The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1875-03-16

nuently. ana may readily be mistaken for a
french woman. She is tall and slender. and
her manners are most engaging. Tho dis
tress of the Empress OF Austria. because of
oophla's conduct, is said to be very great.
POKER PLAYERS IN CONGRESS.
SOME OF THE POPULAR REPRESENTATIVE AT
THE CAPITAL AS CARD DEALERs-WooD AND
ADAMS AS THE NOTED POKER CHIEFS.
The Washington correspondent OF the New
York Sun gives the following sketch of the
most celebrated card shutters of that CITY:
But must hurry through. giving only the
most prominent of the gay CHANDELIERS in the
House. 1t has been the custom to connect
the name OF Charley Farwell, of Chicago.
with all gossip about poker, as though he
were King of the game. This is unjust to
Charley, and detrscts from the fame of others
who have a fashion of holding mora aces
IMAM ne. Farwell is good, fair, average
player, is quiet, keeps good watch on bis
antagonists, and lays low Sometimes he
scoops in a big stake, and sometimes he is
pretty badly scooped himself. There is not
poker player in congress that is more
popular with his associates He never lets
his card playing interfere with his duties as
congressman, and / don't believe he ever
played game during a session of the
mouse. But he Is by means the best
player IN congress. There are half dozen
who are his equals or superiors; but he ia
eminent authority on the game and
could have written as reliable a book on
poker as the one recently ialhered by Gem
eral Schenck. And FsrweI wonld MAYER
nave forgotten TO describe the ''straddle."
An omission on the part of Schenck which is
unaccountable. Probably the man in CON-
gress who has lost more money than any
other is Fernando Wood. He has been
playing IN Washington now well nigh
twenty years, and he has been stesdilv los
ing. lie is the same at a poker table as he Is
In the AOuSe-the model of department. He
never takes off his coat nor moults bis dig
nifty. He is the same calnn impassiyf
opaque Individual that is daily seen in the
House. He swears a little occasionally,
but he scarcely unbends for this mn
pose. He also occasionally takes a little
brandy and water, but this needs no IN
bending. His face is perfect mask. II he
holds three aces and a pair of kings his face
gives out no indication, and he can bet a
thousand dollars on pair OF mines and no.
body could tell that he was bluffinp- Vet
somehow or other he does not seem to get
along, and the boys get his money. Prob
ably 1ngersoli, ScheDck Allison and Wood
have played together oitener than any four
men Ill congress. They used to meet at
Welcker's, where room was provided, and
where lunch and drinks were served of the
best and i'll the best style. What induce
ment was there TO go home? A nice, warm
IRE, pleasant company, cigars TO smoke,
EVERY THING TO EAT AND DRINK
and the possibility Of making Several hum
dred dollars; and, indeed, the possibility of
losing it-but that is another matter. Geo.
III. Adams, of KY. plays a very strong game
of cards, having been at it number of
years. All Kentuckians speak highly of
Adams's talent. Being bachelor he is also
an all-night player. he drinks well. tells a
good story and bets his hands for all they
are worth. Speaking of Ksntuckians re-
minds me Of Boyd Winchester, an ex MEM
Der from that state. He used to be an in
veterate gambler. He would play all
day end all night, and for two or three
days running. He could always be de-
pended upon. When the boys wanted to
get up little game they knew they had
only TO lind Winchester to make up the
hand. He would leave committee meet
ing or a session of the House to take hand
at draw; and he was fearless player. I'm
less his opponents understood his manner of
playing he was likely to pocket good deal
OF their money. 1t was recently shown by
the ways and means committee that at about
the time of the passing of the Pacific Mail
subsidy, Winchester deposited with the
sergeant-at-afIns a thousand dollars and by
some it YVES thought that he had received
the money from the corruption fund. So he
was summoned here from Kentucky
to give his evidence. He acknowl-
edged to having deposited the money, but
be said he voted against the bill and did not
get dollar from the company. He finally
that he made the money at
the gaming table, and being pressed some
what gave the committee quietly TO under
stand that one of its members could bear
testimony to the fact. He ailuded to Fer
nando Wood, and that gentleman subse-
quentlv said he was personally cogniZant of
the facts. Winchester also told some of the
of the committee that if they
wanted still further evidence. he would
summon General Schenck, from the Ameri-
can Legation in London. The committee
very cheerfully discharged the witness be-
fore he could tell any more. Schenck had
been chairman of that committee, and they
did not want to further injure its good name.
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