The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1871-04-17

.Rr4hes-Sam Dlckerson's
Hurley 10 the Rescue-The Columbia
Tiger Chained for q Season.
Correspondence OF the New York Sum-
COLUMBIA, S. c., April 6.
As in Washington, 80 here, I find hat re-
Taxation from the cares of State Is found in the
entlcing game Of poker. Your genuine black
legislator, such as is found only in South Car
olina. can no more abstain from cards than
he can from plumber; and the consequence Is,
that in the interim of his legislative functions,
nearly all that he steals from day to day Is
swallowed up in the straights, iushes and full
hands held by cooler and less aspiring colored
citizens OF the body polite. Recos nizing this
weakness on the part of our colored citizens,
several shrewd and enterprising professionals
have oBened places where nightly gather Co.
lumbia's dusky lawmakers to indulge their
bent, even to the last shihplaster or Hardy
Solomon's latest endorsement.
The South Carolina Legislature plays poker
almost to a man. OF course, In 1t are some
who excel In skill and are successful In pocket;
but the majority have but a poor knowledge
OF the game, and are generally losers.
THE CHAMPION PoKERIs
left Columbia when Jim Rainey went to Con-
press.. Jim was said to have been the most
skilful manipulation of the cards in the Leglsla-
ture when he sat in that body. He could SIT
down with Whipper, Frank Moses, Ben Byas,
and that crowd, and in less than no time clean
out the whole party. There was much sorrow
felt by Finn, who keeps the crack place In Co
lumbia, when Rainey left, for the reason that
he and Rainey nearly always played together
for the benefit Of the bank, and when they sat
down together generally succeeded In making
the bank account heavy. .Ralneys greatest
and strongest hold is in straddling blinds. No
matter how high the latter Is. or how much 1t
costs to get in, if RaineS has the edge, he Is
almost sure to straddle. Sometimes, when he
has put in sl01n the-way OF a straddle, he turns
up ace high, and prefers TO- lose the money
rather than draw; but ofteuer he gets good
hands, and is enabled TO run mp o big pot.
Whipper, Ben Byas, and such men, who do not
ALWAYS have money enough 10 see the straddle,
are frightened Oh, and Jim quietly rakes in the
chips. Rainey had more nerve than any other
colored player around the Statehouse, and
that, of course, helped him out. The negroes
generally were afraid OF him. and, with a few
exceptions. would rise and leave the table
when he called for fifty dollars worth of chips.
HOW UNCLE JOSEPH DOE IT.
There is one player, however, in Columbia
lU6l MID HOWL Gll1 RlN Vi 4ehAoSJ IN sAS 49,
ter Haayed here. On the contrary, Rainey
rather dreaded to encounter him. This is q
white man, who plays very frequently with
the NEGROES. His name is Uncle Joe Crews.
Uncle Joe 10 a giant among the poker players,
not so much because Of his Skill In handling
cards, but on account OF the shreWd, 1ox way
in which he does hls betting. Like All Sin,
"He smiles as he sits at the table,
With a smile that Is childlike and bland"
Uncle Joe's smooth, unruf1ed countenance
remains as placid as an April sun, and fairly
beams With Innocence, .as he throws down his.
stfulls or four Of a kind and m0desty rakes
down the pile. Uncle Joe's forte is in leading.
on the betters. When the cards are dealt and
the pot is made up for the draw, he will per-
:haps draw one card, and'as he picks 1t up just
the slightest shade OF disappointment passes
over his countenanee; The otllsr PLAYERS
notice i, and mentally .ejas9l,!tes Jungle
Iieving Uncle Joe to be out of the game, they.
proceed with the bets. 1t Is Uncle Joe's edge.
The man next him; chips. The next one raises.
it IS. The next $40. The game becomes eA-
citing, while Uncle Joseph looks on quite
s'pensive and childlike." 1t finally comes his
turn. he sees the bet and raises it $780,. Con-
sternation sits upon every colored tcounten-
ance. Whipper turns ashy; his last cent Is IN
the pool, and he holds three queens. He was
certain of winning. URcle Joseph, with a pen
sive smile, looks around the table tor responses
10 his Coup d'6tat. a dead silence ensues, but
finally some darkey who thlnk ne knows
think or two says:
MASS Crews, I blieves you is a blnfin'. I
calls it," and he puts down Hardy
endorsement Of his last pay certificate for $50.
Uncle Joseph's little gray eye wrinkles right
merrily as he lays his four kings on'the table
and says, 'sIf you fellers will bet yer money
you &ust expect to- lose 1t"
TIGHT TINES WITH Il POKER LAYER
Since the adjournment of the Legislature,
poker has rather. fallen of In interest with the
hdbtusS of Finn's. Money Is, scarce, and the
Governors veto Of the legislative approprla-
ton bill knocked spots out OF Inc legislative
calculation. Speaker Moses lost All MS money
on his horse race, and as he failed to make the
State refund 1t to him. %pecuntary lines have
been drawn somewhat close with him.. Spea-
ker Moses doesn't play poker much now, be-
cause he hasn't anything to play with. Inc
other members are much IN the, SAM way.
Their claims have nearly all been sold to the
legislative banker, Mr.. Hardy Solomon, who
positively refuses to add another cent 10 the
obligations, and so distress looks the colored
representation In the face. There are, how
ever. several who have managed to put by O
little money Tor a rainy day, and with such the
game still goes bravely on.
General w. j. Whipper, member of the
dOuSS lIOm SIiAl iSStOhf WV WV
the remarkable young eolored ladies, a sketch
of whom wes-given in IRe;Stn some days ago,
is perhaps the
!, WORST PokER.PLAYER 1NsovfH cARoIIsA
- whi6ber was never known to win "a pottn
his life, He knows nothing whatever Of the
pame. and il is said that he frequently lays down
a flush, being afraid to bet least SOMEBODY
NAV hold three of a kind. He Is guided almost
entirely in his Judgment by what other people
do. For instance. if he n old Uncle Joe
Crews are playing at the same table, and
Uncle Joe stays out, Whipper plays quite reck-
iessly for him: but let Uncle Joe get In the
pool once, and Whlpper wouldn't bet a cent II
he had four kings and an ace. He says:
'sOld Uncle Joe isd debbu Wild his smooln
face: | wouldn't trust him."
Jim Rainey always used 10 go LOT poor
Whi6per. and of course Tor jim to go Tor MIN
was TO clean him out. That was q natural
consequence. The last time that Jim went
for The General he cleaned him out of his nrst
instslment of per diem and m~ileage-s4O0
check given that day to Whipper for his vote
on the Charleston election bill, and a s5oo
order on the treasurer for two months salary
to the Rollin ladies'. ! Whipper swears jim
never made such o strike as that before.
+: Next tu Rainey, and since he lett columbia,
the most successful player here is Ben Byas,
the negro member from Orangeburg. He Is
the homellest colored man in the Legislature,
and. can put up a pack OF cards in the most
ACCOMPLISHED manner. Byas Is q niulatto,
with very thick lips and with reddish, woolly