in 1939.

Early Life
The North Little Rock Thief’s name, birthplace, and birthdate are unknown. He was a caucasian raised by a farmer, presumably in the American South. As a child, the Thief learned to play craps from a dice cheater who his father had banned from the family property. Applying his knowledge of craps, the Thief began earning approximately 200 to 300 dollars per day by gambling with farmers— allowing him to become wealthier than his father. Recognizing the immense effort his father placed into agriculture for minimal gain, the Thief decided that he would avoid a career in farming.

Incidents with Law Enforcement
The North Little Rock Thief continued his gambling career as he grew older, which led to conflict with law enforcement. At the age of seventeen, the Thief earned 900 dollars from a stock dealer. According to the Thief, the stock dealer attempted to steal the earnings— resulting in an altercation that led to the Thief’s brief imprisonment. Upon release, the Thief relocated to the oil fields of the American Southwest. While in the oilfields, the Thief worked craps tables for nearly a year in Arizona and California. Following his time in Arizona and California, the Thief and a partner, Joe, began traveling to smaller gambling establishments throughout the United States. According to the Thief, law enforcement intervened by initiating a car chase near Oklahoma that resulted in Joe’s death. Following the incident, the Thief relocated to North Little Rock.

North Little Rock
Following relocation to North Little Rock, the Thief earned approximately thirty-five dollars per week gambling with high-school students on a street-car. A few months later, the Thief travelled to Camden, Arkansas where he ran a craps table for a local with connections to the Sheriff. Due to expensive wages, seventy dollars per week plus commission, the local craps organizer forced the North Little Rock Thief to quit. Once again moving to North Little Rock, the Thief began steering out of pool halls. Steering is the process where one person convinces another to gamble with someone who they will likely lose to. The steerer then receives a portion of the profit.

Gambling's Popularity and Restrictions
Although craps has existed for centuries, it did not become popular until the conclusion of World War I— a result of soldiers playing the game in the battlefield’s trenches. During the time period following World War I, people utilized the game’s fast pace to generate excitement at parties. Craps also saw an increase in popularity due to its overall level of fairness— dice games limit the advantages of their participants. As a result of craps’ fairness, some began to craft unfair advantages through cheating. Recognizing the concerns associated with gambling, the government increased restrictions on the practice through court rulings. One court ruling defined receiving profit through cheating as fraud. Several cases also declared that retaking money lost in gambling is not considered theft. These court decisions limited craps gambling by removing advantages for gambling organizers.

Prohibition
Legal restrictions for moral purposes were not limited to gambling— alcohol was prohibited in the United States beginning in 1919. The Eighteenth Amendment and Volstead Act were the policies that outlawed the use and sale of alcoholic beverages. Prohibition was upheld and supported by wide-ranging support. In the Seventieth Congress, which operated in the late 1920s, prohibition received bipartisan support in both the House of Representatives and the Senate. In the House of Representatives, seventy-one percent of Democrats and seventy-two percent of Republicans favored restrictions on alcohol. In the Senate, seventy percent of Democrats and seventy-six percent of Republicans favored restrictions on alcohol. Despite the government’s support of prohibition, many undermined the government's authority. By 1924, an estimated 20,000 saloons were operating in Chicago. The North Little Rock Thief discusses this in his assessment of gambling policy by stating that increasing limitations on a practice will not end the practice; however, increased limitations will only force the practice "underground".