Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1886-10-21
4 Dead Han's Money.

reporter, well. | don't mind if / DO
I've been carrying one around in my
head for this twenty year. and guess
it won't harm anybody if tell it tC
YOU. 1t was away back in the early
60 8, when me and Cy Merritt were
dealing faro in Baltimore. II was in
the fall of the year, too. by the way
for ! remember we had just rigged up
q stove near the roulette wheel. One
night when the play was light and
there was nobody about the house but
me and Cy, man opened the door
sat down at the faro table and bought
five stacks of chips. He was a young
feller, this man was. He had a light
mustache, blue eyes, and a face as
white as case sheet. Cy did the
dealing and | went up into the look
out chair. The deal came our way all
through and the fellow lost his chips
in no time. But he was a dandy,
though. He was betting all over the
layout, and if he had ever called
the turn he'd knocked us silly.
seen that the game was going to be
heavy one, so just locked the door
put on an old straw hat and watched
the bets. The feller never said a
word-moren TO call for chips. He
never took his eyes off the table
either. Long about midnight me
and Cy got hungry, and We asked the
feller if he'd stop long enough to get
something to eat. lie said that Re
wouldn't, and so the play went OH.
Nearly every bet he male Cy picked
up. The feller seemed strangely un-
lucky, but be never beefed. Never a
word came out'n his mead. He lust
set there and bet and lost until | got
sick. About daylight the feller got
down to his last hundred. He blew
it all in for chips. He slapped $40
on the queen to lose and another saw
buck on the ace to win. He whip
sawed US, begosh, and then Cy said
he was hungry and We had better go
get something to eat. The fellow said
he wouldn't have anything of the
kind. Ne and Cy were about ready
to fall out of our chairs from hunger,
but the player seemed to be as fresh
as lark. Every once in a while he a
take drink of whiskey but that's
all.
From the moment he whip-sawed
us he began to win just as fast as he
had lost during the night. He was
making Cy and the money box sweat
when l exchanged places with my
partner, and began to fix the cards in
the sardine box for the next deal.
The stranger had his bets all made
when | tapped the box for luck. But
that was all the good it done ME.
The feller called the turn from start
to finish, and hauled enough to make
him even. Me and Cy were getting
a little uneasy and faint but the
stranger was as fresh as daisy. We
kept on playing until away into the
afternoon with deal luck agin the
bank. 1t had been over twenty.four
hours since we'd eaten q mouthful OF
anything, but the feller still insisted
on playing. AT 8 o'clock he was
about $4,000 winner and showed no
signs of quitting.
Finally / got SO tired that !
couldn't watch the bets no longer. !
got up and walked around the room,
while Cy began to deal. From that
minute the fellow began to lose. and
at midnight he was down to his last
hundred. l remember just how he
looked then, although it's twenty
years ago. His face looked like mar
bic, his great blue eyes glitteriug with
a strange light. He had all his chips
in his left hand, while with his right
he stroked his long silk-hke mustache.
| was looking over his shoulder when
he made his last bet. He played the
same old cards again-ths queen to
lose and the ace to win. Then be
leaned forward and watched Cy pull
the cards. could almost hear the
strangers heart thump when Cy be-
gan to uncover the ace Of diamonds.
and when be unveiled the queen Of
hearts saw the players fingers twitch
nervously, a strange cry escaped from
his lips, aud then he fell backward
upon the aOor-dead.
81 vii. not tell you all that hap
pened from that time until the close
OF the eOrohers inquest. for it is rath-
er unpleasant to me. But this much
] will tell you: When they searched
the feller's clothes they found nothing
but this letter, which read:
Nv Darling Henry: