Morning journal and courier., 1885-03-24
POKER PLAYING IN TEXAS.
Henry Alexander's Experience With a
Cattle Man Who Had Just Sold a

Cattle Man who Had Just Sold a
Herd.
[From the Pittsburg Dispatch.l
Shortly after the discovery at Leadville I
was in that great mining camp. In less than
an hour after my arrival I met Henry Alex
ander an old friend, whom I 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. 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 togeth-
er and hunted together on the plains. One
night our talk drifted to the Texas cattle
men and the gambling at the cattle towns Of
Kansas, when tie business of driving long
horned steers to 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 ruck the table that stood by his side
5ely, as he exclaimed, with fierce oath:
low hate them!" Then, turning to me,
he said:
s'When left you on the Cimmaron river,
L
ter Springs. There I met three Texans, who
coaxed me to go to Ellsworth to play poker
with the cattle men, who had sold herds and
were flush. I 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
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
head of. In the vernacular of the coura-
geous Texans, this is called getting the drop
on you So I stood in with Bill Good, his
brother Asham and Tom Clavering. All had
killed their men.
"Well, these three were to see that no one
got the drop on me. They were to play in
the game if necessary. We were to divide
the winnings. So 1 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, I received a
note from Bill Good He told me to come to
a certain saloon soon as possible, as Hutch
inson, cattle man, who had just sold herd
was there, and wanted to play poker. I went
at once and was soon playing with Hutchin-
son. The cards ran against me, and speed
lily lost few hu 1dred dollars Then the
luck changed and made up my losses and
couple of hundred dollars in addition.
Hutchinson was apparently growing angry.
He dealt. picked up four aces. We had
no straight fushes in those days. I pressed
the betting There were $1,000 in the pot
before the draw 1 took one card He
stood pat 1t was Hutchinsons bet, but be-
fore he bet SO much as a chip he wrote a
note and called a bootblack to him, and told
him to go to another saloon and give it to his
brother.
Instantly knew he had determined to
fight for the pot and had sent for his broth
er to come in, and to come heeled I was
not worried. I relied on my partner to pre-
Co T cbo
that I was far from feeling. I made NV
hands tremble; made my legs shake, and I
tried to turn pale; but that was not a sue
cess. Hutchinson's brother-a cool, deter
mined man-came in and stood behind
him. Then, with an oath and a sneer on
his face, Hutchinson leaned over the table
and said, I bet $780, and dropped the