Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1878-08-03
A Gamblers Luck.
Cincinnati Commercial.

Clnclnnau commercial.
Don Lawrence, an old-time Gin
cinnati "sport," was in the city
few days ago, and Commercial
reporter happening to meet him
said: 81 suppose you have seer
some pretty high play, Mr.. Law
"WelI, IshouId say SO" replied
Don.
The reporter remarked that ht
had often heard of enormous win.
nings by gamblers on little or nc
capital, and asked him what was
the largest winning he had ever
seen made on a few dollars,
"Well," replied the veteran,
"abOut the biggest winning l ever
saw made on next to nothing, as it
were, was made by AL. Wescott. a
hard-tisted faro bank player. Along
in the fall of 1853 Wescott landed
here as near broke as a man could
well be. He had beat his way up
from New Orleans, and after getting
a bite to eat had Just Il dollar bill
left. Late at night he sauntered
| into Tom Karran's gambling house,
next the old colOred church. The
house was finely fitted up, and Al.
presented rather unique contrast
to the brilliant surroundings in his
shabby suit, badly-damaged hat and
unpublished boots. He threw him
self upon a velvet-covered lounge
on entering the room, and COM
pletely ignoring the black looks Of
the waiter, fell asleep for a couple
of hours.
"When he awoke the game was
about to close. A high roller from
Chillicothe-named Sargent, think
had lost eight or ten hundred dol
lars and was nearly broke. The
dealer, a sWarthy, repulsive-lOoking
chap they called 'PenobscOt Dan,'
was getting very sleepy and yawn-
ing a good deal, with an intimation
now and then that the bank would
nave to close pretty soon, when
WescOtt lounged up to the table
and tossing his Louisiana dollar
across the table, asked for a short
stack of white chips Penobscot,
In his SurlieSt tones, said, well, we
won't have much trouble with you,'
and threw him two white checks
worth fifty cents each. Tney were
playing whites at ten dollars a
stack then. The two checks hap
pened to fall on the four spot. All. |
let them remain where they fell. |
The four of spades won. Al. let the |
bet stand and it won again. He |
now seemed to have a sort of pre- |
sentiment about the card, and de |
termined to let it win through if it |
would. 1t did win through, and at |
the end of the deal Al. had sixteen
good dollars stacked up on the four.
Al. never touched his bet, but let it
stand on the four. The first turn
out of the box was nine, four; and
PenobScOt, with an ugly grunt,
sized up to the stack, which made
the pile thirty-twO dollars. WescOtt
made no movement to reduce the
bet, and the irritated dealer said
Here, Mr.. WescOtt, we can only
give you a limit of twenty-five
you must take down.
I" All right, replied Wescott; 'if
that's the kind of gamblers you've
got to be I'll take down, but l was
going to see if, with all your shut
fling, you could prevent that four
from winning through again.
"Just then Tom Karran, one of
the proprietors, happened to drop
in and Overhear the last remark.
He prided himself on being a terri
bly, game man, ready to gamble
against anybody and for any amount
Of money. Said he:
"'Oh, he wants the four to win
through, does he? Well, let him
go what he wants, you bet Phi not
ask him to take down.
"With these orders the dealer
turned on, and the result was that
the four won through again, and at
the end of the deal WescOtt, who
sat stOlidly looking at his rapidly
increasing pile of chips, had 1886
stacked up on the four.
"'NOW,' said WescOtt to Karran,
you have made your brag about
being game man, PIP just cut the
cards with you for the card nearest
the four for double that bet or quits
'DOnep eXcitedly exclaimed
Karran, and reaching for a fresh
pack of cards cut the six of dia-
mOnds. WescOtt cut, and, you'd
hardly believe it, showed up the
four of clubs.
'For that $5l2, calmly remarked
WeScCtt to Karran, you may give
me some blue checks, Pm tired of
playing these cotton things
"Penobscot was wide awake by
this time hnd looked as if he never
would want to go to sleep again.
WescOtt started in to play with his
blue checks-ten dollars apiece
and in less than two hours had won
out fOrty-six hundred dollars. Kar-
ran and his dealer got reckless and
let him go as much as he wanted to
bet. In nine deals he beat the four
spot thirty-twO times for $75 a crack,
and never lost to it once. He drew
out three or four hundred dollars
every deal, which you may be sure
made the house pretty hot, but he
9lapped the climax along about 4
o'clock in the morning by getting
very sleepy himself, and handing
over five or six hundred dollars for
redemption, saying, with a yawn,
that the game was altogether too
and he thought he would
20 to bed. The money-drawer was
and the bank-FOll res
1uced to its last wrapper, but the
money to redeem the last bundle Of
checks was not forthcoming. The
bank was broke for the night, and
WescOtt had to call for the money
he bank was short the next daV.O