The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1883-04-07
GOOD MEMORIES.
As Exhibited by two Negroes and
Several Gamblers of ST. Louis.
From the St. Louis Post Dispatch.

FROM the 81. LOuIS POST -DlSpdIcH-
St.sI,ouis can probably furnish some of
the most wonderful and best authenticat-
ed cases of good memory on record. The
remarkable powers of Howard, who was
for many years stationed at the door of
the Lindell hotel dining room, have given
him a reputation as wide assthe country
He had so trained his judgment and
memory that he could receive and dis
tribute 500 hats without keeping any sys-
tenn of check or place whatever. n guest
entering the dining hall handed his ha5
to the dusky door keeper, who obtained
a view of the owners physlo9nomy- He
would then dispose of the tile among a
hundred others and receive another hun
dred before the owner of the hat would re-
turn for his head gear In a twinkle Howa~l
would produce The identical hat from the
heap, never handing over the wrong
property. Frequently, to test his memory
the owner of hat intrusted to the OAR
key would deny his own property on re
turning TO the entrance but without avfil
The face and hat were photographed on
the mans mind with all the truth of a
camera. so that he never made mistake
in attending to the. duties of his Office
This wonderful negro was presented wifi
an elegant gold badge by a number of
gentlemen and The prOprietOrs of the
hotel. He is now employed in Chicago
Another phenomenal memory is that
owned by Milton Peters, or Black Pete.
who was employed at Pates keno house,
but is now keeping door at Dock Strick-
lands poker room at the southeast corner
81 Eleventh andiOlive streets In the game
of keno as played in St. Louis and the
eastern cities, 1872 cards numbered from
to 1872 are required. On each of these are
fifteen numbers arranged in three rows
and combinations of the numbers
sbetWen to go No two cards of the 1872
or no two rows of the $40 rows are alike
Pete had so trained his memory that he
knew each of these caros. If asked what
combinations were on cards 81, he could
without a moments hesitation, give the
three combinations and the numbers in |
their regular order. Before the in |
vention of the check board, which con
tains the miniature of each keno card, |
Pete's memory was of invaluable service. |
The game is decidedly by the first who |
covers any row of cards, the man at the |
Urn calling out the number of each ball |
as it rolls out, and the PLAYERS covering
the same if it appears on the card. A |
few years ago a plan was gotten up by |
sharp gambler to wolf the game. He
carried with him number of thin pieces |
OF paper with various numbers on one
side and mucillage on the other. They |
were exactly the size of the little square |
on the kenODard. When he covered four
numbers he listened for the next and |
selectlngsa paper with the next oaIIsi
number he pasted it over the card and |
raked in the "pot" He was 5000 ahead |
of the game by this stealing operation.
when he withdrew for a moment and |
turned his card over to a friend Just
then Pete< turned his attention to the |
game, the man yelled "Kenom AS was
usual he called the number of his card
and the combination which he covered
he called out four numbers, bur as he
called the fifth Pete laid his hands on the
pot, announcing:
There's mistake, sab; know there
amt no card with forty and those other
four numbers in line"
On examination at Pete's suggestion,
the fraud which the couple of blacklegs
were practicing on the other players was
discovered. The rest of Pete's education
has been shamefully neglected. He ex
periences considerable difficulty In out
lining afew hieroglyphics which are sup
posed to be script for his name. When
asked about his phenomenal memory he
said:
Well / swear don't know how /
came by such good recollection, but I've
got it. 1never forget a number. and L
can tell you the number of some houses r
went to years and years ago
Can you recellect everything you
seer"
On, mol for some things / amt worth
q cnss. but some other things / don't have
no difficulty in recol ceting