The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1856-05-14
STEAK BOAT LIFE.
PLAYING srnoso GAME With roxEn-pLArrn.

PLAYING STRONG GAME WITH roKEn-PLAYER.
The hero of the story was of a class of
gamblers who followed the river, cs far
back as 1887 as regularly as any steam
boatmen. Whenever seen upon shore
for any great length of time you might
be tolerably sure that race meeting
was on hand, and some kind ofgathering
where pigeons were numerous and pluck
able. The fellow ordinarily wtre q
species of green cutaway sporting coat,
decked with a perfect menagerie of
bronze buttons. We say menagerie
because each particular button was dec
grated with the head or full length of
some beast or bird, and the collection
was about as numerous as is seen in an
ordinary caravan. The cuffs were lar
ger than common, perhaps to enable the
wearer to sleeve card occasionally,
xllils psering out were a couple of hands,
ornamerted with the usual compliment
of long and nimble fingers, which were
constantly playing about as though stock
ing an imaginary deck of the 'docu-
ments' His hat, set jauntingly upon
his head, did not half conceal thick
growth of we'll CREASED hair. His eye,
of cold, restless gray, was shaded with
dropsical looking blue lines, giving abun-
dant evidence of late hours and lamp
light. He carried stiff cane, upon the
end of the crooked handle of which was
an elaborately carved head of a fox with
pink glass eyes. A search warrant would
have discovered in his pockets few dol
lars (mighty few of sure-enough good
money, q smart rcll of Brandon and 9TH
er questionable paper to make the pile
look respectable, couple of decks OF
cards, the backs of which he knew by
heart, and set of thin bles-the tools
or stock in trade ordinarily carried by
gentlemen of his particular Calling
Such is the faint picture of the worthy
we are about to introduce upon the boil
er deck of Que of the old time Mississip-
nj steamboats,. lie had Eeen driven from
the upl er cabin for some 'low flung at
tempt at cheating, as it was termed, and
at once set about looking out for victims
among the steerage passengers, deck
hands, and fremen off duty.
He was not long in making up small
game of poker, nor was he long, by dint
of putting up the cards and other tricks
known to the procession, in transferring
nearly all the odd dimes on the lower
deck into his own pockets. He cut
shufled and dealt to all appearances
fair, and gave extra pokes to the card;
| at times to show that he was above ia
king any advantage; brt at length he
was caught in come trick which al
once proved to the honest steamboatmer
that they had lost their money by foul
means.
The game, as matter of course, was
blocked at once, and demonstration
was Immediately ni4ae that the gambler
should refund or disgorge his ill-gotter
gains. This he fatty refused to do; he
said that he had won the money fair and
on the square. and that he was very
clear of parting with what he had come
honestly by. The luck had been little
in his favor-that was all. They still
persisted. While he still pertinacious
ly refused, manifesting, at the same time
not a little indignation at the idea of be
ing accused of unfair play.
The boat at length stopped to wood
when the men, finding it useless to at
tempt regaining their money by fail
meane, resorted to game which the
gambler undoubtedly thought foul. Hav
ing gained the consent of the engineer
who understood the lark and wished t:
help it, to use the engine while the boa
was wooding, they forthwith proceeded t.
put their plan in execution.
They in the first place tied one end o
a rope around the neck of the wonder
| ing gambler, while the other they mad
fast to the end of the piston rod, allow
ing him only two or three feet slack
They then told the fellow that unless b