Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-09-22

Gambling Implements with Histor,

Gambling Implements With a Historv
heard a queer secret last night, saws a
Washington letter in the PHILADELPHIA
Record. 1t was simply this-that the
finest set of faro checks in the world was
now in Washington in possession Of a
colored barber. L don't know ANYTHING
about such things, but l am told that
Ihese clecKs are simply perfection. They
are OF the purest and cOstIiest African
ivory, every one being perfect in shane
ana construction. They are inlaid with
gOI9 IN curious, unique patterns, some of
Whlcn nave never been seen in any other
designs. They are supposed to
be worth about $1,000, although
tney could be bought from the darkey
VINO now holds them for much
less. OF course they do not belong to him.
lie stole them somewhere in the South.
and has ever since been trying to dispose
OF them. But no one wants to buy them.
despite the assurance that their last
owner is dead, lest he may not be dead:
for if he is alive he could follow those
checks all over the world, so peculiar are
they. Their story is just as peculiar.
Here 1t is: In the decade before the last
war noted gambler, whom we will call
Bob, relieved rich planters and fat factors
OF their money on the fastest Mississippi
river steamers with neatness and dis
patch. He had worked his way I'D
through swarm of inferior gamblers.
with now and then a setback, until he
telt himself to be the foremost gambler
on the river. He combined all the
qualities that go to make up the success
tul gambler, possessing each to a remark
able degree. He was the coolest man
OF his time, and the quickest with his
knife and the most terrible in his pro-
family. His luck was something wonder
tuI, Tor he won almost continually. and
yet he played as honest a game as can
ever be expected of a gambler. 1t was
one bright spring day, after a great run of
luck which had made him for the time a
rich man, that he conceived the idea of
owning the handsomest set of faro checks
IN the world. So he ordered a set TO be
made in New Orleans. The man who
took his order sent it to Paris, and the
che cks 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 $1,000 at
least involved, or he took no interest in
the game. One night, While he was play
ing for stakes which would probably come
to $4,000, the luck seemed against him.
lie was as cool and as calm as ever, but
the lockers on remarked upon the size of
remembered that the luck had been
against him for some time, and calculated
That he must have lost most of ''his pile"
The fact was that he had, and that
he was desperate; but he said nothing.
AT last the game was overriding after
midnight. 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 at them almost low
lngly, for they had become dear to
him. On them had been wagered gold
and silver, negroes, lands, steamboats,
and plantations which had been his.
Now everything had passed over them
again and was gone. With one wild, hor-
rible oath he suddenly 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 Likelihood spurted over his
precious checks. Since that night they
have wandered all over the United States,
seeing scenes of daring and of bIoodshed
differing only in degree from those of their
life on the Mississippi river, until now
they are come at last to the base hands of
lOw-bOrn thief. He does not seem to
know that they carry 81 curse,