Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1888-01-20
WON HER At POKER
THE STORY OF TEXAS TOM AND HIS
HANDSOME BRIDE.

Texas Tom is paying San Fran
cisco a visit. Day by day he is
seen passing up and down Market
street, accompanied by very pret'
ty woman whom he calls Ray and
who seems very much interested In
Tom. The latter is about twenty
one years old now but a veteran IN
experience OF the shady sort. just
at present he is atop the heap and
is wearing diamonds. His baptism
al name is Thomas p. Redmond,
/ but that doesn't make any differ
ence-he is Texas Tom to all men.
+ Nobody hereabOnt knows the GIRL
bevond the fact that she is bru'
nette from the head waters, has a
pair OF saucy eyes and cuts as pret'
~ a figure as need be. The other
day an old Western sport turned np
and spun this interesting yarn to a
San Francisco Examiner reporter :;
Texas Tom literally won that girl
You just saw him with, but without
sword or courtship. In plain words,
he won her at poker, after one OF
the longest and hottest sessions l
ever saw over a round table.
About three years ago a slick
short card gambler named William
. Townsend took professional tour
througn the South. In a Florida
bamlet he encountered beautiful
Girl of sixteen, who accepted bis
flash for genuine and married him
against the will of her parents, we'll
to.do and reSpectablepeOp Town.
send showered jewelry and rich raj
ment on his child bride, but she
could not descend to his level at
first, and the GOODNESS that arose
between them soon after the hasty
marriage was rapidly widening in
to a breach leading to a separation,
when Texas encountered them in
st. Paul, Minn., a little over two
months ago. He roOmed in the
same house, and after few chance
meetings Tom and TOwnsend's wife
found themselves IN love with each
other.
Eight weeks ago last Monday
afternoon Texas, Townsend and
four others sat down in RedmOnds
rooms to play poker. The game
was small at first, twenty-five cents
ante, but the stakes rapidly swelled
to figures that made 1t exceedingly
interesting. Hour after hour wore
away and heightened into plural
ity of days, and Texas won cOnsid-
erable money. One player after
another dropped out, physically or
financially exhausted ; others drop
ped in and dropped out, until final
ly at the end OF three days only
Texas and Townsend remained
/ The pair ate and drank between
the deals, played standing up and
did everything but sleep.
After the second day the game
began to be a sort of a show, and
hundreds tlOcked in to watch the
players and calculate how long ma
tcre could stand the strain.
In three days Townsend had lost
$4,000, all his available cash, but
he begged for a short grace, which
Texas granted.
1t was midnight. Texas stole an
hours rest, while Townsend made a
hurried trip to his rooms. His wife
was asleep, and il was an easy mat
fer 10 carry off her iewelTv, mostly
diamonds, and aggregating in value
about 81 POO.
While she slept on, unconscious
of her loss, Townsend returned,
woke up his opponent, and asked
for an allowance on the gems
Texas sleeplly advanced 1000 and
play was resumed.
1t was purely scientific game,
each man being too clever for the
other to dare to attempt any work.
All the next day the play cOntin'
ued in the presence of a crowd at
tracted by its protraction. Fortune
seemed to smile on Townsend fol
awhile, but the tide turned toward
noon, and at the end of the fourth
day of the setting Texas had him
cleaned out.