The Sunday herald. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1866-1887, 1885-09-20
SAMUEL AND WILLIAM.

lhem--the fireworks at home. - The CornhiH
Magazine.
SAMUEL AND WILLIAM.
A Chance Game OF Poker Leads Ia q
Rather successrul Partnership.
philadelphia Times.l
met Ia Colorado City's Gold Room to-
day man who was Familiarity known along
the frontier ten or twelve years ago as "Jew
Sam" think his real name is Simon
Rosenberg, and he was particularly distin-
guished as a very slick " poker-player.
Sam is as fine specimen OF manhood as you
would meet in weeks travel. He Is over
six feet in height, Of athletic build, and his
face dashingly handsome. He always
dresses In perfect taste, and carries a six.
shooter Of forty.Hve cahbre, which he will
use to kill ON the slightest provocation. He
is very quiet and gentlemanly in his man.
ner, and perfectly temperate In his habits.
One day at Vaudeville, when Sam was
getting tired of the monotoDy of walking
about with plenty of money in his pocket
and nobody to play with, supplemented
colored man named William Amber arrived
from Laredo and displayed big Doodle,
which he modestly declared he was willing
to risk at poker. Amber had been SER
geant in the Twenty. fifth Infantry, and from
long years of rigid discipline did not pre-
sumo. Sam formed his acquaintance. He
said confdentially to a friend:
ga nigger's money is as good as white
mans, and Pm going to rob him.
This friend, who, like Sam, recognized no
class or color distinctions where poker was
concerned, agreed that this was sensible
view to take of the matter, and offered to
lend his assistance In robbiDg the ex. soldier.
Sam admitted him to partnership, and they
began work. Amber was coy, and II re-
CURED days hard work before he could be
induced to take a baud. At last, however,
he succumbed, and the three men began to
play at little table in the rear of Buckskin
Bills cantena, The Sunset" Nearly every
unemployed gambler in the camp was inter-
ested in the game, and quite crowd gath
cred about the players.
II was easy TO be seen from the start that
Amber knew nothing about poker. 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 it was literally wrung from him,
aud Sam was disgusted at his stupidity.
the cards he delt the negro two queens and
allowed him to draw another and pair of
tens, while he himself held out king full
on jacks, !hs latter roused himself from his
lethnrgic stupor and began to bat. Sans
partner drew out and the great gambler be-
gan TO lead his victim on to his doom. He
made no large raises, but he saw every bat
and went back at the negro ten or twenty
better, until the pot mounted into the
thousands aud every dollar of Sans had
been risked.
"I'll bet million on my hand" lie
said, and began to borrow from his partner.
Amber kept covering the bets and the crowd
pressed around the table closer. Sam grew
excited as the bets mounted higher and
higher and his hand trembled. The negro
was impassive. Finally he laid down a
crisp one hundred-dollar bill to cover SAINTS
last raise and said
=" calls you, sab I"
King full on jacks!' cried Sam, reach
ing out for the pot.
Hold on dar; beats dat ham," inter-
posed Amber, and he spread out four treys
and an ace.
A low exclamation of astonishment burst
In chorus from the lips of the bystanders,
and Sam slowly withdrew his hand.
OIodb UUus ul6u r. u0 Ctlou Nv IASt,
where did you get that hand p
Drawed 1t, sar, far an squar'," chuckled
Amber, and he raked in his winnings.
That night Jew Sam and the negro held a
long conference in the formers den. The
next day Sam paid his debts aud he aud
Amber left for San Antonio together.
"'ll 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 be.
long 10 an old Mississippi River gambler
named Jack Little, and the latter taught his
servant tha tricks that won him fortunes
After the game at Vaudeville had talk
with him, and he showed me more about
cards than ever dreamed of. saw at once
that there was million in him II he was
properly worked, and made him a prOpo-
sition. We went to San Antonio. re-.
plenished my wardrobe for more civilized
garments, aud We began a tour of the oouu-
try together, he travelling as my servant. l
had a big stake at my back, put up by some
sporting men In San Antonio, and the way
we raked In the shekels was caution. We
visited every prominent city in tho country,
and next summer We are going TO Europe.
The scheme is mine, but if you won't give II
away I'll let you into the secret. The char
acter assume IL that of wealthy Texas
cattle owner who is fond of quiet game Of
poker. Ispend plenty Of money, put up at
the huest hotels, and easily make the
acquaintance Of gentlemen of means and
proclivities. usually let them suggest a
quiet little game of draw, and handle the
cards squarely, simply backing my judy
ment. After the game has been In progress
an hour or two, and have lost several hun
dred dollars, as l 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
Ia from friend, calling me to an immediate
aud important business appointment. | ex-
cuse myself TO the gentlemen, who, having
won little of my money, are sorry TO see
me go, and seem perpp The appoint
ment am obliged to keep will only necessi.
tate a 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 =
"a Little, sah.'
I" Gentlemen, continue, turning to the
company, this Is my servant, William, as
faithful and Trustworthy niger as ever a
man had
cat this William chuckles and grins and
looks as simple as possible, for the gentle
men all eye him critically. Iproceed:
"'It Ia necessary, gentlemen, that | keep
this business appointment, but I'll bs gone
less than ahalf hour, and in the mean time,
II you have no objection, I'll let William
play my hand
"Of course they onot Object, aud William
takes my place at the table. lay a big roll
of notes down beside him, aud, as a parting
caution, bid him not to lose all my money.
The gentlemen, who are beginning to feel The
wine that have ordered up, laugh uproari
ously. ] always throw word or two IN
about their being shrewd poker players,
which tickles their vanity and blinds Their
eyes. William gets stupid, and when
leave goes to sleep over his cards, Just as he
did that day when he robbed me at Murder
Vile. Tbegentleinen put up al sorts of games
TO win my money, and when they feel certai,
they have everything fixed William wakes
up, and they generally gets 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 kick
and | begin to lay for fresh suckers. We
have been making cool $50, 900 apiec,
every year since We started in, aud about
tive weeks ago William bought his old
masters plantation above Bayou Sara. He.
spending his vacation there, but we'll meet
next winter spend few months in Ia,
Southern cities, and sail for Europe. tel
you there's millions in that Niger"