Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1885-09-19

/ REAL TEXAS GAMBLER.
Travelling with . Colored sharper I'm
the Role Of y Servant-A Game which
Has Made Fortunes for Both Of Them.
Colorado City Te1as, corrsspondence oftne philade'-
/ This thriving city, which has yet to celebrate
| It's sixth birthday, is on the edge OF the Llano
/ Estaeado, or staked Plain, and is the center OF
a rich grazing country. All Texas towns have
"Gold Room Saloon" and met In Colorado
| City 8 Gold Room to-day man who was famil-
iarly known along the frontier ten or twelve
| years ago as "Jew SAM" He was particularly
| distinguished as a very "slick' poker player.
! He Won vast sums of money at poker, but like
/ most successful gamblers he had a scheme to
beat faro and monte, and his experiments in
this line always kept him poor. When they be-
gan to build the Southern Pacific railroad Sam
| turned up at Vaudeville, and in a weeks time
had won several thousand dollars. 1t was his
| intention when he had "salted away" five
| thousand dollars to visit San Antonio and
break Jack Harris faro game, which was dealt
| in San AntOniO's Gold Room. He had been so
players were little shy of him, and for several
days he loafed about the little tent town, which
numbered three thousand inhabitants and had
| hfty-three saloons, angling for victims, or to
put in his less choice but more expressive YER
| nacular, 'laying for suckers"
A TEXAS GAMBLER.
l sam is as Hne a specimen Oh MANHOOD as you
| would meet in a weeks travel. He is over six
| feet in height, of athletic build and his face is
dashingly handsome. He always dresses in
| perfect taste and carries six shooter of forty
FIVE calibre, which he will use to kill on the
slightest prOvocatiOn. He is very quiet and
gentlemanly in manner and perfectly tenn
perate in his habits.
One day at Vaudeville, when Sam was get
ung tlreu OF the mOnotOny of walking about
with plenty of money in his pocket and nobody
To play with, supplemented colored man
and displayed a big Doodle, which he modestly
declared he was willing to risk at poker. Am
per mad been sergeant in the twenty-fifth in
laItry ana from long years of rigid discipline
did not presume. Sam formed his acquaint-
| ance He said cOnfidentially to a friend:
and Pm going to rob him"
This friend, who, like Sam, recognized no
class or color distinctions where poker was con-
take of the matter and offered to lend his as
S1stance In rObbing the ex-sOldier. Sam adj
mItted him to partnership and they began work;
Amber was coy and it required a days hard
work before he could be induced to take q hand.
AT last. however, he succumbed, and the three
men began to- play at little table in the rear of
Buckskfn Bills cautena, "The Sunset" Nearly
every unemployed gambler in the camp was in.
| terested in the game and quite crowd gathered
about the players.
1t was easy to be seen from the start that Am
Der knew nothing about poker. He bet very
hand rather than call or raise back when one of
his opponents cOld-decked him. He handled
the cards very clumsily and seemed always more
than half asleep Sam stole half the cards In
the deck and put up all sorts of hands. Amber
lost several hundred dollars but 1T was literally
wrung from him, and Sam was disguised at his
stupidity.
HE KNEW TOO MUCH.
Finally, when by skilful manipulation of the
cards he dealt the negro two queens and al
lowed him to draw another and pair of tens,
While he himself held out a king full on jacks,
the latter reused himself from his letharsic stu
and the great gambler began to lead his victim
on to his doom. He made no large raises, but
he saw every bet and went back at the negro
ten or twenty better, until the pot mounted into
the thousands and every dollar of Sans had
been riSked.
"I'd bet million on my hand" he said and
began TO borrow from his partner.
Amber kept covering the bets and the crowd
pressed around the table closer. Sam grew eX-
cited as the bets mounted higher and higher and
his hand trembled. The negro was stolidly i'm
9 pass r ma; ne laid down crisp one hun
said:
Il calls you, sahr
"king full-jacks up!' cried Sam, reaching
Hold on dar; beats dat ham, interposed
Amber; and he spread four trays and an ace on
the table.
A low exclamation of establishment burst in
chorus from the lips of the bystanders and Sam
slowly withdrew his hand.
Great God, man. he cried at last, "where
did you get that hands
"Drawed it, sab. far an squar," chuckled
That night Sam and the negro held a long
conference in the formers jacal- The next day
San Antonio together.
DOING THE COUNTRY
"Ill tell you all about it, said Sam, as he
leaned over the bar at the Gold Room to-day
''That coon was one of the slickest poker
players ever saw. He used to belong to an
Little, and the latter taught his servant the
tricks that won him fortunes. After the
game that day at Murderville 1 had
talk with him and he showed me more
about cards than I ever dreamed Of 1
saw at once that there was a million
made him a proposition. We went to San An.
tonic. l replenished my wardrobe for more
civilized garments and we began tour of the
country together, he travelling as my servant
had big stake at my back, put up by some
sporting men in San Antonio, and the way we
every prominent city in the country and next
summer we are going to Europe. The scheme
is mime but if you Won give it away I'll let you
into the secret. The character assume is that
of a wealthy Texas cattle-owner-I've got a big
ranch we'll stocked here in Mitchell~who is
OF money, put up at the finest hotels and p easiy
make the acquaintance of gentlemen of means
and sporting prOclivties. l usually let them
handle the cards squarely, simply backing INV
judgment. After the game has been i'm progress
an hour or two, and have lost several hundred
dollars, as usually manage to do, Amber comes
upon the scene and hands me a note, which |
break open and read. OF course It's only
dummy, but pretend it is from a friend call
ing me to an immediate and important busi-
ness appointment / excuse myself to the
gentlemen, who, having won a little of INV
money, are sorry to see me go, and seem per
picked. The appointment / am obliged to
keep will only necessitate half hours
absence. hate to break up the game and all
that sort of thing-and suddenly turn to
Amber:
William say, can you play poker?'
"'Littie sahr
Gentlemen continue turning to the COM
pany, this Is my servant, William, as faithful
and trustworthy Niger as ever man had
'A0 this William chuckles and grins and
looks as simple as possible, for the gentlemen
all eye him critically. proceed:
1T Is necessary, gentlemen, that keep this
business appointment, but / III be gone less than
half hour, and in the meantime if you have
no objection, I'lllet William play my hand
BEATEN AT THEIR OWN GAME
"Of course they do not object and William
takes my place at the table. lay big roll of
notes down beside him and, a parting eau
tlon bid him not to lose all my money The
gentlemen, who are beginning to feel the wine
that have ordered up, laugh uproariously I
AWAY throw word or two in about them being
shreWd poker players which tickleS their vanity
ana blinds their eyes William gets stupid and
when leave goes TO sleep over his cards. Just as
ne dld That day when he robbed me at MUIR
aervilie. Inc gentlemen put up all sorts of
gaines TO win my money and when they feel
certain they have everything fixed William
wakes up and they generally get up from
the table broke. They all know they have
been cheating and have been beaten at their
own game. Being gentlemen they don't