Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1878-07-25
AN ANCIENT HIGH-ROLLER.
How Al wescOtt Broke n Faro
Bank with a DOllars

HSM III JlO SdlHDAluS lluSs mls
Lawrence said there was not, SO far
as he knew; that all the gambling
houses were running whose propri-
etoTs wanted them to run, but that
the play was very light. "It's
funny" he remarked, "to see a lot
Of snoozers chasing a few white
checks all over the table in this
sweltering weather, and to compare
their play with what we used to
see."
81 suppose you have seen some
pretty high play, Mr.. Lawrence"
said our reporter.
"Well, l should say So" replied
Don. GIVE seen as big play as
anybody, and have been there my
self, but | don'tknow that anybody
ever got the best of a faro bank in
the long rum"
The reporter remarked that he
had often heard of enormous win
nings by gamblers on little or no
capital, and asked him what was
the largest winning he had ever
seen made on a few dollars.
"Well," replied the veteran
sport, "about the biggest winning |
ever saw made on next to nothing,
as it were, was made by AL. Wescott,
hard listed faro bank player, who
bloomed as a gambler about 1856
and went to decay in 1858. AL.
was a heavy player, when he had
money, and was, suppose, about
the first man to play 'colors' as a
system in Cincinnati. When he
had a pocket full of money, he
played nothing but cases. but
when he was short, be played all
over the table in the most reckless
manner imaginable. Well, along
in the fall of 1858 Wescott landed
here as near broke as a man could
well be. He had 8 beat his way up
from New Orleans, and after get
ting a bite to eat at some of the
sausage shops on Rat Row, had
| Just dollar bill left-a dollar bill
on the Bank Of Louisiana, and a
tattered and torn remnant it was,
assure you. Late at night he saun-
tered into Tom Karran's gambling
house in Baker street, next to the
old coIored church. The house
was finely fitted up, and Al. pre-
sented rather a unique contrast to
the brilliant surroundings in his
shabby suit, badly-damaged hat,
and unpublished boots. He threw
himself upon velvet-coyered
lounge on entering the room, and
completely ignored the blank looks
of the black waiter, fell asleep and
mapped for a couple of hours
When he awoke the game was
about to close. A high roller from
Chillicothe, named Sargent, had
sifted in eight or ten hundred dol
lars, and had begun to skin out
his roll under the layout "a sure
indication to the dealer that he was
nearly broke. The dealer, a swar,
thy, repulsive-looking chap they
called 'penobscot Dan,' was get.
ting very sleepy, and yawning Z
good deal, with an intimation now
and then that the bank would have
to close pretty soon, when Wescot
lounged up to the table and tossing
his Louisiana dollar across the ta
BILE, asked for u 'short stack ot
whites Penobscot, in his surlies
tones, said, 'Well, we won't have
much trouble with you, thank God,
and threw him two white checks
They were playing whites at tel
dollars a stack fhen, The twC
checks happened to fall on the foul
spot on the layout, which was O.
either clubs or spades, and as tn,
soda card had been black, and Q re(
card had just shown, AL Let then
remain where they fell. The fOu
of spades won. AL let the bel
stand and it won again. He nov
seemed to have sort Of present
ment about the card, and de-
termined to let it win through if j
would. 1t did win through, and a
the end of the deal AL had sixteel
good dollars stacked up on the four
The man from Chillicothe hat
made a lucky deal of it, and Oh,
Penobscot wasn't half as anxious t
close as he had been before. A
never touched his bet, but let
r stand on the four. The first turl
out of the box was nine, four, an
Pen0bGcOt, with an ugly grunt
sized up to the stack, which mad
the pile $50. Wescott made n,
movement to reduce the bet, an
the irritated dealer said; Here
Mr.. Wescott, we can only give 20
+ a limit of twenty-five open; yot
must take down! 'All right re
G piled Wescott; if that's the kin
{ of gambler you've got to be, X
5 take down, but I was going to Sc
e il with all your shutting yon coul
' prevent that four from winnin
/ through again Just then Tor
/. Karran, one of the proprietor
e happened TO drop in and overhes