The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1888-09-07
Big s4ames AT Poker.

The passengers who travel the Cum
berland these days seldom are reminded
of the exciting scenes witnessed around
the gambling tables on the GOATS which
..raversed the stream thirty years ago,
says the Nashville American. Gambling
in those days was heavy even in the Cum
berland, and old river men retain recol-
lections of them which they never tire of
repeating to choice coteries, But it was on
the Missisaihpt that the ideal gambler
auArasnei.
For years gambling On the Mississippi
has been a them" Written upon and read
with interest. How the ideal planter got
through with his patrimony; how sixty or
seventy bales of cotton OF fifteen colored
people changed hands in a few hours; hut
the gambler Is always portrayed as n slen-
der, 1.-the and well formed youth, with
dirk, n dashing cavalier sort Of a fellow
that woh!d brook no insult. The hlnif,
good -natured, ,go-easy man Of about
nored. Gambling was heavy, and all the
large cotton and passenger packets had
forward of the cabin a room about 20 BY
| ~ ASNbs ShiiSa thS epNlIl nan. luls nan
was fitted up in the most luxurious style,
with Il bar, chairs and card tables. AT
these tables all day and night the plant
ers, river merchants and officers were
wont to tempt fortune. The f~avorite
game was draw poker; but in those times
the gentlemen would bet on anything, fro,,
what kind of a fish a nan would catch
on his line TO II steamboat race, and the
more a man lost the bigger lion he was.
Even now gambling is carried ON to a
great extent on all rivers, especially on
the Red and Illinois rivers.
The most successful gamblers in ante
bellum days We're George BROOKS and
'Bulletheck' Green. so called from n
bullet that WIS lodged in his neck. This
after gentleman play ed at and won intte
biggest game ever played on the Missis-
sippi. 1t was a galne of draw poker he
tween himself and three other planters.
Green had about 800, 600 on board the
boat, but the other fellows had over
sized his pile and the game was 500 ante
with no limit. Green held a remarkable
hand and had staked his last dollar, bu,
still no II would .'call" him. So, mo,
tioning the captain of the vessel to HIM
he asked Tor a loan, as he did not want tC
be run out of the game. To this the cap.
tain assented, knowing Green 10 be a
very wealthy man and he told the clerk
to let hin have any amount When these
preliminaries were settled the players wen'
on raising the stakes until $500, 900 was
on the board. when one of the players
called, and Green deliberately laid The
cards face down on the table aud said
Boys, If | win this pot ! will never turn
another card" her showed up" foul
aces and a king-a hand that can't bt
beat-as a matter of course, winning. l
is estimated that this man won over $3.50.
900 at cards.
The gambler in the days of slavery sci
dom cheated, and when he did and wa,
discovered at it, he could be found a few
minutes after with a bowie knife OF bul
let in him, moro likely the former, TO
then it was a favoritc weapon. used will
great dexterity, being thrown by expert
over twenty feet and driven through
mark on a two-inch plank. 1t was yer,
seldom a game was played without ever,
participant having his revolver or bowl
on the table; but now the players are o
the bunl,o order, and the oncs they swim
die less nervy. Who that have lived il
those year sand the present will not dc
clare for Monte Carlo days?