Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1874-04-30

tlemen, this bank is closedr' The
stranger ordered his servant to gather up
the gold, and then scattered handful of
ounces among the crowd, vanished amid
the confusion, by this maneuver escaping
probable blow from cuchlllo in the
alley without.
THAT man is an enigma, " muttered Don
Jaime, with a long-drawn breath. "This
is the third time that l have witnessed
the same thing; each time he broke the
bank, and then vanished, just how nobody
could tell. though | have heard that the
best cuchillo in Mexico has been hunting
for him this past month. No one knows
who he is. where he came from, nor
where he lives. Some even say that he is
the-the DEVIL" And here the supersti-
tious Spaniard devoutly crossed himself,
But let him be what he may, l wish he
would impart his secret to me"
Around the adjoining table the faro
PLAYERS were gathered, where a smooth.
oily. cat-Iike Southerner dealt, huge
bowie with an inch blade sticking in the
table before him. Shutting the cards he
placed them in the silver box, then while
waiting for the players to make their
game he said, tapping the silver hilt of
his bowie:
Gentlemen, you see this? I play on
the square, and | warn you all that the
first man | catch trying to confuse the
stakes will have his hand pinned to the
tablet"
As no remarks followed this blunt state.
ment, one would infer that such trick as
" confusing the stakes" by suddenly shift
ing from a losing card the money staked
thereon was not entirely unknown. We
watched the deal nearly out, when, i'm
probable as it may seem, a seedy-lOoking
" greaser" suddenly shifted his stake. his
quick eye detecting the losing card ere it
was fairly uncovered.
Thud! went the knife swift as the
lightning's flash, true to the eye as Kit
CarsOn's long Harkins," and the greas-
er's hand was pinned to the table! In
stantly all was confusion around the ia
bic, each man instinctively shrinking
back as the glittering blade flashed before
his eyes, while, with single sharp veil
Of pain, the greaser bent low over the
golden-laden table.
His pain must have been intense, for
the broad blade had penetrated through
the back of his hand, severing one or
more of the bones, fastening the palm
upon the trifing stake he had wished so
much to cover. And yet, as stood at the
end of the table, | distinctly saw the ras-
cal slip his left hand beneath his body and
clutch a handful of the golden ounces
from the pile Of his next neighbOr, then
drop them unperceived down his wide
bootleg! The sharp jingle of the coins
he deadened by another shrek, and a
long-winded volley of all the curses in his
vocabulary, which would have put to the
blush the Oldest bulI-Whacker'' of prai-
rie-freighting days.
The dealer "politely cursed" the greas-
er for few moments, then withdrew his
bowie, wiping it upon the mans blanket,
then calmly reSuming the interrupted
game. The greas9r, swapping up his hand,
stole silently away, no doubt thinking his
wound paid for by his adroit clutch.
| had been watching young man,
casual acquaintance, whom | knew was
Junior partner in a New Orleans firm.
He was playing heavily, and kept calling
for liquor, which the ObseQuiOus walters
promptly supplied. I would have spoken
to him, but Don Jaime restrained me,
pointing to the cooked revolver lying be-
fore the man. And did not care to risk
a shot-certainly an insult-by making
an effort to draw the young man away
from the table
Every deal seemed to go dead against
young Cleveland, and then, when but one
more turn remained in the box, he flung
a large pocket-book upon the table, NUT
tering hoarsely:
It's neck or nothing; if that loses,
then I'll-
He did not finish the sentence, but
leaned forward, watching the turn with
bated breath, pale as a corpse, and then
the tray fell upon the losing side.
Scarcely was the result perceptible
than the room rang with pistol-shot, and
Cleveland sank forward, his head resting
upon the pocket-book, his brains and
blood bespattering all around him.
Silence and death came at the same
breath
Shuddering, heartsick, I left the hell,
nor has my foot ever crossed the thresh-
old Of a gambling hell since that night