Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1876-05-04
Sflistellaueuns &eadiug,
A PASSION FOR PLAY LEADING TO RUIN.

A gambling house on Marietta street, At
lanta, Georgia, was, on the night of the 18th
of October, 1856, the scene of tragedy, the
memory of which remains bright to-day in
the minds of the older inhabitants of the city.
The house was three story double brick, that
contained spacious parlors, brilliantly fur.
nished, and adorned with pictures and articles
of rarest design that more be6tted the man.
sion of merchant prince than hell where
the hopes and happiness of many household
were destroyed night after night.
The proprietor of this establishment was
Colonel Dick Negley, who, from the command
of a Mississippi river steamboat had degene-
rated into blackleg and card sharper on the
very boats that he had formerly commanded.
In this business, however, he made money ;
made it so fast, in fact, that even his extrava-
gances, great as they were-for be was fond
of wine and women-could not keep pace
with the tide of gold that flowed into his cof-
fers. After FIVE years of life of this kind,
Negley opened gambling saloon in New Or
leans, and in two seasons his profits were enor-
NOUS He then moved to Atlanta, and es-
tablished himself on Marietta street.
Every variety of gambling game was dealt
in his house, but the busiest table was always
that allotted to faro, which was situated in the
rear parlor on the ground floor. Here, night
after night, for months, the victims Of the
gaming passion we're lured to their fate. Cot
ton planters, owners of extensive rice planta-
tions, drovers, merchants, clerks and profes.
sional sports mingled here on an equality, and
crowded the gaily lighted rooms, awaiting
with rare patience, their chance to com pete
with the "squarest" game of faro then dealt
in the South. Among the constant visitors
to Negley's was ayoung cotton planter named
Archibald Pckens, who was generally called
"Archey," by the attaches of the house and
the more frequent visitors. Pickens was scarce
ly twenty-four years of age, and was the sole
possessor of an estate that could have realized
at forced sale upward of one million dollars.
The property was located near the Temasseh,
on the Port Royal road, in Southern Georgia.
It was the accumulation of long lifetime of
prosperity enjoyed by the father of young
Archibald, who had died in 1856.
One year after the death of his father, Ar
chibald Pickens married Miss Eva Sanford,
niece of Lieutanant.Go Vance, of
Florida. The union was notdestined to prove
happy one. It was the consummation Of a
wish expressed by the elder Pickens on his
death-bed. He had always been warm
friend of Lieutenant Governor Vance, and
desired nothing so much as that the two fami-
lies should be connected by marriage after his
death. The union would have occurred before
that event had not the Lieutenant Governor
objected on account of the youthfulness of bis
niece.
The young people had been very intimate
in the life time of the elder Pickens, and after
bis decease they continued on the closest of
terms, for they we're betrothed. The mar.
riage took place at the residence of Lieutenant
Governor Vance, in Jacksonville, Florida,
and was attended by the elite of Southern So
ciety. At it's conclusion, the youthful couple
made flying trip to New York city to visit
friends residing there, and then they returned
to the South and took up quarters in the com.
Portable homestead near Temasseh.
Toward the close of the year 1856, Pickens
visited Atlanta, and here he fell in with set
of gentlemen, his equals in wealth and posi-
ton, but vastly his superiors in knowledge of
the world, and more particularly the under
world. In their society he visited Negley's
gambling house. He had never been in a
place of the kind before, and he felt the long
ing for play that comes over all under such
circumstances. Being wealthy he could af-
ford to crafty this passion, and one hour af-
ter he had crossed the threshold of the den he
was actively engaged in playing faro.
This was the first step, and the rest is soon
told. The initial visit was followed by a rep
etition one month afterward, and then was re-
peated so frequently as to excite the notice Of
all who frequented the house. Pickens be-
came wildly infatuated with the play. He
lost heavily, and with bis increasing losses his
temper deserted him. He became sot, and
large sums of his money were won from him
while he was really unable, by reason of his
indulgence, to play with any show to win. At
last the end came. In one sitting he lost $780,
900 of money, that represented the last mort
gage on his possessions. He was ruined. At
o'clock in the morning he left the house and
sought the nearest hotel, where, at noon, he
was found dead in his room, with pistol ball
lodged in his brain. His remains were held
by the city authorities until Lieutenant Gov
ernor Vance and his widowed niece, with their
friends, could arrive. He was buried in the
public cemetery.
Two nights after this carriage drove to
the door of the gambling house, and the
coachman alighting, pulled the bell and in.
formed the servant within that lady in the
vehicle desired to speak to Colonel Negley.
The Colonel was notified, and at once came
down stairs. As he neared the carriage, there
was flash in the darkness of the night, a
report, and he fell dead in his tracks,
The coachman drove rapidly away, but was
intercepted at the first street corner by the
police.
When the carriage door was opened, the
light of gas lamp near by revealed within
the pale face of Eva Pickens. In one hand
she held revolver, one chamber Of which
was subsequently found to have been dis
charged. In her other hand she clutched a
bottle of laudanum, which she had drained to
the dregs She was still alive, but died be-
fore reaching the nearest police station. Her
remains were taken in charge of on the fol-
lowing day by her shocked relatives, and
we're laid to rest beside those of her husband,
whose loss she had avenged, but could not
survive.
TRUTH STRANGER THAN FICTION.
The Asheville IN. Co. Pioneer says: A
number of men met at house on North Tow
river, Mitchell county, for the purpose of q
general spree. As usual in such cases, a
quarrel ensued, and in a fight between a
young man named Davis and drunken
companion named Tooley, the former was
stabbed in the abdomen, and portions of his
entrails protruded from the wound. In this