The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1876-03-07
BIG GAME OF DRAW.
An Interesting Incident Of Life On the Mississippi
During the War.

An Interesting Incident OF Life On the Mississippi
During the War.
They were, says the New York Sun,
sitting around the table in a Fifteenth
| Ward faro bank that is temporarily
closed through some misunderstanding
with the police, and having tired of
short-cards they fell to telling stories.
"You may have heard this one," said a
square-jawed, frm-faced, gray-whisk-
cred man, "for it was printed briefly at
the time; but / was there:'
sin the latter part of '94 made trip
down the river. There came on board
at Cairo young paymaster who was on
his way to bay a brigade of troops some
where in the nefghborhood. of V Vicksburg
1t was very quiet ON the boat, and on
the first nigut below Cairo the pay
master spent good deal of his time
latter supper walking up and down the
tsaloon. fhere was also walking up
and down the saloon a trim, square,
shouidered man, who seemed TO De sui
i teriDg from the same tedIoushess: and
Ewhen they had met lew times the
stranger smiled little at the paymas-
tier and said:
"'Dull.'
"'D- dull said the paymaster.
"'SuppOse we have q little game OF
draw said the stranger.
/ "'Good idea,' said the paymaster, and
they sat down and went at it.
"Both OF them were playing merely to
pass time, at least the paymaster was,
and the other man seemed to be. They
had it one way and the other tor an hour
or two, playing about So tor top bet,
and neither Of them winning or losing
much, but still getting more and more
Interested. Finally each seemed to- get
a big hand, and they began betting heavy
in the most natural sort of way. The
fire had been smoldering, you see, and
it broke out apparently without their
knowing it. l..
.Neit6er Of them seemed disposed to
Ilay down, and they kept on raising and
Iraising till they were making bets oil two,
three, five hundred dollars, and they got
the pot UP to about seven thousand.
Then the stranger rested his eye on the
lpaymaster tor a moment, and made an
lestimate of the amount OF his pluck and
probable size of his pile, and the re-
suit of his observations seemed to be a
belief that he could bluff him or freeze
him out, for he threw his hand down on
the table, and leaned over and pulled a
bowie knife out OF his boot and drove the
point of it down through the cards into
the table. Then he took big wallet out
of his breast pocket, and counted out
twenty-one tye-hundred dollar notes.
He saw the paymasteTs last bet OF hVe
! hundred, and then hauled revolver on
his hip, pushed the twenty other Dllls
into the pot, and said:
"'I raise you ten thousand dollars.'
"rhe paymaster looked at the gambler
) about two seconds. Then he beckoned
to his colored boy, a bright, young fei-
low who had taken the thing in from Lie
start. and who would have given his
master the wink il be had ever hap
pened to look in his direction, which he
hadn't. But he frightened up when he
= heard the word, and walked right
! straight off tor the paymasters state
/ room. He disappeared moment, and
t then showed up again, backing through
the floor, dragging a trunk alter him;
ana he came down the saloon rolling
that trunk along on its end, just as
handy as though he had smashed bag
t gage on through line all his life. Tue
uaymastcr took u key out oil his Nest
| pocket, threw up the lid of the trunk.
/ and took off sneet Of sole leather that
, seemed to serve as sort oil binder loi
: 1.-THE bundles of bills underneath. III
: took two big packages out OF the end ant
a laid them upon one SIDE OF the tapie
b Then he began taking out the other BUN
f dies and stacking them upon tne table
v
stacking up till he had built blg TIL
D anguIar-shaped pile, like Two palrs .
9 stairs meeting at the top and filed il
= solid underneath.
e "rnen he threw his hand down on tht
q table and pulled bowie kuite out OF his
d boot and spiked it down through til,
e cards, and While the handle was Still
shiyering he handed two bundles int
t the middle OF the table and said: II SCI
!. you ten Thousand dollars"--here h
e braced himself back against the pile ant
e began showing it up the table, continuing
e to talk all the time-"and l raise you
It hundred and seventy-fiye thousand!'
r and then (ne did it SO quick that
II couldn't see when it was done) he hat
r a pistol off of each hip and was restin;
3 an elbow about half way up ON each sid
d of the greenback stairs, both shooter
d covering the gambler, and holding then
+ very straight and steady too.
"Now, the gambler was all older man
j. and of much more experience than til,
a paymaster, and under any sort Of ordi
If nary circumstances he could have han
d died HIM ten to one, and he knew it, ant
d had no thought OF laying down eYel
t. then, and he seemed to revolve the thin
s in his mind for about quarter Of
d minute, and when he had settled wha
e to do he looked up, ready to act, but on,
IL glance at the paymaster made hin
j. change his mind; Tor he could see, shin
d ing through the young mans face, all th
i accumulated, unused grit of years, aht
p a man with half an eye could have seel
that he meant business.
}, "rhe gambler realized that fact. HI
l. pulled his knife out OF the table, stucl
ms pistol into his pocket, and walked
/ off down the saloon, whistling Rosa Lee
e lust as softly and pleasantly as thoug
d ne was going for cigar alter dinner
J. Then the, paymaster booted his knifcan'
e slung his shooters and packed bis trunk
9 putting in along with the rest the thir
n teen thousand odd OF the gambler
Ii money land he didn't take any more draw
! that trip.
II Sand l am told he was so much i'm
n pressed by the revelation to himself 0
It mis- own backbone and nerve that b
y made up his mind there was somethin
d better Tor him TO do Than wasting hi
s time in gambling, and he hasn't handle
u card SINCE"