, 1888-12-27
Stories Told by a Noted Sport
About His Craft.
Hair-Raising Tales About For
tunes Staked at Play.
Big winnings and Consequent big Losses
Tragedy and Comedy which
Gamblers See.
"Tell me something about Yourself. /"

Keeping with MS looks. lie Is well edu-
Gated, speaks several languages fuently
and as he has knocked around the world
for good many years, he has had some
interesting experiences.
81 have gambled for about thirty years,
he said, land am, suppose, what you
would call an old stager In the business.
| Nv first gambling was done 10 st. Louis.
| had about forty dollars and lost every
cent of 1t. borrowed five dollars from
friend and won enough to take me to
Denver, which was then called Pixies
| Peak. got work in q gambling house
there, and as am naturally quick at
| picking up things. and used to watch the
| men play and | soon caught on to greet
many tricks. In twelve months l had
nearly thirty thousand dollars in my bank
at St. Louis, but 1t didn't stay long,
HIS BIGGEsr GAME.
Tell me Of the biggest game you ever
took part m"
"The biggest game ever played 10 was
at Pixies Peak in '76. There we're four OF
US in the game, Dock Nagle, Jim Bell,
Charley Sampson and myself. From 10
Friday had won $4,000. After l left
Denver ran on the Mississippi boats in
partnership with George Duval and "Cau-
ada Bill" l saw q great many exciting
things on that river. Gamblers were the
biggest men, on the boatsr shall never
forget an incident that happened on the
steamer Bart Able. A young man about
10 or 20 was playing In the cabin with
some gamblers. He was q handsome boy,
and my heart went out to him when
| thought of what he must lose. He was
ON his way to ST. Louis with about S250O
his father had given him to deposit in the
bank. Some gamblers roped him into the
game and robbed him out OF every dollar
he had. When the poor fellow saw that
he had lost all of his money he pulled o
revolver from his pockets and blew out his
brains e.. s. .'t"
THE MAN WITH THE WHITE HAT.
Canada Bill was one of the smartest
men who ever handled a card. He went
| to Dodge City, Kansas, and opened faro
bank with man named Blackburn. Bill
was great hunter, and while Blackburn
| looked after business Bill hunted. One
| day bill looked in the drawer and saw a
tab for $500. Blackburn told bim a man
with white had won it. Bill snid moth.
ing, but kept on hunting. Finally an
Blackburn told the same old story. "a man
with white hat had won it, Bill in
duced Blackburn to 90 hunting, and when
Blackburn got back he found that the
bank was broke" Bill had taken about
SIC, 900, and when Blackburn inquired
who had won ii Bill replied the man with
the white hat f. ,'-
CANADA BILL AND BEAN HICKMAN.
Washington and there he met the cele-
brated Bean Hickman. Together they
planned one of the greatest schemes ever
perpetrated in this country Hickman
would 90 to "a certain senator or congress-
! man and tell him that certain man would
call on him to borrow S.. Hickman would
advise his victim to pay the money, as the
man was u crazy millionaire and would
return 1t. Then Canada Bill, in the dis.
guise Of wealthy looking citizen, would
borrow the money and would say to his
victim 4 will see you at my room to-inor.
row. The victim, on calling would re.
ceive SIS or $50. This soon noised about,
and everybody was on the lookout for the
crazy millionaire, each anxious to double
his money. Some gave Bill twenty and
even as high as two hundred dollars, Bill
z collected in this way about $1,000. Oi
course after he got u big sum the paying
back ceased. .... ..f....e.t-.
"Then Hickman got in his work, He
would 90 to the rural senator and tell him
he had been played for sucker, and thai
the thing quiet. OF course the victiu
would pony up rather than be exposed. Ii
this way they gathered 10 several thous
ands." ....I.. .t. .f ..s
( Canada Bill at one time was worth
1 $3.50, 900, but he was great spender ant
died a few years ago in the poorhouse il
Reading, Pennsylvania.
I A FAMOUS KILLING.
IL was in San Antonio, Texas" coniin
ued Bill, "when Ben Thompson killed
Jack Harris, ! have read u groat many
accounts of this killing and the reason,
all wrong. Bob Thompson was the wors
man ia Texas. He had forty hicks on hi,
pistol and each nick represented O man ht
lad Killed. Jack Harrison and Billy Sim
ons ran saloon, gambling rooms and q
variety theater in Austin. One night
Thompson lost $1,000 at faro; then bor.
rowed $500 on his jewelry and lost that
Harris gave him back his jewelry and told
him when he got home to send him the
and sent word 70 Thompson that he wanted
his money. THOMPSON sent word 70 go
to the devil. Then Harris declared himself
and said he would shoot Thompson on
sight. s s.r
''Thompson heard these reports. and
getting on the train went to Austin. As
be passed Harris saloon he saw Harris
drinking at the bar. Thompson fired
through the window and shot Harris
through the heart. Thompson was tried
and acquitted on the grounds Of self de.
fence
BILLY Simms, Harris' partner, testified
very strongly against Thompson on the
trial. and people said he would not live
ten Days after Thompson got out, for
Thompson had said he would 'send him
to meet Jack Harris The two met on
one Of the priucipal styeeta of Austin and