Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1882-10-26
CAREER OF A DESPERATE

Gambler Hargrores' En0rns. Ms Trimmings
Pidy~rS-On the Field of HOmor-Fight-
ing for Cuba's Free dom-An Eos sst1tl
Life.
Walking slowly up Larimer street yes
terday, says the Denver World, leaning on
the arm of his friend, was Dick Hargraves,
a gambler whose name and reputation has
become w%ell-known to the citizens of Chi
cago, Cincinnati and st. Louis for some
years-a tall, finely formed, elegantly
dressed man, with light blue eyes, and
pale, grave face, on which still may be
seen the remnants of a strongly marked
individuality. Late hours and dissipation
have evidently brought the once elegant
Dick down to a mere wreck of his former
self, and it was plainly to be seen by the
passers-by that his ancient vigor has de-
parted, and despite the invigorating at
mosphere of Colorado his life is nearly
ended. He was accompanied by his friend
Red Jack" who is a person of similar ilk,
but of a more common kind, who support
ed him with all the tenderness of a wo-
man.
Hargraves is an Englishman about for
ty-fve years old, and came to this country
when only sixteen years of age, landing at
New Orleans. He began life as a barkeep-
er and followed the Mississippi river for a
number of years. He soon became skill
full at cards, and was accounted the best
shorthand player that ever sat down to a
table. His first big winning was from a
Louisiana planter named Dupuy, $4,000
coming into his possession by that transac-
ton, and ever after that luck seemed to
come his way. Everything he touched
turned to gold, and at one time he was
reported to be worth over
$%2,OOO,00O. He lived high, sported dia-
monds, was the ~favorite of women, but his
word was as good as his bond, and he was
liked by everybody. A little Spanish wo-
man. the wife of an old New Orleans bank
er named Arroyes, became fascinated with
handsome Dick, and the upshot of the
matter was that the old man challenged
Dick to fight a duel, and was killed for his
pains. Bill Vedal, a brother of Mrs. Ar
reyes. then sent Dick word that he would
kill him on sight. They met at Natchez
Under the Hill, and Bill fell MORALLY
wounded.
This little occurrence seemed to cure
Mrs. Arroyes of her infatuation for Har-
graves, for she idolized her brother, and
when she next met him she plunged a
dagger into his breast, and thinking she
had killed him, took a dose of poison and
joined her husband and brother. Dick re-
covered in time, and during a fire one
night at Mobile, Ala, at the risk of his own
life rescued a little girl from the flames
and afterward married her. She was of
good family and has done a good deal to
sober Dick down; but his is a restless spir-
it that chafes at restraint, and nothing will
still him but death.
When the Cubans revolted against Spain
Dick was one of the first to espouse the
cause of "the gem of the Antilles" and for
two years he fought for Cuban supremacy.
He was captured and confined in Castle
Moro, and sentenced to be shot. The
night before the day set for his execution
he, in company with three Americans and
two Cubans. escaped from their dungeon
by picking the lead from around the end
of a bar of iron that formed one of the
gratings of their cell. The only thing the
men had to work with was the tine of q
steel fork, which was found in the cell.
After their escape they went to Hayti,
and from Pert au Prince went to st. Au-
gustine, Fla, in an open boat. Making
their way to New Orleans, they found
friends, and Dick was soon on his feet
again. He, shortly after his return from
Cuba, married the Mobile young lady
whom he had saved from the fire when she
was a little girl, he having kept track of
her all the time, and after his marriage
removed to Cincinnati, where he has sinced
lived, taking occasional trips TO other
cities for the purpose of practicing his pro-
fessiion-gambling.
Hargraves espoused the Union cause
during the war and fought bravely, being
promoted from a private to the rank of
major, but for some cause left the army
before the war was over. Since the war,
with the exception of his career in Cuba,
he has connected himself as a gentleman
gambler should do. Finding himself in
the clutches Of consumption, he has come
to Colorado in hopes of getting cured. He
still hrs plenty of money, though not near
so wealthy as he once was. He is a man
liked by everybody, q man with no small
vices, generous, brave and honorable. He
has the reputation of always having played
a fair game and has given away more
money in his life probably than any other
man of his age in the world. In the nu-
AhCAOuS pOAoOAct4 CaCOuACcIb ITO ud6 udQ u0
never was the aggressor, and, despite his
calling, has always conducted himself as q
gentleman.
In the language of Red Jack, "Dick
Hargrave's is a square out n outer. He
never coppered the keard of a friend that
he knowed would win, nor pinched a bet
to save a nickel. He played a stack of
yellows aslif they were worth but fifty
cents, and when he was flush and winned
a bet of a hundred he'd give it to the boys.
I've seed him after a winning buy a dozen
~bootblacks a suit of clothes apiece, and
nary wilder that lived in Dicks neighhor-
hood that ever suffered for the ~necessaries
Of life. He made his washerwoman a pres
ent of 800 once, and at a church festival
he paid $4,000 for a cake. His money
built that church, and many a preacher
has he given a suit of clothes. Him and
old death are o playing a game of draw,
and death holds the edge. I hope the old
boy will come to time, but I don't know;
you may bet that I'll stick to him until
somebody better than either of us opens
the jack pot. If he gets cleaned out, pard,
don't fill when he draws to his last flush
and throws up his hand; I'll be there
when the pot is raked in. If we have to