The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1888-11-29
HARD POKER LUCK.
Man Who Cheated Himself Out of Ten
Thousand Dollars.

took my papers and tried to read.
but lost all interest in reading, and
drew my chair close to the table to
watch the game. looked on for a
while, and became perfectly disgusted
with the players. to think what chumps
they were. Why. they didn't know
how to play. If hadn't sworn off j
might have won a couple of hundred
dollars. l watched their game so long
that thought L would risk $50, and if
lost that I would quit, and-well,
$50 more or less for expenses wouldn't
cut much of figure. So | went to
the captain and bought $50 worth of
corn" They used corn in those days,
having no chips as we do now. |
started in to play, and after while
lost all the corn | had. 1t was not my
bad playing, but simply hard luck.
thought | couldn't always lose, so l
invested 800 more in corn, and to
make long story short, l lost that.
After losing $50 | became desperate
and played with great recklessness.
invested the balance of my money in
corn, and had lost all but five or ten
grains, which l had in my coat pocket,
when the boat whistled for landing.
The first mate arose and said:
Gentlemen, am very sorry, but we
have to take on some wood at this sta
ton and my services are needed. You
gentlemen can continue the game or
wait until we get under steam again,
and l will join you
After awhile we agreed to wait for
the mate. l thought l would take a
stroll on deck and get some fresh air.
| walked down the gang plank, and
where the boat had landed there was
great large house. | could not tell
what kind of a house it was, as the
night was pitch dark. | walked up to
it and felt that there were holes in the
side. ran my fingers through the
holes, and imagine my surprise when l
found it contained corn. | had ac-
cidentally run across corn crib. |
was not of a thievish disposition, but
thought if | took an ear Of corn and
l won, why / would place in my pock-
eft what had taken and only cash
what l had really won; but, on the
other, if l lost-well, it was like a
drowning man catching at a straw.
So took an ear of corn and placed it
in my pocket and commenced shelling
it. In the course of half an hour
the boat started down the river, and
we resumed the game. From the start
| commenced winning. Everything l
drew to got. | won pot after pot.
About a. m. some one proposed that
we have jack pot and quit for the
night. Everybody agreed. There was
something like 5000 in the pot, and 1
won it. Every one commenced count
ing their corn to cash in, and | COM
menced counting mine. / was winner
over SO, 600 when the Captain said:
Hold on there. | didn't issue any
red corn"
There was stir Immediately. The
Captain wanted every body searched, 1
and in going through my pockets, he
discovered the ear of corn which | had
taken, which proved to be red. In
taking out the corn l had won some
of the red corn got mixed with the
white. Some of the men wanted to
shoot me; others wanted to lynch me;
but the Captain said no; he would not
cash my corn, and would put me off
the boat. Immediately he stopped the
boat, and sent me ashore without a
nickel. | walked back until | had got
as far as the crib of corn, and Improved
to be crib containing $4,000 ears of
white corn, and the one l got was the
only red ear in the crib.-iSt. L0uiS
POst-Dispdtch.