Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-08-21
causrER BEN WOOD.
,..,;ogstOOO Where Another Man
ua,s S5O-His Nervous Action.


pa,s $5O-His Nervous a ction.
s,o.n the Cincinnati Enquirer
c.,.roGA. Aug. 1S.-Sitting on the in
NOV norch of the Grand Union Hotel TO-
l,.ht lust by the Office door, Ben Wood.
Wv York city, attracted my atten-
w. nv his constant and nervous action.
Va eitted back and forth, sitting down
aocasionally for moment, evidently as
sss+less as a fish out of water. Said an
aaonaintance at my side: He has not
40 his arrangements for game yet.
Man he knows who his antagonists Will
W. tor tonight he will settle down." He
urct have found them shortly afterward,
nr saw him presently getaway INTO one
0nrner of the porch and sit down with
"nn cip ar for a quiet smoke. Ben Wood
~ no most notable gambler of his day.
gois scientific player. His presence
anrwhere recalls the day when his brother
To5nando was Mayor of New York city
ar1 the Woods ruled that city completely.
IN Washington as Congressman Ben
Wood became noted for the heavy poker
hands he played and for his skill at whist.
W. ia one OF the best whist players in the
world. He never plays without betting.
Ne will not play four-handed game
Nth partner, but gives point to his
antagonist and uses dummy. Woods
snpearance, especially under the white
raTs of the electric light. is startling. His
bnca face has an ashen white color that
IA seen in women VINO use opium. His
hc mOustache is as white as his
Sce. He generally wears a white
nslm.leaf hat, which is bleached TO a
color corresponding to the paleness OF his
face. HIS eyes, which are light blue,
are constantly in motion, but at the same
time have set, impressive look about
that ,nI1id ~ IL i'm
nress0nless eyes. You can never read
what is passing in Ben Woods mind by
sny token from his orbs. At my elbow
sal man who has played in number OF
Games with Wood within short time,
who said to me: cit is w ood's habit when
he is playing to have bottle OF wine at
his side and a box of cigars on the stand.
He lights cigar, takes three or four
whihs oft, chews away at the end OF it
for ten or fifteen minutes and then throws
Iii away only 20 light new one. be
pays game which gamblers
A Xcali lucky. Even at taro they will
hot deal for him. Here at Saratoga
b Xtbe minute he comes in they close the
game. He plays a system and seems TO
baye reached a perfection in placing his
bets which no other man ever attained.
was in a game the other night where be
bat from II o'clock until O'Clock in the
morning, and cleaned up $4,000. That
Twas poker. One reason that the faro
q dealers are afraid TO deal for him is be-
cause there is no limit to his betting, I'M
b ess they place a limit on the game. He
! would bet $1,000 where another man
would bet 500. The biggest winnings
d ever heard OF his making at a single sit
ting was at game in New York city,
where 1t Is said he won $40, 600.
asked my companion about the
4 Gambling at Saratoga this season, and he
| said that a man can be accommodated to
I almost anything that be wants. There
pre- games of faro, roulette and bacarat,
Besides the usual poker and whist,
\ great deal OF which goes on In private
Y OOms, as well as in the public gambling
places. There is no effort made to stop
he gambling, which is cOuntenanced and
protected by the police, VINO probably get
share Of the swag of the gamblers. A
Curious characteristic of these Saratoga
n gamblers is that many of the owners of
the faro banks play against their own
game. They all 20 out to the races, lose
couple of hundred dollars. and come in
at night and play against the dealers OF
se their own houses to make up the losses of
a., a. he day. Occasionally they go to rival
houses and attempt to make up such
loss, but this usually gets up row, and
- sn0t so frequently dOnes