Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1885-01-03
ssFHarry OF the West'' in Hard Lut

s'Harry OF the West'' ia Hard Luck.
Washington Correspondence of the Baltimore Herald
Eyes, sir that's the very same table on which
Mr.. Clay used to lose the greater part of his con-
gressional salary. AS said, Clay and Bright
sat down to play at 8 o'clock. Now. Dick,
said Mr.. Clay, as the game began. understand
that cannot play later than 10 o'clock. prom
ised to attend church at Alexandria tomorrow
morning. and don't want to go there looking
as If / had been up all night
1.-THE blind was half dollar. dollar to come
in and no limit to bets. In those days there
was no limit. as there generally is now All a
man could demand was sight for his money.
The cards We're cut and Clay got the first
deal He was noted card shuffier. He could
hold his hands four feet apart and fiy the cards
from one to the other without single card
falling. His favorite style was to mix the cards
from the end and not from the sides. holding a
half deck in each hand, flirting the ends with
his thumbs, and mixing them into a perfect
pack with one movement He usually dealt
with one hand. with scarcely a perceptible
movement of the ARM his long, muscular
fingers enabling him to throw each card to its
proper place. But Clay was not good poker
player. Like most intellectual men he PLAYED
for the excitement. not for gain. and as q rule
he was SO careless about his bets that he came
out loser. He had a passion for big bets. and
he rarely failed to straddle the blind or raise the
bet after the game got fairly started. So, if the
luck came his way, he would win heavily as
long as it lasted. But he was a great buffer.
and bet high whether he had the cards or not
The men he played with found this out of
course. and he never came out of prolonged
game without being fieeced.
For nearly two hours that night CLAY had
everything his own way with Bright. If he
didn't hold q kng-full tour times hand running.
followed by jack-full, then / hope | NAV be
living 10 hoe 70,
Clay in bluff. but it was no use. Clay came to
the front every time with a hand that nothing
but fours could phase. At 1880 Bright had lost
81 500, and had borrowed $500 from John Han
cock. After that Clay's luck deserted him, but
he failed to recognize it. He continued to bet
as high on pair of deuces as he had been bet
ting on an ace-1ull. By midnight he had lost
all his winnings and 81 900 besides, all the cash
he had with him.
81 guess we'd better quit said Bright, sas
you want to 60 to church tomorrow.
"'Oh! blow the church, replied Clay: do YOU
suppose want to hear man preach right on
top Of losing 81 900 at poker? Not much You
just lend me $500 and let tine game go on
$50 the game proceeded and at daylight CLAW
was indebted to Bright to the amount of 81 500
aud that is the way it stood when the game
ended. heard afterward from Hancock that
Clay liquidated that debt by giving Bright
deed Of 800 acres of Kentucky land and trans
ferring to him six shares of stock in Louisville
bank"
$50 Clay didn't 60 to church that morning?"
the Old-Tmer was asked
'Well, was just going to tell you about that
am not responsible tor the story, as / was not
there and have no personal knowledge of it,
But, as told then, Clay went to his room that
Sunday morning, shortly after daylight, to go to
bed. But he took sudden resolution to go to
Alexandria anyhow, and keep his church en-
gagement. He went in the carriage Of friend
Quite crowd followed him when he went out
to get In his carriage. There q number of peo-
pie were presented to Mr.. Clay, among them the
rector Of the church. The story was that while
he was talking to the reverend gentleman, Clay
put his hand in his pocket to pull out his hand
kerchief, and in doing this pack of cards was
suddenly spilled on the ground. Clay was not
the least abashed. but deliberately gathered up
the cards. replaced them in his pocket, and re-
marked to the minister and others who were
standing there that friend had put the cards
In his pocket as q practical Joke"