Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1886-04-23
AN EXPERT ON GAMBLING.
Opinions of the Celebrated ''Dink" Davis,
Who Won $4,000 ut "Bank."

Opinions of the Celebrated ''Dink" Davis,
Who Won $4,000 ut "Bank."
CHICAGO Es1rs.
Now Just look at il" continued the ex'
pert. Morning, noon and night q Gsmo-
| Ter thinks OF nothing but how. the cards
come. NY wife or friend talks TO me at
the table. but find no pleasure in it, for
am thinking Of double cut or single
out or 'colors,' or ENDS, or some dsshirg
system to beat the bank. | 60 TO the
theatre; it's the same thing. | don't see
half the performance; see only the cards
in the box and the dealer pulling away ct
them. Then look at the foul supersnlons
q gambler has-slsays looking tor signs or
omens or lucky days. l haven't any,
of course-uobody has when ssked-but
lust watch EN- and see how they give them
selves away. knoy men that have their
lucky clothes, and their lucky days, and
their lucky numbers, and blank knows what
sll. Say, gambler thinks it great luck TO
have q black Get como to him. What kind
of q business is o man N who is carried
away BY all such notions? WHAT DO you
think OF a man ike JEFF Hankins having
lucky mouse? Fact. Everybody knows
| il. But that amt the worst OF it-thats
only weakness. Men will do most anything
to get money to gamble with. They Dor
row and beg and steal i know a man who
had blown in everything he could raise
and scrape His wife earned the money
for the family, and she had tough time
she had of it. They lost child and the
wife gave the man money to buy cotin.
The child lay dead in the house and the
man took the coffin money and
blew it in against the bank. The man
meant all right and thought he night make
q winning and probably have all the better
funeral. But he lost A young fellow over
ct Pat Sheedy's one night went broke.
Then he went to Pat and told him that his
mother had given him tie money 10 buy
coffin for his father, who had Just died, and
he wanted it back. Pat found out the
story was tra5 snd gave the money back.
But there is Just as tough money as that
PLAYED in, which is not given back. lou
don't know who you are elbowiDg sgainst
when you're at the table, and you don't
care. Pickpockets, burglars, con men
are there, and are usually quite Welcome,
because they are producers A producer
is q man Who gets his money in some 9th
er way than by GGmbling, and 1t don {
make q bit of difference AoS. hanest or
dishonest.
"Suusre2. Or course the game is square
enough. Some gamblers would just &c
lief be on one side of the table as the other
I've been on both sides, and prefer the out.
side. There not gambler in town but
what plays against the bank over aud over
again. Some OF EN- roll up stake in that
way and then get an interest in game.
The bank makes steady profit, some
times very slow. but sure. The constant
player gets eaten up hnsIiy. You can see
plenty of broken down gamblers anywhere,
if yer choose TO look for them-men that
have had PieDty Of money once, but are no
good any more. Gamblers will chip in
10 bury q man, but they wont
give up cent TO stake
him or keep him out Of the States
prison. Broken-doWn gamblers exist prin
cipslly on suckers, bat that fish doesn't
always bite, and 80 the living amt very
good. Il they can get loaded on woman
somewhere they may get along for awhile,
but that only makes them meaner and
lower, for they don't care how she earns
her money, 90 they get it.
"its curious how many farmers boys
get to be gamblers. Farm work is pretty
tough. and when one hiss learned to gam
bic and sea how easy the money comes he
is apt to go to playing cards for living.
| could name good many right here who
were farmers sons The Hankinses we're.
So were Curt and Sobe Gum, and there
are others not 80 we'll known. They may
learn some day that farm work would have
paid best ia The long run.
And l say it again, gambling is the
meanest business on top of the earth, and
| know it, for I'm q gambler"