Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1868-12-08
MISCELLANEOUS.
Life in the Golden State.

llS
A California correspondent, who spent a
Sabbath at place called Davisville in the
interior of the State, furnishes the following
graphic description of the gaming which he
Witnessed
The saloon is filled with motley crowd Of
ranchmen, who are singing loud ahd not over |
decent songs around the bar, aud calling tor
. round on round of liquors, each treating All
hands in turn, and throwing down the coin
on the counter with an energy intended to IN
dictate an utter recklessaess of the amount OF
the bid. Outside the door sits. swarthy
Mexican dealing monte, and crowd OF his
-cduntrymen. native Calilornians, domesticatcd
and half civilized Digger Indians, Americans,
and Europeans ARE Watching the game, betting
away the earnings of weeks, perhaps months
or years, with an air of quiet indifference,
refreshing to see. Inside there lisa faro bank
in full blast, the dealers aud most of the patrons
being Americans, and half a dozen tables axe
surrounded by northwestern men engaged in
playing draw-poEer or fifty. cent ante. "Dog
gone my buttons eff this amt my game! |
kin just win every time" says tail, dirty
Pike, as he gathers up handful of coin at
the faro table. y few minutes later he departs
dead broke and exclaming, "Dog gone my
eyes, eff 1 kin win at anything to day I'm
busted, am" The heat and all prevailing
dust appear to have affected the whole popuia-
ton. The fierce, nervous energy of the PEG
pie of San Francisco is not to be seen at all
here. You expect to hear something about
the crops, the price of wheat, land, the best
method of cultivating, stock, &c, &c, from
an exclusively agricultural population, but we
do not hear those sub ects alluded to while we
~ ~. L.. =
one poker playing party see Col. Croc&er, of
the Cal, Whilom correspondent of the Tn
bune for China, and Gross, of the Chronicle
both old Illinoisiaus, by the, by-standing hat
in hand, in reverent silence, Watching the
game. The players drink and swear quietly
aud without ostentaton, and bet their money
as if they did not care whether they won or
lost, merely doing it to pass away the time.
As we stand looking on one of the players
gets strong hand and stands it pat. All the
rest, save one, pass out, and that one draws
to three queens and gets another. No. l
carelessly shoves up FIVE dollars. No. ?, with
four queens in his hand, sees him, and raises
him five dollars. They calltheir hands "1ush"
and "fours, and the man with four queens
lazily rakes down the insignificant sum Of
$3.50. As he does so, Gross, unable to con-
ceal his emotions, groans so audibly that the
pIGSSeu WIN tue luea lHaI NC
has an attack of the cholera morbus, without
waiting to be asked, sets a tumblcr on the
counter, jerks a spoonful of Ext. Jamaica
ginger into it. and asks with emphatic anxiety,
Whisky or brandy, strangcrY As for Crock
er, who knows the game thoroughly, his face
is purple with rage, and he walks out of the
building, ready to burst with Indignation
lie car not speak word, but as he makes
Decline for the cars he swings his hickory
cane whack, nhack, whack, right and left,
against fences, bushes and tall, dust-laden
wseds, until he is cavcloped in cloud such
as can only be raised by a first class tornado
in the West. What could be said in defense
of people who would tolerate in their midst
4 creature in the form of man, who will sit
playing draw poker through the long summer
holy Sabbath day, covered with flies and
sweating like n coa-heaver, and only raise his
opponent five dollars, when he has four queens
in his hand and the other follow stood his
hand pat? Manifestly not single word. l
took my hat and coat, shook the dust of Davis
vile off my feet, and walked silently and sadly
back to tie cars. Not one Of that little party
Of representatives of the press spoke a word
until we reached the steamer and sat down to
dinner as We returned down the Bay of San
Francisco.