The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1888-02-08
TIMBERLAKE's GAME OF FARO.
he Lost S42, 900 and had Fun Enough for
One Jamboree.

one JamO0re6,
Philadelphia Times.
The centre of all stirring events in News
da is Virginia City. During the war money
was abundant, and the lucky miners some
times carried fortunes on their persons as
carelessly as they wore brace OF six shoot
ers. There was no lurking or concealment
about the big games of faro and roulette
which occupied muc III of the spare time of
cowboys and statesmen and the business
man or ranch owner, who could Ego call
his cattle home" from thousand hills.
Poker was entirely too slow game for the
Nevada City boys, albeit there was generally
a quiet game going on at the two leading
gaming houses in the city, at which such
men as William Nye, the famous New
York politician, first Governor and then
United States Senator from Nevada, with
his Attorney-Generala and the other leading
political minds, were ever ready to make
an all-Dight poker game, which generally
began with s. ''limit' and ended when
every man was broke save the man with
'bobtail flush" who raked in the pot toward
morning: and sometimes the game lasted
two days and two nights in succession, and
the ''blear-eyed gambler homeward bent
his steps, only when he went broke.
The most famous gambling house in Ne
vada was operated by Gentry & Crittenden.
Gentry was long, lean Texan, relative
of Meredith p. Gentry, the well-remem-
bered Wing orator and statesman of Ten
nessee, the companion and friend of Jimmy
Jones, once Governor OF Tennessee, and a
long time member of Congress.
The house of Gentry & Crittenden took
the place of a great hotel in Virginia City.
The capital of the gamblers was 5000, 0OO
and the game knew no limit. A frame
house, inside a splendid gambling palace,
was rough in exterior, was only of one story
and four rooms. One was 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 semi-oficial character to this the
best and biggest gaming house OF the far
West. The front room, opening boldly from
the main street of Virginia City, was bar
room, with rough splendor of Brussels car
pets, solid silver goblets, and rarest cut
glass decanters and paintings.
The next room contained two faro tables
and two roulet,eswheels, and at p. m. the
peker room suffered transformation into
a dining room, where cards of admission
were needless.
a better did not ask if there was a limit
to the game. Its hackers counted their
millions as Eastern gnmesters count their
thousands. In October, 1868, burly ranch
man, named Timberlake, worth million,
came up from New Mexico, having heard
of the fame of Gentry & Crittenden's faro
palace, for 1t was known from British CO.
lumbia to the golden slope of the Pacific.
Joe Timberlake was known as mill ion
ARE. in coed standing with the San. Fran
cisco banks and bankers. limbs rlakes
telegram was good with Mackay, Flood and
0'Brien for $500, 600.
The old ranchman, with his corduroy
trousers tucked in his boots, was welcome
guest. He chatted an hour with Gov. Nye
at the table d. hote dinner, and after get
ting two bottles of Pommerey Sec inside OF
him the old man sauntered into the faro
room.
"Give me stack OF thousand.dolIar fish, I"
| said Timberlake.
"Certainly, all you want" replied the
sueve Crittenden, q nephew OF the once
| Kentucky United States Senator OF that
| name.
One thousand went on the jack. 1t went
| where the woodbine twineth. TimberlaKe
| lost $4,000 without winning a bet. He
swore like our army IN Flanders, and got
| outside of another bottle. Luck changed,
| and at l a. m. the old cattleman was $50,-
| 600 ahead of the game. Flushed with vic
| tory, Undertake ordered wine for the
| house. But the Genius of Faro is as false
as tickle to the worshipers az her gilded
| shrine The old man made call with q
$1,000 bill and picked up So 900, But luck
| failed him from that moment. Not ano-
| Their gamester staked a dollar, such was the
| 1ulctCct III Viz SAO0t OoAANs
At break OF day the barly ranchman,
without handing in dollar, playing a
ll-establishedcredit, WAS out Just 81, 900.
He was Cross as a bear with sore head,
but tried to smile. zone thousand on the
ace" the cattle raiser whispered nervously.
1t lost. Old Timberlake rose up and with
out changing q muscle, superb and mRgni'
ficent IN defeat. he said slowly, as If each
word weighed a pound "Crittenden
reckon I've had enough fun for one am
boree," and, after ordering basket of wine
for the house, sober as Judge OF the Su
preme Court and without tasting his OWL
wine, he seated himself at Gentry's ebony
desk, and, cool as a cucumber, drew checl
on Macksy's bank for $42 900.
The game closed, and Timberlake betool
himself to his New Mexico ranch in thu
first train. SUCH games, even in Virgins
City, bave fallen into innocuous desuetude
and Nevada gamblers hmit is now 800
Death of Moses McClain.
GREENWOOD, February 2.-C5peciaL j
Mr.. Moses McClsiD, an old, respected Cit
zen, died this morning o. o o'clock, at hi
home some five miles q theast of here. ages