Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1885-10-30
OCEAN GAMBLERS.
Land Sharks Plying Their Pro-
fession on the Deep Blue Sea-
Some ofthe Startling Gaming Experiences
of Regular Travelers-The Remarkable
skilI In Dealing Displayed By Two
Pretty Lady Passengers
n. Y. Mail an I Express.i I

~. Y. Mall an ENpre5s.i
An importer engaged in business in
White street, this city, who has crossed
thu ocean at least twice a year for the
last quarter of century. was mes during
the past week on h return from Europe.
lie Is n veteran traveller, and Is always on
the lookout for stirring incidents and any
thing OF n novel character. ave had an
exceedingly pleasant run after leaving
Queenstown" he sail, ''but I can't say
the trip will be cherished with pleasant
recolleetiols by everybody who was
aboard. In the moking room poker was
tho order Of the hour throu ghout the en-
tire voyage, and party of New Y ork
professionals, whose faces are familiar to
ocean travellers, made a pile of money.
The principal victims were Englishmen
bound 10 this country on business or
pleasure. Two gentlemen who said their
destination was Texas lost all their ready
cash, about f3,J0l They took their losses
good -naturelly, and appeared to regard
them as OF no consequence"
Are tn Sc professional players known
20 the ofiicers of the ships?"
Il can not conceive how tho officers c11
be ignorant as to their roal charn cter.
Regular p 'sselgers can point them out as
on as they strike the deck of a ship.
They are always well dressed, s1ave in
their man 1er, ani to all appearance per-
fectiy reckl ,s3 In the expenditure OF
money. They order the most costly
drinks and the finest cigars. AMI rs they
can m Ike themselves quite agreeable
when It suits their purpose, they ars rars-
ly at loss for Victims"
"Are thu themselves not lik oly to be-
come the cims?"
"If luck sets dead against them, 50 that
their cheat ng devices fail to work, az
may happen on rare occasions, they play
very low until the tide turns. The pro-
fessionais are always ahead on the whole
voyage, sometimes by tens of thous lnds
of dollars. On tle trip here a y youn En-
/ glish Lieutenant who was going to visit
/ friends in G lnad1, and a IN .ddle-aged gen.
tleman who had some interests in the West
wtr, pass 'ngerG They fell into the tolls
OF the gamblers on the fir e day out from
/ q ieeustown, and b fore the close OF the
third day 10 h the Britishers retired from
the poker tablo looking downh sarted.
learned that tho Lieutenant, who had
! fl,OO when he started from home, had
nothing left but draft for EDO. His
]
ssnted any attempt 20 draw bin into con-
versation on the subject. These are but
Isolated instances OF what occurs on
almost every voyage. Since public gam
bling has been stopped ga many OF cur
| lar e ties the gamblers have takea to
/ the oc an, where they Ply their trade
with great success. They are 60 be (, und
on every ship, AMI as they are surrounded
| b. meu with money and plenty of leisure
time, they irvar ably reap a rich har-
vest"
Are the gamblers ever interferel
wi.hy"
! ~ ry rar 'ly, but sometimes thay are
/ sq ;olched An amusing incident occurred
on the voyage e. Liverpool Two bright
/ young American womon and two WE'LL
known gamblers who were said to be their
| husbands wcr5 bookel as passeu-
/ gers. Soon after leaving Sandy
/ Hook the ladies' began t. max, them :
selves very agree iblo TO some of
the male pass ,ngers, TO VIII ON they man
/ nged to secure introductious. They drank
/ wine and smoked 4 ,arettes. Next day a
game o. poker was started, and the ladies
took part In 4. At first 1t was n game
with small stakes for amusement but
soon II became serious. There were five
nt tho table, and in ] ,ck- pot which con-
| tained some sixty dollars 10 came 20 the
I turn OF lady No. TO deal. She ripped
and shuffl "a the cards de tlv, while pleas
ant conversation flowed freely. To the
| gentleman on her left she gave three
/ kings; TO LADY M. ., who sat next, she
dealt the nine, ton, jack and queen Of
clu 8; % tho player Immediately on her
left she bestowed an acs full pat; to the
next gentleman three sevels were given,
while she herself took an ind II srent hand
and fell out The hest player opened the
/ pot for Eve dollars; lady No. stayed in (;
the third player raised IL twenty dollar (;
the fourth saw the raise, as did also the
rsst
"It then came TO the turn OF the lady.
Sho saw the raise and went one hundred
b,tter, which all hands saw. Lady No. /
finished the deal To the gentleman on
her left she gave n pair of fives, which
made his hand king full; to her amiable
sister she dealt the eight of clubs, which
completed her straight flush. The third
| player stood his hand, and the fourth re-
ceived a seven and queen to his three.
s,vsns. Betting started at ten dollars
was raised fifty dollars, then one hundred
cnl went on until there were severa
thousand dollars in the pot The two
Fentl,men who held the full hands drop.
pd them when the pace grew too hot
AMI finally the four sevens called, and tn,
lady raked in the pot with an innocen
smile The skill of the dealer in handling
the carls was the talk of the ship.
came to the ears OF the Captain, who or.
dered the ladies to keep in their state.
room during the balance Of the voyage
The two brilliant females and their al
legged husbands are black Listed by tn,
agents of the line on which they dis played