The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1874-01-16
JIM SMELEY,S BETS.

Simon Wheeler, Esq, of Angels Camp,
Calaveras county, California, tells the fol
lowing
There was fellow here by the name
Of Jim Smiley, in the winter of '49-or
may be it was in the spring of So don't
recollect exactly, somehow, though what
makes me think it was the one or the other
is because l remember the big flume wasn't
| finished when he first came to the camp :
but anyway, he was the curiousest man
about always betting on anything that
turned up you ever see, if he could get
anybody to bet on the other side and if
he couldn't he'd change sides.
any way that suited the other man
would suit him, any way so's he got a bet,
he was satisfied. But still he was lucky,
uncommon lucky he almost always come
out winner. He was always ready and
| laying for a change there couldn't be no
solitary thing mentioned but that feller'd
offer to bet on it, and take any side you
please, as 1 was just telling you. If there
was horse-race, you'd find him flush or
you'd find him busted at the end of it if
there was dog-fght, he'd bet on it If
there was cat-hght, he'd bet on it; if there
was chicken-fgbt, he'd bet on it; why,
if there was two birds setting on fence,
he'd bet you which one would fly first or
if there was camp-meeting, he'd be there
regular to bet on Parson Walker, which
he judged to be the best exhorter about
here-and sc he was, too, and good man.
If he ever saw a straddle-bug start to go
anywhere, he would bet you how long it
would take him to get wherever he was
going to, and if you took him up he would
follow that straddle-bug to Mexico but
what he would find out where he was bound
for and how long he was on the road.
Lots of the boys here has seen that smi-
ley, and can tell you about him. Why, it
never made no difference to him-he would
bet on anything-the dangdest feller. Par
son Walkers wife laid very sick once, for
good while, and it seemed as if they
warn't agoin' to save her. But one morn
ing he came in, and Smiley asked how she
was, and he said she was considerably bet
ter-thank the Lord for his infinite mercy
and coming on so smart that, with the
blessing of Providence she'd get we'll yet
and Smiley, before he thought, says =
s'Well, I'll risk two and half that she
don't anyway"
This yer Smiley had a mare-the boys
called her the fifteen minute nag, but that
was only in fun, you know, because of
course she was faster than that-aud he
used to win money on that horse foT all
she was so slow, and always had the asth-
ma, or the distemper, OF the consumption,
or something of that kind. They used to
give her two or three hundred yards start,
and then pass her under way but always
at the flag end of the race she'd get excited
and desperate like, and come cavorting
and straddling up, and scattering her legs
around timber, sometimes in the air, and
sometimes out to the side among the fences,
and kicking up more dust and raising
more racket with her coughing and
sneezing and blowing her nose-and al
ways fetcl. up at the stand jnst about
neck ahead, as near as you could cipher it
down.
And he had little, smart bull pup that
tn look at him you'd d think he want worth
a cent but to set around and look olnery
and lay for a chance to steal something.
Rut as soon as the money was up ON him
he was a different dog his under Jaw'd
heoin to stick out like the fo'castle of
steamboat, and his teeth would uncover
and shine savage like the furnaces And
a dog might tackle him, and bully-rag
!, in, and bite him, and throw him over his