Evening journal., 1888-07-17


among her friends. 1t YVES on this slender
foundation that the story Of the book went
or, and it is, ] doubt not, the regret Of
Schunek's hle.H
II suppose there was a great deal Of play
ing in war timesy7
s.Yes, indeed there was Money was
plenty, and the excitement was such that
man did not know how long he would live to
enjoy it. The soldiers would come in, having
just been paid or, and much of their pay
would go TO the faro deoler. Congressmen
played freely, and the games were, as a rule,
not concealed as they arc now.
During Boss Shappards time, when the
government spent about s20000,o00 in public
improvements, there was lots Of playing,
and Sheppard himself started the Washing
ton club with an initiation fee Of $500. Money
changed hands by the thousands, and there
were some good players. Senator Chaffee,
Of Colorado was a fair player and Senator
Tom Robinson, Of South Carolina, was one
Of the inveterate poker players of the cap
ital Jim Nesmith, Of Oregon, would play
poker all night at times while he was in tho
senate, and Fernando Wood could play for
hours, winning and losing, looking as solemn
as a sphinx all the time, and apparently not
caring how much he won or how little he lost.
He did not lnso often, and be always came
out 1T the end OF a week ahead Of the game
"By the way" continued this gentleman,
"did you see what Boyd Winchester. the
minister at Switzerland, says about poker"
Mo- said l.
"Wall, Winchester il considered the best
poker player in Kentucky, and he does play
. very good hand He was asked before he
went away to Switzerland as to whether his
reputation ns poker player had helped his
getting the appointment and the insnuation
was put forth that no might possibly stand
before the country as Schencks rival in our
diplomatic history Winchester was reported
as replying TO this as follows Qherc the
speaker took newspaper slip out Of his
pocket and readl
+" Now see here I have no desire to pose as
the great national poker player of this coun-
! try. ! am not great player. play a mod
est little game Every gentleman in Ken
| tucky plays the game. and SO do l. But do
/ not sit down with everybody. play only
with friends, among gentlemen, and then
only in a modest way There is no, hing pc
culiar about my playing, and l am not a
great national player. As to Echenck's
book, don't think he ought TO have pub
lshed It while he was minister, and ] don't
like the way the New YoorlS papers have
pitched into me about my eard playing. Tn,
sun has been most severe upon me, and yoi
am told that Mr.. Dana mover goes 60 bed
without first indulging IN game of draw
and ne doesnt play well, either. As for me
my health has been bad, and [ have no
played for long time. That said thl
statesman, SIS from an interview with Win
chester before he left for Europe
'How about big stakes today, and how
about tho games Of last winterp l asked.
.They have not amounted TO much, . sal,
tho old stager. ~ know Of one game il
which the jack pot amounted to 5000, ann
III which q lobbyist drew it in But asa rlll
the stakes are small and the big games feg
and far between. There is an Ohio congress
man who is a good poker player, who La
made considerable money while he was i
Washington, but who was not, alas returne
20 the Fift.eth congress. A number Of th
Indiana members play poker, and there
hardly man from the west who does nc
understand cards
Senator Beck tells n good story about OH
Of Henry Clay'5 games htit in order io al
preciate it yon ought to hear it from Bee
himself. lie went to school at Lexington, q
the Pennsylvania university, and he wa
aAAClNlAA- HNAAMNA AA4AAN tA4it4A AsAAAf NtAa e4t
living He describes how tie boys used {
SO out to visit Clay and how Clay woul
chat with them ia the most charmin
manner in the course of one Of thes
visits the boys noticed the pictures 0
the walls, and Clay asked them which the
considered the best They finally decide
upon an oil painting Of q woman standiu
with pot Of steaming mush in her hand
and as they did so Clay laughed and tol
them he agreed with them. Ho then wer
J on TO tell the story Of the picture, and
said that he got it through a game Of sove
/ up with Albert Gallatin. Galatin and Cha
! had each won q picture At a rattle while the
wero in Europe together, and tho two pi
lures were intended as companion piece
> Clay's picture was not as good as Gallatin
and he wanted to get Galatins picture.
, proposed that they should put tho pictures
) stakes and play game OF cards for ther
and he told Gallatin he could select the gam
Galatin knew but little about cards, and
chose seven up. 1t is needless TO say be los
for Clay was the best seven up player
D Kentucky. lie won the game and thus 9
7 both pictures THOMAS J. ToDD.