Grand Rapids morning telegram., 1885-01-19
CLAY As A POKER PLAYER.
a tame la which Hs Same Out Very
Lar <sly BeAiad.
rwash.ngton -. BAlsImOre HeraIdl

" 1-fi -ntstDu g. Or i1ltit4Dtt itct6t1
"Yes. sir, that's the very same table on
which Mf Clay used ID lose the greater
part Of his Congress onal salary. As l
said. Cay AMI Brishs SIS down . play at
eight O'Clock. Nov, Dcx. said Mr. Clay,
as the game De gan. unfsrs and that l can
not play later than twelve O'Clock IprCm-
ised 70 ats nd caurch "a Alexandra to-
morrow morning ana / doat want I'd 20
there looking as i. 1 IA a been up al ni ght.'
The blind wrs fifty cents, II u come in,
and n limit u bets. 10 those days there
Vas no limit, as there gen rally Is now.
All a man could demand was a sight for
bis money. Tue car.ls were cut and Clay
got the first deal. he was a noted card
shufti r. tie cC-ld hold his hands lOur leet
apart and hy the cards from Ons 70 the
other without single card falling. His
favorite style was To mix the cards from
the ends and not from ths sid 5, holding a
half-deck ia each hand, flirting the ends
with his thumb, aud mixing them into a
perfect pack with one movement. Hs
usually dealt with one hand, with scarcsly
a perceptlble movement OF the arm, his
long, muscular fingers enabling him 10
throw each card u its proper place. But
Clay was not good poker player. Like
most intellectual men, be playeI for the
excitement, not Tor gain, and, as a
rule, be was so careless about his bets that
he came out loser. lie 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, be 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 foIn TIA out, OF
course, and he never came oGt OF a pro-
longed game without being leeced.
"For nearly two hours that night Clay
had every hing his own way with Bright.
II he didn't hold a king-iull four times
hand running, followed by a jack-full
then l hope l may be shot for lying.
Bright tried his best 10 catch Clay in q
bluff, but it was no use. Clay came TO the
front every time with hand that nothing
but fours could phase. At l0:3) Bright
had lost S15JO, and had borrowed 500
from John Hlncock. After that Clay's
luck deserted HIM, but he ailed to recog-
nize it. He continued to bet as higa on
pair of deuces as he had been betting on
ace-full BY mi lni ,h5 he hal lost all his
winnings and sl,D0J besides, all the cash
he had wi.h him.
~ guess we'd better quiz said Bright,
''as YOU want to 20 to church Tomorrow
Ion ! blow the church. replied Clay;
do you suppose | want to hear a man
preach right on top of losing $1,000 at
poker. Not III Ich. You just lend ne 500
and let the game go on
$50 the game proceeded, and at day
light Clay was in d bt to Bright to the
amount of Sl,5)0, and that is the way it
stood when the game enlel. learned
aft,rward, from Hancock, that Clay liqul-
dated that debt by giving Bright a deed
to 80 acres OF X ntucky lanl and trans
terring TO him SIX shares OF stock in a
Louisville bank"
$50 Clay d.dl't go to church that morn
ing!" the old-tlner was asked.
"Well, | was just going to cell you about
that. L am not responsible for the story,
as | was not there, aud have no personal
knowledge of it. But, as told then, Clay
went to his room that Sunday morning,
shortly after daylight, to 20 to bed. But
he took a sudden resolution to go to Alex
andria, anyhow, and keep his church en-
gaeement. He went in the carriage OF a
friend. Quite crowd o.lowsd him when
he went ut to 1T IL his carnage. There
number Ot people We're pr~s ssntsl to Mr..
Clay. among th sm the reet,r o. tue church.
-e St ry was u0e VII ue ~. 5 taikil to
the + yer nj gent. t.s.nil, Cay puo his haaI
Ia his pocket 80 p.su Gus ais nix rcAie.,
and IN duius ,nis 4. lac, ~ u-ds was sud-
denly s.'ll.ed n .Ae .tou4E Cay was not
the least agasu i, bIs Ken er.tsiy -ath-
cred up the car ), -. a.c-3 ahs.n IN III,
poe set, aud r-tiaraei - .He Iu.ulst + aud
ir'e"f ma 's SAG cards - ais pocket as
practical JJke.