St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-03-26
POKER PLAYING IN TEXAS,

homes, for home means something to them
like strong family ties.
POKER PLAYING IN TEXAS.
an Experience With attic Hun Who Has
Just Sold a Herd.
Pittsburg Dispatch.
Shortly after the discovery at Leadville 1
was in that great mining camp. In less
than an hour after my arrival I met Henry
Alexander, an old friend. whom first saw
in Kansas during the flush of the Texas
cattle drive. Alexander was cattle grower;
but he was also a professional poker player,
whose business called him to the towns that
spring into active life along the lines of new
railroads. l lived with Alexander for three
| days. Every night after the games closed
we drew our chairs before the fire and talked
of the old times when we drove cattle to-
gelher and hunted together on the plains
| One night our talk drifted to the Texas
cattle men and the gam bling at the cattle
towns of Kansas, when the business of driv-
ing long-horned steers 10 the Northern
market was highly profitable. Alexander's
eyes blazed with fury when he spoke of the
Texans. He raised his clinched hand high
above his head and struck the table that
stood by his SIDE savagely, as he eXclaim ed
| with fierce oath: ''HoW hate them p
Then turning to me, he said:
"When left you on the Cimmaron river,
the day after the buffalo hunt, went to
Baxter Springs. There l met three Texans,
who coaxed me to go to Ellsworth to play
poker with the cattle men, who had sold
herds and were fush l agreed to go, and
they, on their part, agreed to stand in with
me, and also to protect me in the game.
You see, the Texas gentleman you are play
ing with is apt to have partner. This man,
if the game is going heavily against his
friend, is liable to step in behind you and
blow the top of your heal off. In the YER
nacuar of the courageous Texans, this is
called getting the drop on you.' So stood
in with Bill Good, his brother Asham and
Tom Clavering All had killed their men.
"Well, these three men were to see that o
one got the drop on me. They were to play
in the game if necessary. We were to divide
the winnings. So l went to Ellsworth. /
had fair luck, but had not been able to get
at the men who had made big sales. One
evening while | was at supper, 1 received a
note from Bill Good. He told me to come
TO certain salo ~ as soon as possible, as
Hutchinson, a cattle man, who had Just sold
herd, was there, and wanted to play poker
/ went at once, and was soon playing with
Hutchinson. The cards ran against me, an d
l speedily lost few hundred dollars. Then
the luck changed, and | made up my losses
and a couple o. hundred dollars in addition
Hutchinson was apparently growing angry
He dealt picked up four aces. We had
no straight flushes in those days. pressed
the betting. There were $1,000 in the pot
before the draw. / took one card. He stood
pat. 1t was Hutchnson's bet but before he
bet so much as a chip he wrote note and
called bootblack TO him, and told him
to go 10 another saloon and give it to his
| brother.
'Instautly knew he had determined to
! fight for the pot, and had sent for his brother
to come to him, and 10 come heeled. | was
not worried. | relied en- my partner to pre-
vent my assassination. So slammed a
fear that was far from feeling. / made my
hands tremble, made my legs shake, and
tried to turn pale; but that was not sue
cess. Hutchinson's brother-a cool, deter
mined man-came in and stood behind him.
Then, with an oath and sneer on his face,
Hutchinson leaned over the table and said
Il bet $780, aud dropped the money in the
pot l saw it and raised him $500. now
had 81, 500 of my money in the pot, about
all the cash l had with me. Hutchinson
drew note book out of his pocket and took
three certificates of deposite for So, 900 each
out of it. These he Endorsed. Then, rails
ing himself from his chair. he sat on the
side OF the table and shook the three certif-
Gates over the pot, saying the while, 4 bet
! $4,000. He almost dropped them into the
/ In fha.1 tf-ifH H and OF zirafr
intentlv at me. l trembled the best could,
and watched him as hawk watches a
chicken. The click of cooking revolver
broke sharply on my ear. 1t was behind me.
| Then l counted two more clicks, both be-
| hind me.
Il said to myself, There is going to be
trouble here Still watched Hutchin son,
aud trembed away quite cheerfullY. He
leaned toward me, shook the certificates in
my face, and said, THE pot is mine' / felt
t1e cold muzzle of a six-shoOter against the
back of my neck and another one against
my right ear l stopped feigning fear, aud
began to tremble in earnest. Hutchinson
took the pot and deliberately divided the
money had in it into four piles. He took
one. Ny pals each took one. They made
me stand up aud disarmed me. They gave
me no chance. They ordered me to leave
town within fifteen minutes. | left in
three, but returned in couple of weeks and
squared accounts with the thieving cowmeu.
l got my money back, aud got satisfaction
| alson
Ny friend ceased talking. His yellovish-
gray eyes blazed with the light Of battle as
! the scene of the day arose before him.
Curse the Texansl how I hate tbeml" be
repeated, and relapsed into silence.