The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-06-18
HOW CIRCUS MEN ENJOY LIFE.
Hoaxing a Crowd With Bogus Game
of Poker for Enormous Stakes.

VI OAOL Az 41l4OL oO1AO0s
From the Netc York Graphic.
Thomas H. Davis is back in the city with
brand new story about himself and deaf"
Gaylor, whose front name no one knows,
but who never resents the use of the pet
name that was given to him on account of
his physical infrmity. 1t seems that Davis
and Gaylor were sent abroad by the Bar
mum show last year to buy elephants, and
took with them, in Bank of England notes,
an even 100000. Both men are inveterate
joSers, and seeing their opportunity they
put up'' little game before embarking on
steamer that took them across the Red
sea. They pretended to be utter strangers
to each other and had been several days on
board before one challenged the other to a
game of poker. Some of the Englishmen
on the ship had never seen the game before,
though all had heard of it, and they watched
the play with interest. The interest became
amazement when they saw the stakes that
they play for. The ante was 9l00, and the
first jackpot that came along was opened
by Gaylor for $500. Davis came in and
raised him 9l00, and in few minutes there
was more money on the table than some of
the other passengers had ever seen together.
1t was all genuine money, too, and by put
ting a big note on top of pile of small ones
the two showmen made it look ten times as
much as it really was.
The excitement was tremendous among
the spectators, but Davis and Gaylor were
as placid as two days in June, and threw
their money down as if it were dross. Pres
emily Davis called for two cards which Gay
lor dealt to him after clumsily exposing
them to his own view. Then he dealt him
self six off the bottom of the pack, and
with pretense of concealment under the
edge of the table picked out a flush. The
betting went on, and Davis lost an even
$4,000. When he had laughed and risen
from the table two or three of the English
men took him TO one side and explained,
with great excitement, how they had de-
tected Gaylor in swindling. Their indigna-
ton was so great that Davis declares he
could easily have melted them to throw the
sharper overheard, but he turned the joke
the other way and smiled with an assump-
ton of indifference, saying, "Is that 50,
reallyl Do you kaow, l thought the rascal
was cheating, but it's no matter" His fell
low passengers were astounded and ex-
claimed in wonder at his accepting such a
colssoal swindle'without a protest. ''Oh,
that's nothingm said Davis; II lost 9100,-
600 one night last week, and l have often
plaved in a game where two or three mil
lions have been in the pot We never make
n row about small games in America :"
Davis says that one Englishman dropped
dead and the others were too overpowered
TO pick him up.
Davis brother "Charley" is away for the
summer travelling with the Forepaugh
show. He is as popular with the boys
around town as Tom" is, and is especially
fond of telling a story regardless whether
the joke is on himself or anyone else. He
told lust before he left town of an adven-
ture he had in Texas last summer, and
laughed over it as heartily as if some other
mans life had been in peril. He has an
impedient in his speech, and, like many
others who are similarly affected, he has
particular difficulty in speaking quickly
whom the occasion demands especial
promptness. The more hurry he is in to say
anything the longer it takes him to say
it.
II was in some small town In the Lone
Star State when two men, both strangers
to him. became involved in q quarrel, which
they agreed to fight out under the Marquis
of Oueensberry rules. Davis says he doesn't
know why they selected those rules unless
it was for style, for neither of the fighters
knew what the rules were, and whel they
came 10 choose a referee they couldn't find
a man in town who even professed to know
them.
Finally, some one in the barroom where
the preliminaries were being talked over,
suggested that Davis, as a stranger and a
circus man, would be just the one to select,
and both the men asked him to serve He
had no particular objection, and after
some delay the ring was pitched and the
fight began.
Although there was no general pugilistic
culture in the town. there were a number Of
| men in the crowd who knew some of the
rudimentary principles Of the prize ring,
and almost every one there knew that Bit
! ing and gouging were not quite regular.
! Therefore, when the two gladiators, wild
! with rage, clinched, and one seized the
others nose in his teeth and chewed on it,
while the other strove to tear his eye from
his head. the crowd wondered that the
referee did mot order TO themi to "break
| away"
II does not take a Texas crowd long TO
act on any strong impulse and they. did
mot wait IN this instance long enough to
see that Davis was struggling with all his
might to veil the order. While he was
buszing away with his "B- b-b-b-b-b," ut
! terlv unable to reach the second letter, they
fell upon him and strove rend him limp
| from limb.
lie was picked up afterwards, still living,
and when he recovered consciousness regis
1 -. fam. ...sas.x a