News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1886-04-01
A Lucky Paymaster.

During the two last years of the war
assisted to run a gambling den in Gin
cinnati. This statement will prepare
the reader to believe that / was bold,
bad man. / shall not make any excuses
to weaken his belief. l set out to re-
late an incident of those excitable times,
and my being good or bad won't add to
or detract from its interest.
A paymaster whom will call Redwood
had his headquarters in Cincinnati.
United States paymasters were the To-
ultimate prey of the gamblers during
the war. It seemed as if four out of
five of them were confirmed players,
and if they had the nerve to risk Uncle
Sans greenbacks on the green cloth it
was not our policy to meet them at the
door and forbid them to enter. Red
wood did not gamble We had it from
good authority that he was reformed
gambler and a very conscientious man.
We schemed in half dozen different
| weye to rope him in. and finally decid-
I ed that the want of money was the
chief reason why he never took in the
town. He was paying off his old debts
| and was constantly hard UP.
We found way after awhile to drop
S. into the Majors pocket and put
good man at his elbow, and the result
was as anticipated. During the next
week he visited our rooms two or three.
times, and dropped about half the
money. All his passion for play re-
vived, and one night during the second
week he came into the game with sos.
We were playing for high stake. 1t
L To 4hoA 10
from $40, 900 to $50, 900 in his safe, and
that was the Doodle our fingers itched
to grasp. Redwood was allowed to
win until he had So, 900 piled before
him. He then lost steadily until his
pile was reduced to S4OO. We could
see how desperate he was growing
under his losses, for it is fact that
men had sooner lose their own honest
money than to part with that gained
by play. The paymaster won $500, and
then dropped back to 5000. Then he
won 500, and dropped back to $75.
He was now considerably under the in
fiuence of liquor and thoroughly
aroused. He staked his S75 on one
turn and won; he staked his pile again
and lost. Ten minutes later we had his
diamond pin and watch. When he had
been cleaned out he uttered tremend-
Gus oath and exclaimed:
'Luck has been against me, but I
will burst this bank or blow my brains
out Keep my place here for half an
hourt'
He beckoned to the "chum" we had
put on his trail and the two went off
together. We knew the paymaster was
going after the greenbacks he had in
his safe. He had been drinking, but
was by no means overcome, and then
the excitement of play kept the liquor
from working on him. However, when
he got out doors he began TO get drunk
pretty fast, and by the time he reached
his office he was badly muddled. He
could not remember the combination on
which he had locked the safe. He was
showered with cold water and filled up
with strong coffee and, in brief, we work
ed him for two hours to got his sober
senses back, but the more we worked
him, the worse he got. He was finally
left alone in his office, half dead with
the treatment. Next day some hints of
his escapade reached the authorities at
Washington, and although he was not
relieved, he received such caution and
was obliged to make such promises that
he was never afterward even seen in a
saloon. Had he been able to get into
the safe that night, we should have
scooped in every dollar of the money
N. QUAD.