St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-03-26
A GAMBLERS TURN.
His Lucky Deal for an Unfortunate PLAYER
at One of the Louisville Faro
Tables.
The Shooting That Ensued on the Termina-
tion Of the Remarkable Run of
Luck and Its Results.
AFriendship Formed at the Gaming
Table and the Reformation Of
Two Men.
Influence of a Pure Woman for Good--
Her Death and Burial--Faro
Jacks History.

Her Death and Burial--Faro
jacks History.
short and lean man stood in front of
one Of the windows of the union depot and
looked out into the street. Without, the
street and sidewalks were covered with
l slush, while the air was freghted with
scurrying snowfakes that vanished from
sight as they came in contact with the
earth. The man was alone. He drummed
on the windOwsill with his fingers in a nerv-
GUS manner, while the other hand was util-
lied in supporting his emacated frame with
a heavy cane. His face was pale, his cheeks
sunken. and his eyes had an unnatural
brightness. His clothes were of loud
check pattern. About his neck hung a
large gold watch chain. A diamond pin or
namented his cOlored shirt front and equally
flashing jewels were visible in his sleeve
buttons.
HE CoUGHED,
did this lean. flashlly- dressed watcher Of the
passing procession. 1t was suppressed at
hrst, the effort to avoid a coughing spell
being manifest in his facial cOntortiOns It
came at last, and it shook the invalid in a
most apparent and distressing manner. He
sat down exhausted. His eyes and his
diamond glstened as he removed his shin
| ing beaver hat with his thin. claW-like
fingers, and wiped the Precipitation from his
brow. He breathed with difficulty and
clutched nervously the cane that leaned
against his chair.
A smile played over his pale face and
brought into greater prominence his black,
bright eyes as an elderly man walked up to
him.
Did you take that medicine, Jack?"
querled the newcomer as he came within
speaking distance.
No" replied the invalid Jack. with
some difficulty. at makes me sick. L
don't see no show for my life on that lay,
anyway"
The elderly man chided him ror ms lack
of hope, and soon Jack was encased in a
heavy OvercOat and, assisted by his elderly
companion. was moving out in the depot in
the direction of a train on the Chicago,
Milwaukee & st. Paul road. A third party
stepped up, st. Paul gambler he was, and
shook the invalid by the hand, and was in
trOduced by the latter to his elderly COM
panion.
''oUEER BUSINESS, THAT"
remarked the ST. Paul member OF the sport
ing gentry, as he stood in the depot and
watched the train bearing the invalid and
|
continued.
''The sick man is Jack Talbot, one of the
sleekest faro dealers that ever handled a
deck or raked in a chip. He's known gen.
orally as Faro Jack and his chief lay has
been in Louisville. His pal is reformed faro
Hat, and is Jacks best friend. It's purity
good thing for Jack to have such a roll to
play to now that he's getting near the end
OF his lifes game. Jacks sick man, and
guess he's about ready to pass in his
checks and end the last deal. But he's grit
to the very last, and will die like man
when it comes his turn.
THE OLD MAN
lived in Louisville and got to gambling. /
guess he always played poker. but faro hit
him so hard after he first played it, that he
night and was big loser He kept losing
right along, as he struck bad streak of
luck and couldn't win single bet. All the
dealers got onto him, and the regular play
ers got to 'copperlng' the old mans bets, so
sure were they of his losing. He quit
betting big, and after while went broke,
after dropping a few dollars. He was
getting hard up and was seedy. His clothes
looked tough and he was generally run
down. Jack handled the farO-box at the
place where he dropped most of his money.
! III lllOSC OdNS dCh WAS Oll6 vi lHG DeSt-
| looking men in Kentucky and dressed like
king. He was great hand for the
women, Jack l mean, and was a dead
masher, One day Jack was coming down
from the rooms where he had just been
| dealing. 1t was his turn off. He was
dressed to kill. AS he came down the
stairs and out on the street, a young woman
in black with a veil over her face attempted
to pass him and force her way up stairs.
JACK WAS INTERESTED
IN second, and, stopping her, asked her
errand into the gambling rooms. She told
him her story; how her father was addicted
to faro, and how he had lost everything
and had pawned her dead mothers we'd
ding ring, and was then up in the
gambling rooms. She showed her face
while she was talking, and was as
purity as a picture, and when she
asked Jack to send her father, he agreed to
| it, quicker than you can say Jack Robin
son. Right back up those stairs Jack went
| and, catching sight of the old man, who
was watching the game, spoke to him and
| told him some one down stairs wanted to
see him. The old man and Jack went down
on the street. l don't know how it hap
pened but Jack and the girl became friends,
or at least she tried to get Jack to quit play
ing and also made play at him TO get the
old man to stop. She died, this pretty girl
with her bright face and blue eyes and light
hair. l guess her death was brought on by
her fathers disgrace and their changed
mode of living for the old man was used to
live in bang-up style. When she died she
made Jack promise to quit playing and to
| get her old man to quit.
THEY BURIED HER,
and the best layout of flowers on the coffin
came from Jack. The old man was kinder
broke up and so was Jack. Of course no.
body ever knew just how it happened. but
Jack and the old man had talk; they both
felt down in the mouth. and Jack gave the
old fellow pointer about quitting. The
| old man said his luck must change and that
as soon as he made winning he'd quit.
Jack dealt his last night for he'd given it
out that he was going to get out of the
business. The old man was playing at
Jacks table. The old man began to win
and kept on winning. He had all the chips
in front of him and cashed them in and
kept on playing. He hardly lost bet and
played the limit as soon as he saw 1t was
his night to win. They quit play on
| him, and he caShed in his checks and had
good many cool thousand dollars in his
pockets when he left. The proprietor. after
the bank was closed, said something to Jack
about playing "brace game'' against the
bank. Jack shot him on the spot. He
didn't kill him, but everybody thought he
/ would die, and Jack went to prison and
was there for long time. The old man
came to him as soon as he learned of the
trouble and stuck to him through thick and
thin. He never played again and braced
right up. AS soon as Jack could be got out
i 4. II