Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1885-06-11
NOTIONS OF GAMBLERS.
Queer Fancies of Men Who Live on
superstition.
Boston Globe

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in this town who has not his pet super
stition, and governs himself accord
ingly. Why, look here; the other
day I found q black kitten on the side
walk near my house. It wanted to
be familiar with me, and I picked it
up, carried it into the house and gave
it feed. That day I came down
and made a big win against the bank,
and have been winning ever since.
What d'ye call that2"
ut was certainly coincidence, "
said the scribe.
Coincidence? Well, it was blank
sight more than that, and ne and that
cat are friends from this time out. |
gave my wife a new dress and q couple
of hundred eases and told her to put
a collar on that cat and let no blamed
rooster get it away from her. I
wouldn't take hundred for that cat
Of no mans money. There's Jeff
Hawkins; I s'pose you know him?
Well, he had pet mouse once. Jeff
was running 1876 and the game
against the bank was mighty big. It
was getting near theend Of the month,
the house was SO, 900 or $4,000 los er
ard the bank roll was feeling pretty
sick, One night jeff was IN the
lookout char, eating an apple, and
some Of il fell on the floor beside the
table. Just then a mouse ran out and
nibbled at the apple. The bank was
losing as usual. Jeff saw the mouse
and pitched another piece of apple at
it. It darted away and then darted
back again and commenced uibbling.
jeff says to the dealer, I'll deal So
be took the chair and commenced to
deal lucky right away. For the first
time that month the bank closed
winner. Next morning JEFF got lit>
lie cheese and he fed that mouse. And
he kept a feeding it, and every day
the bank kept a-Winning. Say, what
dye call that?"
The reporter offered the suggestion
that it looked like a change of good
luck.
"WeLl, I should think it was. But,
say! One night about II o'clock the
mouse ran out as usual, and was
playing around, when some hulk of
player got his foot on il and smashed
it, What dye think JEFF did, and
only II o'clock at night and room
full Of players9 He closed the game.
He thought his luck was killed, and
he wouldn't play any more that
night"
scribe.
"Well nobody knows how it would
have been that night, but OF course
the bank has the best Of it in the long
run. Guess jeff got hold Of some
other lucky thing, for he has always
had pretty good roll, but he always
was in mourning for that mouse. You
ask any Of those fellows if they be
Iieve IN such things, and they'll tell
you there is nothing IN it; but they
all have their signs and their lucky
numbers and their lucky clothes, and
a hundred other things I can't repeat,
for that. There's Pat Sheedy. Wasn't
he sitting in bad luck one night, los
ing every bet he made, when he got
up, went home changed every rag of
clothes he had on his back, then re>
turned and made the biggest win ne
ever made in his life? No; I guess
there's nothing in it, but they all play
it as if there was, just the same. They
are always on the lookout for some
thing. You know, the 'coons' are
great for policy and they are al
ways dreaming numbers. Now. If
gambler can OIL y get onto 'coon's'
dream he's fixed. Tom Wallis was
walking down State street one day
and he passed two 'coons' very busy
talking. AS he passed he heard one
say: I tell you, honey, [
dream six, seven, eight twice;
you go buy two gigs and a saddle
Tom is high-roller, and plays
bank for all there is IL ii. He turn
ed round when he heard those NUNS
bers, went up to 'ninty and
played the pot, which I s'pose you
know, is the six, seven and eight, for
all he could get in it. It won for him
one deal eleven times in succession,
and he playing the limit. And he
played it all day, and nothing else,
and he won a big pile, / tell you. No,
there's nothing in it, but they all do
it. You kpow Sam Dali? Sans one
Of the levelest-headed fellers IN the
business. He's a pretty nigh roller,
too, when he plays against the bank.
Runs 1875 now and stays on the in
side. Tried to beat wheat a couple Of
years ago and got busted Not MS
game. Well, Sam used Ia pass an
old beggar woman on the corner Of
Market and Madison every morning.
Sometimes he would throw a tine IN
her tray, sometimes q quarter, and
sometimes q half dollar, He then be-
gan to notice one thing. Whenever
he throwed her a quarter he'd win
against the bank. 1.-The throwed her
anything else-a half, or q dollar, or
anything but a quarter he'd lose.
Sam kept that old woman IN quarters
for a good while, but one day some
other beggar was on the corner, and
it wouldn't work. Sam inquired for
his .old woman ana found she was
dead. The other beggar never gave
him any luck at all.
81 know gamblers, he continued,
''whO will never play against certain