The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1886-03-18
pEATH AT TILE POKER Fable.
A Gamble Saved Prom Prison by His
Wife's Devotion.


ty throughout the state of Colorado.
He engaged In the pasteboard
and ivory enterprise at a very ten
der age and followed the green
cloth to the end of his natural life.
Large sums of money were often
staked on the turn of card by the
fearless gambler. Polite in man.
ner, a fluent talker and more than
averagely educated he soon became
a favorite among the knights of the
cneck rack. Courageous and
brainy. he was considered by all who
knew him aDdrespected by the bull
ly, who cringes to a man of nerve as
naturally as he frightens q woman
or intimidates an old man. George
Collins was small of stature, not
more than five feet six inches in
height, well proportional with a
face which at one time must have
been almost perpect, though the
marks of excuses has marred its
outlines. He was twenty sew
en- years of age when the gold craze
of Leadville was at its best, and
played funny freaks, sending wag
on trains from every direction with
the inscription, "To Leadville or
bust" written on the canvass OF ev-
cry moving blot on the roads to the
roads to the mountain minis as they
all thought. A few years later
"busted" was the suggestive in
scription seen or implied in rags
that floated back over the road that
had promised to lead every pauper
to his fortune. Disappointment was
written everywhere. The gamblers
were IN geodly numbers among the
gold seekers, and perhaps found
more than the prospectors. Col
Inns was successful at least, as he
always was in games of chance and
had not his generosity and liberali-
ty been of such q magnanimous ma
ture he might have counted his
monsy with the nabebs of the states.
He was a systematic poker player,
and downed every professional he
played with, though his friends
clsimed that he would never play an
unfair game. This was probably
false, however, as most gam blers
will take any unfair advantage, and
it is hard to imagine how the "hck-
la goddess" could favor a strictly
honest gambler.
At the close of the gold fever era
he went to Denver from Leadville
and met Maggie Mcbride, a needle
girl of manageable age, pretty and
modest; fell desperately in love
with her and married her after a
courtship of four months which was
ample time for each to learn the
others weak points. She implored
him to give up the profession of
cards saying that he was constant
ly exposed to danger and she could
not live if anything happened which
would cause their separation for she
loved him with deep devotion and
would sacrifice life for him. The
girls opportunities had some
weight with her husband, for his
love for his wife was deep and pas
sionate. Yet to give up gambling
meant extreme poverty to the man
who had led life of excitement
and pleasure for upward of twenty
years. He could not bear the
thought of bis young and beautiful
wife suffering for went. He avoid
ed some of his old companions aud
was less prone to encounter danger
for his wife's sake. So instead of
spending his nights in combat with
the treacherous tiger he staid at
home with his loving wife. He
might at this time have been en-
tireiy reformed, and become use
full member of society had the
only temptation been to go back to
his old disreputable associates, but
there was middle ground. Some
of the pleasure-loving gentlemen, !"
men of high professional business
and social standing courted ruin
and disgrace at the "club house"
gambling tables. They knew Col
Inns as fair player, and man of
some polish, and willingly admitted
him to their game.
This was said to be the heaviest
game game in the state of Colora-
do, and none engaged in the play
but men of money. Midnight was
the hour when doors were closed
and the gamesters retired to their
homes with purses increased or
diminished as chance decided.
George was liberal in play as he
was in all things. Liberal though
he was, the men whom he had to
deal with soon discovered they were
no match for the cool headed pro-
fessional they had admitted to their
club for he carried hundreds of dol
lars of their money in a very short
time. This caused comment on his
reputation as square man. His
perception soon discovered that he
was stunned by the men who q
week before praised him for his
skill in manipulating the cards.
Stnng TO the quick by the GOODNESS
shown him by the merchant players
he resolved to teach them a lesson
the next time he sat to play for
their money. A cattle king from
WyoAing arrived in the city and
was to become one OF the players at
the merchants game during his stay
in Denver. Now was his time to do
them up,as everybody was flush, es-
pecially the late arrival from the
territory, so he prepared for the
nights work, and bid his wife good
evening, telling her not to be un-
easy as he would rem ain little
later than usual. AS he stepped
into the club room the play at Ia
BILE was not full. Three men,,were en-
deavoring to get a forth party to
make game. One of them he rec
ognized as the cattle king for he
had seen him that day on the street.
He was large and muscular, with
fierce eye that plainly said its
owner would have no triling. The
three men took seats around a pe-