Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1884-10-20
THE GAMBLERS PRIDE.


WA&A4AEHA4A
liar History.
A Washington letter to the Philadel.
phia Record says: heard queer secret
last night Il was simply this-that the
1nest set Of faro checks in the world was
now IN Washington in the possession of
colored barber. | don'tknow anything
about such things. but / am told that
shese checks are simply perfection. They
are of the purest and costliest African
ivory, every one being perfect in shape
and construction. They are inlaid with
gold IN curious, unique patterns. some Of
which have never been seen in any other
designs. They are supposed to be worth
about $4,000. although they could be
bought from the man who now holds
them for much less. OF course. they do
not belong to him. He got them some
where In the South, and has ever since
been trying to dispose of them. But
90 one wants to buy them, despite
the assurance that their last owner is
dead, lest he may not be dead for if
lie is alive he could follow those checks
all over the world, so peculiar are
they. Their story is just as peculiar.
Here it Is: In the decade before the late
war noted gambler, whom we will call
Bob, relieved rich planters and fat fac
tors of their money on the fastest Missis-
sirpi river steamers with neatness and
T.spatch. He had worked his way up
through a swarm of inferior gamblers,
with now and then setback, until he
set himself to be the foremost gambler
on the river. He combined all the quail
tiles that go to make up the successful
gambler, possessing each to remarkable
degree. He was the coolest man of his
time, and the quickest with his knife
and the most terrible in his profanity
His luck was something wonderful, for he
won almost continuously, and yet he play
ed as honest game as can ever be ex-
pected of gambler. 1t was one bright
spring day, after a great run of luck
which had made him for the time rich
zzan, that he conceived the idea of own
rig the handsomest set of faro checks in
lhe world. So he ordered a set to be
made In New Orleans. The man who
took his order sent it to Paris, and the
checks were made there by
the finest ivory and gold
workers in the world. He gave
something like 81, 500 for them. He
never used them except when playing
"big games But then he seldom
played anything else. There must be
81 900, at least, involved, or he took no
interest in the game. One night, while
he was playing for stakes which would
probably come to $4,000, the luck
seemed against him. He was as cool
and as calm as ever, but the lookers-on
remarked upon the size of the veins in
his white forehead. Then they remem-
bered that the luck had been against
him for some time, and calculated that
he must have lost most of This pile. !"
The fact was that he had. and that he
was desperate; but he said nothing. At
last the game was over-long after mid
night. The tide of the gamblers fortunes
had ebbed and ebbed until almost all
that he had had been swept out of
sight The last dollar had gone.
Only one thing remained to him-the
set of checks with which the game was
being played. He looked ut them al
most lovingly, for they had become dear
to him. On them had been wagered
gold and silver negroes, lands, steam
boats and plantations which had been
his Now everything had passed over
them again and was gone With one
wild horrible oath he rose to his full
height, and before his hand could be
stayed, plunged his long knife into his
heart and fell full length across the
table. while his life-blood spurtcd over
his precious checks. Since that night
they have wandered al. over the United
States, seeing scenes of daring and
of bIoodshed differing only in degree
from those of their lite on the 8lississip-
pi river, until now ther are come in pos
session of q Washington barber. lie
does not seem to know that they carry
curse.