The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1886-06-08
Free London, a Well-kn0wn
Sporting Man, Has Made His
Farewell Deal"
At Deaths Door With COnsump-
ton, He Is Prepared for
the "ShOw Down"
A Chat With. and Sketch of, q
Gambler Who Never Went
Back on the Poor.

door at No. 40 West Third street,
and the announcement Of his demise
ut any hour need not occasion the
least surprise. Never stout and rug
ged, many months OF suffering with
that always fatal disease, consumption,
has left him but a wreck of his for
mer self, and when seen last evening.
by a reporter of the BAzoo he app
peared bat little else than a living
skeleton. His limbs are nothing but
skin and bones, and so weak is he
that the service of an assistant is re-
quired in order that he may turn in
his bel. He breathes with the great
est difficulty at intervals, and when
seized with an occasional coughing
spell it appears to a visitor that the
end had arrived.
"How are you feeling this evening,
Free?" asked the RAzoO missionary.
"Oh, I'm getting weaker every
hour and can't last much longer" was
the reply. 81 came home to die
and the time has about ar
rived. / have suffered so long
and so much that am ready to 60 at
any moment; in fact, when l go to
sleep at night | cannot but hope that
/ will never wake up"
"You talk of this matter as though
you had no fear of death"
"None in the world. / realizs that
the jig is about up and | congratulate
myself that it is so. have made all
the arrangements for my funeral, and
the sooner it takes place the better it
will suit me. | had Bob Morrow pro-
cure me let in the cemetery and |
will be buried there. / have also
made arrangements for my coffin. L
did not want anything expensive, nor
did / want a pine box, as chose be-
tween the two. If any other unfor.
tunate comes along and dies here, the
boys can plant him in the lot with
me-"
"You have gone about this solemn
undertaking in q business-like man.
ner," suggested the reporter.
eyes; it's as well that way
as any other. Everything is
paid for, even to the
hiring of the carriages. so all the boys
will have to do is to climb in"
At this stage of the conversation
Free was seized with a violent cough
ing spell, and at the conclusion he
was so weak that he turned partially
over and was soon in doze.
As previously stated, Free London
is known throughout the land as q
sporting man, and an unusually sue
crssful one, too. He was born in
Wapello county, Iowa, October 23rd,
1S43. He resided with his parents
until IL years old and then proceeded
to Illinois, where he grew to manhood
and remained until after the war,
when he came west. 1t was in 1867
that he first began his career as a pro-
fessional gambler. and hehas followed
it successfully since. He is especially
known to the sporting fraternity in
the west and south, as these two sec
tons of country have been his partic-
ular field, but is also known in the
east, although not 80 extensively.
1t was In December, 1871, or JAN
uary, 1872, that London first came
to Sedalia. The town was then on
the boom, and it was the paradise of
the sports. Such thing as the john
SON gambling law had never been
dreamed of at that time, and almost
any kind ola game could be had for
the asking. London soon became q
favorite with the local sports, and the
popularity acquired then has never
been lost.
Like all of his class, London drift
ed hither and thither, winning thou
sands here and dropping them else
where, but fortune favored him to a
greater extent than many others, and
he was seldom without stake. In
several states and territories he con-
Quoted faro banks with varying sue
cess, being a prince one day and al
most a pauper the next. As dealer
he ranked with the best, and if he
ever dealt q crooked game, history
does not record it.
Every few months London would
return to Sedalia, and cordial well
come was always extended him not
only by the men with whom he assoc
ciated, but by all who knew him.
His religion consisted wholly Of doing
unto others as he would be done by
and in this particular his record wiz
compare most favorably with those of