Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1888-02-16
TINE eane Was vI.woyr uasv.


[PhDedelphia Times.1
The House of Gentry 4 Crittenden
took the place Of . great hotel in
Virginia City. The capital of the
gamblers was $500, ,OOO. and the game
knew no limit. The sum of 5000 =
week was set aside for evendi ct bibindi,
for wine flowed as free - spring water.
Aframe house, inside . splendid samb-
ling palace, WAS rough IN exterior. was
only of one story and four rooms.
One was a sleeping room. and next to
that was the poker room for State
officials and their elite friends, for the
presence Of leading men gave dignity
and a ~eini-Oriicial character to this,
the best and biggest gapsing house Of
the far West. The front room opened
boldly from the Main street OF Vir.
ginis City was barro0m whose rough
splendOr OF brussels carpets, soiid
silver gOblets, and rarest cut ~.
decanters AM priceless paintings ri.
vailed the Hoffman barroom of u
quarter OF a century later.
IUc btcAb TOObu VOUtsttueC0 t!O i.fi
Ia lies and two roulette wheels MI
u p. NJ. the poker room -u"rr7i FL,
| Transformation into u 'finip- room.
where cards OF adm .-ioU wc.e ue.-G-
less, and where the r.ress and 30, H.
est Of the "wines divine OF Z;inxOvene
grace'i the tabls, and y French COOK
rivaled, and even equaled, the rarest
and richest dishes at Delmonic0's g
cuisine, or the elegance Of the Cafe
Green in our own Philadelphia.
4 bettor did not ask il there was q
limit to the game. Its hackers co united
their millions as Eastern gamesters
count their thousands.
In October, 1868, a. burly ranch.
man, John Timberlnke, worth mil
lion, came up from New Mexico, hav-
ing heard Of the lame Of Gentry 4 Crit
tenden's faro palace, for it Was known
from Britisl, Columbia to the golden
slope Of the Pacific.
Joe TinIberlake was known as mil
liOnaire, in good standing with tile
San Francisco banks and bankers.
Undertakes telegram was good with
Mackay. Flood 4 . 'Brien for $500, 900.
The old ranchuii,r,, with his cordu-
roy trousers tucked in his boots, was
~ welcome guest. He chattel an hour
with Gov. Nye ut the table d'hote
dinner, and after getting two bottle
OF PoMnery Sec inside Of him. the
old man siiintcscd into the faro room.
.'t;ive me u stack Of Thousand dol
lar fish," (chips) said Timbcrlake.
Certainly, all you want" replied
the suaye Cri.tensleil, nephew Of the
once Kcntucky United States Senat or
Ot that name.
went where the gentle woodb,ne twin.
eth. Timberlake lost SIC 600 wit hout
winning ~ bet. He sNore like oui
army in Flanders and got, outside oi
another bottle Of Sec. Luck changs.l,
and at I 4. NJ. the ODD cat leman was
S5O,t % ahead ( the game. Flushed
with victory, Timberlake ordered wine
for the house. Tut the Genius Qf Faro
is as ialse'as tickle to the wOr h'pers
at her gildel shrine. The old man
made a call with u 81 900 bill and
picked S5,OOO. But luck failed him
from that moment. Not another
CANISTER stake,l ~ dollar, sucl, WAS the
absorbing interest in the great game
A: break Of day the burly ranch
man, wi hout handing in a dollar
playing a we!l-establi .hel credit, was
out iust S1l 900.
lie was cross as u bear with n sors
head, but tried to smile. ''One thous
and on the ace," the cattle raisei
whispered nervously. II lost. Old
Tiinber!aNe rose up and without
changing n muscle, superb and mag
niiicsnt in defeat, he said, slowly, ~
ii each word weighed "a pound: ''Crit
tentien, ! reckon I've had enough fur
for one jami'orse." and after orderin,
n basket Of wine for the house, sobel
Ms a judge Of the Supreme Court an6
without tasting his own wine, b,
seated himself at tientry's ebony desl
and. cool ms cucumber, drew checl
on Mackay's Bank for Sl2.OOO.
The game closed, and Timberlak,
Le.oOk himself to his New Mexic,
ranch in the first train. Sucl, gran,
games, even in Virginia City, have nov
fallen into innOcuOus desuet tlde, and I
Nevada gamblers limit is now 500.