The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-04-12
SCHAEFER'S NERVE.
A Veterans Reoollections of the First Meet.
ing Between Schaefer and Garrett.

A Veterans Recollections of the First Meet
ing Between Schaefer and Garrett.
National Republican.
Jake Schaefer's first big game for money
was with a man in indianapolis by the name
OF Jake Garrett" said Hoosier with mem
orv "Schaefer had just come in from Kan
sas or somewhere out West, and landed broke
in indianapolis. He is a weakened fellow
now, but he was shorter and simmer then
He found employment in a German concert
and billiard hall. and soon astonshed the
natives by his wonderful skill. 1t was not
long before two or three of the fellows about
the saloon conceived the idea of matching
him against Garrett, who was State champion.
A match was arranged, Schaefer to play
1900 points to CARROTS 1900, four
ball game, for $3.50 side. Gar
,rett and Schaefer had u meeting, and
the latter promised, so he admitted himself
TO throw the game for consideration. Gar
rett and his friends bet 81 500 or 1000 on
sure thing. Schaefer had given the snap
away to his hackers in the meantime, and
they, placing confidence in his honesty,
backed him heavily. The night of the match
the hall was densely packed. Garrett started
in with an astonishing streak OF luck, and
ere long the score stood 1925 for Garrett to
800 for Schaefer The little fellow was in a
desperate situation. If he failed to win, his
friends and hackers would swear he had given
them the double cross and betrayed them,
anu us luGIt Wcic tHO Ut tuIeS DdO IuSu
among them they would probably do him
bodily violence On the other hand, if
he won, he ran the same risk of violence at
the hands of the Garrett crowd. He was
white as sheet, and although terribly
frightened he shut his teeth and sailed in
playing with marvellous skill fora youngster
rolling up hundred after hundred, until he
caught up with Garrett and left him far be-
hind. They started in the last hundred
about on an equality. 1t was not until then
that the champion realized that Schaefer was
in deadly earnest, and from then till the end
the game was intensely interesting to those
on the inside. Garrett regarded his opponent
with malignancv, and the light weightavoide6
looking at him, going on to the end seemingly
ly obliyious to the presence OF vicious hostiles
but all the time growing whittier and whittier
He showed the nerve then that he has since
on many occasions when driven to the wall,
and only those who were in the Sc
cret would have known or could have
imagined the importance of the stake he was
playing for. / have no doubt lie thought his
life was III the greatest danger, for when he
turned his / 800 he acted as though he wanted
TO shrink through the floor. His nerve left
him in an instant, but if the defeated sure
thing players had any intention of hurting
him they gave it up. The winner was sur
rounded by dozen brawny fellows who
would have made it very interesting for
them. The next day it was limited about on
the quiet that some of CARROTS friends who
had lost a big stack of money on the result
were going to do Schaefer up but he left
town in a week or two without giving them
an opportunity and did not return for sew
eral years. That was the tightest place Jake
Schaefer was ever in, and 1000 Vgnauy
triumphs can never efface the recollection Of
that night in Washington Hall, Iudianapo.
lis, from his mind"